California bungalow aims for $500,000 – months after being destroyed by falling pine tree

This California bungalow may be a disaster zone, but it’s still going for $499,999.

In Monrovia, a property, or what’s left of it, is up for sale after a giant pine tree fell on it in May – leaving the one-bedroom, one-bathroom house looking like it came straight out of a post- apocalyptic. film.

The towering tree crashed through the roof, tore through the walls, took out the tenants’ car and reduced most of the 645-square-foot home to utter ruin.

But don’t worry; no one was hurt – neither the two tenants nor their two dogs who managed to escape unharmed.

The other victims? A fence and lots of drywall.

Listing agent Kevin Wheeler of Sierra Madre Real Estate of Century 21 Village Realty told the Los Angeles Times that some saw it as “unsalvageable,” joking that he actually thought of it as “a concept layout open”.

What remains is a messy jumble of missing walls, exposed wires and ceilingless rooms.

It has all the charm of a construction site, but don’t count it out just yet.

The plumbing continues to work, although the electricity is shut off. And somehow, the back door — the same one the tenants fled through when disaster struck — is still standing.

There is a silver lining for potential buyers.

Because the demolition was deemed an “act of God,” Wheeler said, typical city red tape doesn’t apply, meaning anyone can tear down the site and start over without a lengthy review process.

This is a big deal in Monrovia, where properties over 50 years old usually require a tedious appraisal before any demolition can take place.

And despite the mess, there’s no shortage of interest.

“There’s been a lot of interest so far because the demand is so high and the inventory, especially at this price, is so low,” Wheeler said.

Several bargain hunters tried to jump in with low bids of $250,000 to $300,000, hoping to get a deal on the blighted house.

But according to Wheeler, they’re out of luck: “Market comparisons for similar properties in Monrovia put the value at $500,000.”