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Malibu Moss

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Realtor / 2021 VMLS

Perplexing Properties

The housing market is hot, and buyers are snapping up properties at a rapid pace. Still, there are some unique abodes that fall under the category of, well, "acquired tastes." From homes like a just-listed property in Colorado with its very own Wild West town to houses full of creepy dolls and Elvis impersonators — yep, really — we've rounded up some of the strangest real-estate listings we could find online.


Related: Beautiful Old Homes for Sale Across America

Realtor / 2021 VMLS

The Wild West Town

Saguache, Colorado 

$4.7 million

Sure, this 320-acre property includes a three-bedroom, three-bathroom luxury home with a glass floor that sits atop an indoor stream. But hold onto your cowboy hat, because it also has a full reproduction of an old Western town, complete with a saloon and restaurant, general store, and chapel. Also on site are an operational hotel and dance hall, making the setting worthy of retreats, weddings and more. Finally, if you get bored owning a town, there’s a shooting range, a horse stable, and an outdoor stage for whatever performances you dream up.


Related: 18 Towns Where You Can Still Experience the Wild West

Realtor / RMLSA

The Black House

Lincoln, Illinois 

$250,000

Is this the little black dress of houses? This octagonal two-bedroom on a wooded lot in Illinois stands out not just for its distinctive shape, but its color palette (or lack thereof). If you're not a fan of the black exterior, there's more bad news inside. Still, everything is sleek and updated, and the master loft has a magazine-worthy bathroom. Still don't love the black? The home is only $250,000, so you might be able to afford the (very expensive) paint job.


Related: What Experts Say About Buying a Home Right Now

Realtor.com

The Fire Sale Special

Melrose, Massachusetts

$399,000

Talk about curb appeal ... or the lack thereof. It's hard to believe someone would ask (much less pay) so much money for this burned-out three-bedroom house, but location is everything. This 1,857-square-foot house suffered fire damage to the exterior that necessitates gut renovation or a teardown, but the house is already contingent, so some lucky buyer is just putting a finer point on what a "hot" housing market really means. 


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Realtor

The Whimsical Tower House

Saugerties, New York

$799,000

Is it a tree house? A lighthouse? This three-bedroom tower with Catskills views defies description, which is fitting: It was designed and built by artist John Kahn, who collaborated with Jim Henson as he created the Muppets. The main home is decked out with a spiral staircase, parapets, and balconies, plus there's a guesthouse, a warehouse, a sauna, and even a storage building re-imagined as a rail car. The property also features plenty of sculptures and other pieces of Kahn's handiwork.

Realtor

The Creepy Doll House

Metairie, Louisiana

$149,500

Under $150 grand seems like a steal of a deal for just about any property in this market, but ... oh. Oh. We get it now. So did the genius who decided to insert a parade of creepy Victorian dolls into the pictures of this three-bedroom near New Orleans, which is in desperate need of some love. "Property being sold as is" reads the listing — but no word on whether that means the buyer gets the dolls, too. 

Realtor

The Houseboat That's Not a Boat

Au Gres, Michigan

$750,000

Built in 1936, the Land Yacht S.S. Huronia is a 74-foot-long, boat-shaped house that its agent says is a local icon. For three-quarters of a million dollars, you do get what appears to be a perfectly livable home — albeit one on the smaller side at 1,700 square feet. What you're really paying for here, other than an excuse to demand that everyone call you "captain": the views, of course. The home sits on the edge of a peninsula with over 160 feet of shoreline and offers panoramic views of Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay. 


Related: Creative Conversions of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Realtor

The Missile Base House

Eskridge, Kansas

$1.6 million

While it's pretty unassuming-looking out there in the middle of nowhere, we're not even sure where to start when conveying the absolute insanity of this property. From the drum circle platform and the hallway filled with international news stories to the missile control silo room and the front-yard castle turret, this home for sale east of Kansas City is pretty out there. But don't take our word for it — scroll through the 86 photos in the listing to see it for yourself.  


Related: Fixer-Uppers Under $100,000 Just Begging to Be Pretty Again

Realtor

The Car House

Roanoke, Texas

$8 million
If you've got a few million burning a hole in your pocket as well as a burning love of all things car-related, this is the home for you. The 10-acre property includes "car lifts, a paint application booth, a tire changer, and antique memorabilia galore," as well as a two-bedroom house that is also filled with automotive-themed details like a bathroom sink fashioned around a motorcycle apparatus. The property also has a tiered pool, outdoor kitchen area, a 10-car garage, separate "entertaining house," and a glass repair center.


Related: Absolutely Massive Homes Listed for Less Than $100,000

Realtor

The Indoors Is Outdoors House

New Berlin, Wisconsin

$995,000

With rock walls, indoor ponds, plants galore, and flora and fauna nature-inspired motifs running throughout this home, it's fair to say that anyone who doesn't love camping probably isn't going to give this property a second look. Still, with six bedrooms, six baths, and a 17-plus acre lot with hiking paths, a stocked lake, and — inexplicably — a restored Humvee included in the sale, it does have its, err, charms? 


Realtor

The Blue House

Palm Springs, California

$529,000

Innocuous and decidedly beige in its exterior, this house explodes into a serious dedication to anything cerulean-hued upon entering, including in carpet, furnishings, and out-there wallpaper patterns that match the home's textiles. There are also some fun details like beds that are lit from underneath (all furnishings are included with the sale), indoor palm trees, and more. 


Related: Hobbit Holes, Missile Silos, and Other Cool Underground Homes You Can Rent for the Night

Realtor

The Graceland Lite House

Ball Ground, Georgia

$2 million

On the one hand, this nearly 3,300-square-foot house features "lush farmland estate boasting 1,400 feet [of] Etowah River frontage, 82 acres, [and] multiple fenced pastures." On the other hand, it also boasts an Elvis impersonator who apparently insisted on posing in most of the home's listing photos. Or it's a home where the listing agent thought it was a good idea to bring an Elvis impersonator in on picture day — we're not sure but either way, it's weird. 


Related: Elvis' Pet Chimp Wasn't the Only Unusual Thing About Graceland

Vegas INC

The Underground House

Las Vegas 

$5.9 million

If you woke up this morning thinking, "I'd like to live in Sin City but make sure I soak up as little of that desert sunshine as possible," have we got the house for you. This five-bedroom, six-bathroom property has more than 2,300 square feet of underground living space featuring fake trees, murals, grass-like carpet, an indoor pool where you won't ever get a tan, and many, many other strange details that leave you wondering what kind of a person would buy such a thing. 


Related: Celebrity Homes Regular People Can Afford

Realtor

The Technicolor Casitas

Taos, New Mexico

$1.9 million
This house also looks mostly normal until you get to the last three photos, which we're guessing depict the two casitas that the listing notes are "hand-painted by Taos' own Jim Wagner." With pink floors, purple ceilings, green walls, and multi-colored muraled walls, they certainly wouldn't be for anyone who was afraid of a splash — actually, make that a deluge — of color.


Realtor

The Everything Is Special House

Belleair Beach, Florida

$3.2 million
Inside and out, this waterfront property is a feast for the eyes. From the unique architecture, blue roof, three-story glass atrium, and tiled driveway outside to the circular doors, LED lighting, fabric ceilings, and a myriad of look-at-me light fixtures on the interior, no one would ever call this home bland. If you tire of the over-the-top decor that seems to literally permeate every room, however, you can always just gaze out the windows at the calming gulf views or relax in the pool or on the rooftop deck.

Zillow

The Trophy Hunter's House

Sulphur Springs, Texas

$1.25 million

A pretty house, a lovely pool, a landscaped yard, an ... OMG, how many dead animals are on those walls??? Yes, presumably the owners of this 8,600-square-foot house will be taking their massive taxidermy collection with them, but you have to wonder at the frustration of the poor real estate agent who realized that there would be no dead-eyed-mounted-thing de-staging happening with their new listing.

Realtor

The Windmill House

Easthampton Village Fringe, New York

$11.5 million

If you're in the market to drop millions on a two-bedroom, one-bath, 1,300-square-foot house that was built as a windmill in 1830, you're in luck. This one, as noted by Realtor.com, does come with something of a pedigree: It's where Marylin Monroe and playwright Arthur Miller escaped from the press in the summer of 1957. Also, to be fair, that price does include nearly 5.5 acres of lovely countryside near the Hamptons. 


Related: The Most Expensive Celebrity Homes of All Time

Realtor

The Flying Nun House

Apple Valley, California

$670,000

Some houses have crazy interiors while others have exteriors that make you do a double-take. This home belongs to the second category. Often referred to as the "Flying Nun House," this nearly 3,400-square-foot home, built in 1966, is located on more than 1.5 acres and features panoramic views on the Victor Valley courtesy of its floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The two-bedroom, 2½-bath property also features a pool.


Related: Art Deco to Victorian: Architectural Homes for Sale Across America


Realtor

The Chandelier House

San Clemente, California

$1.4 million

Why have one chandelier in a room when you can have so many more? We're not really sure what else there is to say or speculate on when it comes to this listing. Maybe Sia lives here? 

Realtor

The Mushroom-Shaped House

Forked River, New Jersey

$295,000
The originality of the mushroom-inspired exterior of this two-bedroom, one-bath house carries through to the inside, which features an open floor plan, spiral staircase, curved walls, and an upstairs bedroom that, according to the listing agent, "will make you feel like a kid again."

Malibu Moss

The Malibu Tube House

Malibu, California

$13.5 million

For a cool dozen-plus mil, this home can make sure your nosier neighbors see pretty much everything you do. Constructed of steel and glass by renowned architect Ed Niles in 1992, this super-unique home has two parts — a tubular living section and a semi-circle entertaining section — connected by a sky bridge. There's also a pool and hot tub on the property and multiple decks.