Buy a Dollhouse, Get the Real House Free

It’s a buyer’s market in real estate these days -I know, I’m trying to sell one, too. A Michigan couple weren’t having much luck selling their home when they came up with a gimmick that generated publicity if nothing else. Gerry and Cindy Mann are now throwing in their home for free, if you want to buy a miniature replica for $169,000!

Using a 1-foot-to-1-inch scale, Cadwell fashioned an exact replica of the Mann house about 15 years ago for the family’s three (now-grown) children to enjoy.

The retired engineer toiled for more than a year on the structure, eschewing dollhouse kits for elbow grease. He cut the wooden swinging closet doors, trimmed the sandpaper shingles and wired the electric fixtures himself.

All in all, the Manns estimate, the dollhouse is worth a couple thousand dollars. Gerry and Cindy are hoping the digs will soften the blow of the $167,000 mark-up.

As consummate salespeople, the Manns would like to point out that the dollhouse is not an exact replica. The spacious pool, the cabana and the large backyard with a garden plot have not been captured by Cadwell’s adroit hands.

Link -via Geek Like Me

(image credit: John Grap/Battle Creek Enquirer)