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Detroit Homeowner Will Trade House for iPhone 6

Got a new iPhone? How you can trade it for a house.

By Angela Moscaritolo
October 8, 2014
Detroit house iPhone trade

Got a new iPhone 6 or iPad you're willing to part with for a potential moneymaking venture? If you act fast, you can trade it for a whole entire house. Yes, really.

A Detroit homeowner is looking to swap his three-bedroom, 1.5 bathroom brick colonial on the city's east side for — get this — an iPhone 6 or 32GB iPad. Located at 11954 Laing St. in Detroit, the house was originally listed for $5,000 but the seller recently dropped the price to $3,000 after he failed to find a buyer.

Now, he's willing to part with the house for a new Apple gadget. "It's a real listing," real estate agent Larry Else told local channel Fox 2 on Tuesday. "My client is overseas, and he told me he would be willing to trade the property for an iPhone 6. It sounds to me like he wants the premium [6 Plus] version, but I'm sure he's willing to negotiate."

There's one big catch, though — the new owner will also have to pay $6,000 in back taxes. Also, a palatial mansion, this is not.

Built in 1929, the house has not aged well and is in desperate need of a little TLC. It has virtually no curb appeal, with more than a few broken windows, a missing front shutter, overgrown landscaping, and a recliner currently sitting on the porch roof. The inside is also pretty run down with holes in the walls and debris everywhere.

But perhaps you're just the person to see the potential in the 2,400 square-foot, single family house, which does boast some positives, like a 2-car detached garage and finished basement. You better act fast, though. The house will reportedly stay on the market until the county forecloses on the property, which could happen in the next year.

The sale, of course, highlights the difficulties the city of Detroit has gone through in recent years. As CNNMoney noted this week, Detroit's population has dropped from 1.8 million in the 1950s to about 700,000 last year. One organization, the Detroit Land Bank, is dedicated to fixing the problem, but must contend with about 80,000 aging and run-down properties.

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About Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

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