House listed in VA comes with a person living in lower level

Buying a new house often comes with a few surprises, from hidden mold to unexpected repairs, maybe even a few unwelcome rodents.

Then there’s this house in Fairfax, Virginia, which comes with a person — or two — living in the basement, rent free.

Yep, this five-bedroom, four-bathroom house on the real estate market comes with a possible squatter.

“Cash offers only no access to see lower level and home sold as is only with acknowledgment that home will convey with a person(s) living in lower level with no lease in place,” the listing on Zillow.com says.

While this might sound like a subplot from “Ozark,” this is real life and the potential new owners of the home, which is listed for $800,000, might get more than they bargained for, in addition to the basement buddy.

The 3,548-square-foot house is in need of some serious TLC, according to the listing. The original windows have some rot, the dishwasher is busted, one toilet is shut off and leaks, carpet on the lower level needs to be replaced, and so much more.

The residence has captured the attention of the popular real estate Facebook page Zillow Gone Wild as fans went all in on the jokes.

“I’m trying to figure out how in the world this house is worth 800k when the windows are rotting, it needs 25k worth of flooring replacement, half the appliances don’t work AND the back deck will need replacing??” one person asked. “Also is my basement serial killer paying me rent???”

“Sooo….. basically they don’t want to sell it,” someone said.

“’House is livable’ — I guess if one’s standards were low enough,” another observed.

“I love how casually they slip back into the description of the house. ‘Just so you know… there’s a man in your basement that you can’t do anything about. What a great opportunity to own this colonial home with a huge kitchen!’” someone joked.

“Wow! What a deal! You mean I get all this — rotting door and window frames, leaky toilets and broken appliances — PLUS the added bonus of a squatter or two in the basement??? Where do I sign???” one person said.

“On the one hand, I’m glad they’re being transparent about the condition of the home, but on the other hand, could you at least make some effort to make the home look and sound appealing to a buyer?!” another pointed out.

“’…Home sold AS IS ONLY with acknowledgment that home will convey with a person(s) living in lower level with no lease in place.’ No thank you. I recognize the beginning to a horror story when I hear one,” someone said.

“No way would I buy a house with a ‘wild card’ or ‘mystery box’ in the the basement!” one person noted. “What if it was a meth lab that explodes overnight?! Or any other activity that endangers me? How do I buy fire or homeowners insurance for this place?!”

This story was originally published April 12, 2022 1:01 PM.