Half of Southern California home on sale for 'half a million' after being hit by pine tree

Half of a Southern California home is on the market for half a million dollars and potential buyers are flocking to own the unusual residence.

The 645 square foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow in suburban Monrovia, northeast of Los Angeles, is listed for $499,999. The home, which was built in 1921, remains intact after a "gigantic" stone pine tree fell on it in May, Realtor Kevin Wheeler told USA TODAY.

"It's half a house for half a million," Wheeler said about the growing interest in the home. "That's what everybody is reacting to."

When the tree struck the home, luckily neither of the two owners was killed, according to Wheeler.

"There weren't a lot of places you could be without getting hit by the tree, and they happened to be just at the right spot to miss it," he said.

'We've had several good offers'

Although the home is only partially standing, the demand to buy it remains high due to the housing inventory in the area being scarce, according to Wheeler.

The home has only been on the market for about a week, he said.

"We've had several good offers," the realtor said. "If it wasn't for the attention that it's getting, it would be under contract right now."

Half of the home being destroyed prompted its owners to sell rather than pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to rehab it, the realtor said.

"They're older and they don't got the gas in the tank," Wheeler said about the owners. "They thought that it'd be better for them just to move on."

Would the home be worth $1 million if it was whole?

While many could conclude that if the home was whole then it would be worth $1 million, but Wheeler said that is not the case.

"There was a home on the same street that sold at the end of June for $900,000," according to the realtor. "That house was new construction."

The belief is that whoever buys the home will leave one wall and the rest of it will be new construction, Wheeler said.

"They'll probably make it a little bigger," he said.

Potential buyers have even come to Wheeler and said they planned on putting 1,000 more square feet on the house, the realtor said. Those interested in buying the home may only have a "couple more days" as Wheeler plans on leaving it on the market a tad bit longer, he added.