Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so the saying goes, which is all fun and games until it comes to a “serious” purchase, like real estate. Then someone’s "creative" décor becomes a multi-thousand-dollar chore to make into something presentable. However, seeing just what some people with a budget and a dream made for their own homes is still pretty entertaining.
So we've gathered real estate listings that are strange, unique, bizarre or just downright creative for you to enjoy and be confused by. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section down below.
#1 This House Is The Perfect Example Of The Phrase Money Does Not Buy Taste
Image credits: Reddit03012004
#2 When The Sports Fan Bags A Goth Partner And They Compromise
Image credits: kendrahf
#3 If You Smeeelllllllll... What The House Is Cookin?!
Image credits: EbonyDigits
People have varied or even unusual home design choices for a myriad of reasons, often very close to identity, taste, or simply a desire to make the house their own. A home is one of the only areas where people are free to be as expressive as they can with no limits, and that expression can lead to bold decisions: theme rooms, strange color schemes, unusual materials, or even architectural changes that benefit only the person who lives there.
Whether it's a jungle bathroom, a medieval banquet hall dining room, or a staircase bookshelf-climbing wall, these choices reflect creativity, sentimentalism, and sometimes even a sense of playfulness or rebellion against plain conformity.
#4 We Get It, Your Home Is Your Castle But Don’t Take That Thought To The Extreme Like This Home
Image credits: realtor.com
#5 Strange House For Sale In Utah
Image credits: Ashamed_Class_7987
#6 Never Could Have Expected This
Image credits: Ashamed_Class_7987
For other homeowners, nonconformist design choices are a way of escaping the cookie-cutter appearance of mass-produced houses. In an era when so many of the suburban complexes look so much alike, the need to stand out and individualize a house can become overwhelming.
#7 Pet Friendly, Very Pet Friendly
Image credits: Realtor.com
#8 This Was Exhausting To Go Through
Image credits: devastationz
#9 You’ll Be In For A Surprise
Image credits: BeijingPolice
For others, there will be inspiration through nostalgia, cultural preference, or hobby,such as converting a garage into a home brewery or setting up a shrine room according to their faith. In other cases, one-of-a-kind features result from amateur fiddling that has gone awry or penny-pinching by trying to manage on unconventional materials or methods.
#10 Beat The Desert Heat With A Whole House Awning
Image credits: Apesma69
#11 It Gets More And More Obvious
Image credits: FreeNinedy9
#12 House On A Commercial Building
Image credits: dontforget3
Though these choices may bring more joy to the homeowner, they can become a significant hindrance to selling. Real estate is a more rule-bound business than taste: individuals purchase homes that they can live in, think about living in, and which will be pleasing to a broad audience. A house filled with strong personal marks,say, a black-and-red painted kitchen with gothic chandeliers, or walls covered in artificial grass,is difficult for purchasers to see past. The more unusual or offbeat the design, the fewer pool of customers will be there to embrace or overlook it.
#13 Everything Is Normal Until…
Image credits: MadeUpGirlfriend
#14 $250k For A 1.22 Acre Private Island! ........1.21..............1.20..........buy Quick!
Image credits: WestPilton
#15 Open Concept Gone Too Far
Image credits: thisisgiulio
These unique flourishes can also trigger alarm bells in buyers' brains about the quality of the renovations. Nonstandard changes, like idiosyncratically placed walls, custom furniture incorporated into the residence, or bizarre plumbing arrangements, can cause buyers to question building codes, permits, or how much it will cost to return the house to a more standard form. Even if the house is well-constructed, purchasers will automatically deduct thousands from their offer, knowing they'll need to "fix" what the former owner saw as an upgrade.
#16 Underground Bunker For Sale In Washington
Image credits: Glurph
#17 $749,900? Nice What's Wrong Wi... Oh. 100% Haunted
Image credits: reddit.com
#18 Let's Just Stick This Boulder In The Middle Of The Hallway
Image credits: knotagain42
From a valuation perspective, quirky designs lower the resale value of a house. Homes that sit on the market because of unusual characteristics end up selling for less than market value, especially when individuals employ the novelty as a negotiating chip. Sellers may even need to invest in making their home neutral, repainting, removing decor, or even fully renovating, just to put it into a saleable state. Realtors normally recommend depersonalizing a home prior to listing it for sale for exactly this reason: it lets future buyers envision their own lives within the home.
#19 Shoe-Be-Do-Be Do
Image credits: wills2003
#20 Who Doesn't Want A Pool Of Blood In The Backyard?
Image credits: TheTim
#21 An Apartment In London That Has No Front Door. Just A Set Of Stairs Leading Up To A Window
Image credits: Lord-Crimble
Individuality is not always a negative. In some markets, notably ones with artistic or historic charm, a quirky feature, like a hidden room, an old-fashioned fireplace, or an artistically designed shower, can be a bonus selling point. If a home's quirks are functional, well executed, and in keeping with the neighborhood's character, they can even stimulate more buyer interest. The difference lies in execution, context, and how well the uniqueness blends with the rest of the home.
#22 Ever Wanted A House That's Absolutely Haunted By Victorian Spirits? Man, Do I Got The House For You
Image credits: kendrahf
#23 Free Stovin'
Image credits: stubbydogz
#24 I Don’t Think I Would Ever Run Out Of Cabinet Space, That’s For Sure
Image credits: 6Mass1Hole7
At some point, homeowners should be allowed to personalize their homes, that's half the fun of home ownership. But if resale value matters down the line, think about how the next homeowners will perceive those choices. Taste is personal, but marketability isn't, and what pleases today might require an add-on of beige tomorrow.
#25 The Best Way To Describe Is Unique
Image credits: Zillow
#26 A House That Screams, "We Have So Much Money That We Literally Have No Idea What To Do With All Of Our Money". Are Those Emmy Awards In The Bathroom?
Image credits: Lolacsd
#27 My Mom Called It Kermit The Condo
Image credits: devastationz
#28 Any Witches In Need Of A House?
Image credits: clemenbroog
#29 Why Is This So Cheap..? Oh
Image credits: traumatransfixes
#30 Impenetrable, Completely Sealed 1942 Bunker
Image credits: jve909
#31 Conversation Pit... & Bed Pit
Image credits: joshd19
#32 Just Your Average Castle Down The Street
Image credits: WhatArentWeGoing2Do
#33 When You Really Like Sheet Metal
Image credits: CEOofRaytheon
#34 Perfect Place For A Bathroom
Image credits: odsquad64
#35 Meet The Jetsons
Image credits: wills2003
#36 This Room Tells Me That Despite What People Say My Own Decor Choices Are If Anything Too Conservative
Image credits: comtezinacef
#37 A Cool Natural Look
Image credits: Tenntybooboo
#38 Matriochka House
Image credits: kiyatooga
#39 Motivated Buyer Needed
Image credits: Zillow
#40 Home With A Personality
Image credits: Zillow
#41 There Is An Elephant In The Room
Image credits: Zillow
#42 This House Is Called Chrismark Castle Because It’s Owned By….a Guy Named Chris Mark, Heir To The Fortune Of Chicago Steel Tycoon Clayton Mark Sr
Image credits: bizarrezillow
#43 I’m Apartment Hunting And Ran Across This “Bathroom” That Was Apparently Designed By A Psychopath
It’s in the bedroom. So the sink is sitting adjacent to carpet, which seems like another choice made by an alien.
Image credits: doc_birdman
#44 I Mean, It's Fine. I Just Wish The Sunroom Was A Bit Bigger
Image credits: aBearHoldingAShark
#45 I Did Not Expect That
Image credits: Emergency_Hawk_6938
#46 That's Quaint, A Little Dated. Holy Vampire Basement!
Image credits: thehighepopt
#47 Huge Black Box Of Horrors
Image credits: General_Ring_1689
#48 I Don't Know What Is Going On Here, But It's 500k
Image credits: reddit.com
#49 When You've Done A Ton Of Suspicious Substances And Are Like: I'm Gonna Build A House! Sadly, Just Sold
Image credits: whiskyzulu
#50 Someone Found A Great Home Improvement Deal On Tile
Image credits: wills2003
#51 Fridge Placement
Image credits: dawnat3d
#52 Color Theory Never Heard Of Her
Image credits: Zillow
#53 So You Want Your Kitchen To Look Like An Armoire? Give Credit Where Credit’s Due For Ingenuity Here
Image credits: Zillow
#54 Founder Of Yankee Candle
Image credits: Grundens
#55 Why Agents Don't Want The Owner At The Open House
Image credits: War-Square
#56 $799k In Dallas. The Listing Info Speaks To The Home Being Built Without Sheetrock To Emphasize "Its Avant-Garde Approach To Design"
Image credits: bnjohnson3
#57 The First Photo Of The Inside Caught Me Completely Off Guard
Image credits: Teddythehedgie
#58 Nothing Says "I Want Privacy" Quite Like Virtual Reality 'Windows' On A Windowless House
Image credits: reddit.com
#59 Manhattan Townhouse With An 83-Foot Climbing Wall
Image credits: AnEmptySpace
#60 I Like The Kitchen, Personally
Image credits: Nl403
#61 A Nice Romantic Dinner For 2
Image credits: bob_digi
#62 Earthiness And Whimsy In Wisconsin
Image credits: wills2003
#63 It Gets Worse
Image credits: mevoc19
#64 Concrete Dome Home
Image credits: Zillow
#65 Used Every Inch Of This House
Image credits: Redfin
#66 A Listing That's More About Flexing About Lifestyle Than Selling The House
Image credits: Melancholy_Rainbows
#67 Totally Normal Home
Image credits: Sister_Christina
#68 Original Owner Selling This 1980 Bad Boy. Above The Bed Mirror Is Probably My Favorite Feature
Image credits: reddit.com
#69 Meow
Image credits: stubbydogz
#70 Hope You Like Natural Lighting
Image credits: ScottishTorment
#71 The 1970s Were An Interesting Time For Decor
Image credits: ottguy42
#72 Echoey Bachelor Pad Gone Wild
Image credits: cancrdancr
#73 This Is What Happens When You Throw The Entire Pantone Book At The Walls. Wow
Image credits: psychoholic
#74 Not An Accent Or Warm Color In Sight
Image credits: plantsandsubies
#75 Tasteful Once Your Retinas Adjust
Image credits: FlametopFred
#76 It's Fun And I Love Colour But It Is A Bit Rediculous By Most People's Standards
Image credits: BridgetLandis
#77 At Least The Kids Won’t Have To Go Outside To Play With This Elaborate Structure
Image credits: Redfin
#78 The Inside Makes My Head Hurt
Image credits: Careful_Fuel1232
#79 The Bed Blends In
Image credits: Zillow
#80 Mickey Mouse House Of Horrors
Image credits: Zillow
#81 School House Rocks
Image credits: Zillow
#82 For $330k, You Too Can Own An Absolute Horror Show Of A House In NJ
Image credits: Kraven_Lupei
