The asking price for Hazel Park’s unusual Bottle House has dropped by $100,000 after months on the market and plenty of attention for the renovated landmark.
The 1937 home, known for its exterior covered with thousands of antique glass bottles, is now listed for $250,000, down from its original asking price of $350,000.
“We shot the moon and we missed,” owner and investor Carl Schiller said.
Schiller said the price was initially reduced to $299,900. He said the original price was partly an attempt to see how the market would value such an unusual property.
The 1,225-square-foot, two-bedroom house at 39 W. Elza has long been a Hazel Park landmark. The Detroit Free Press previously detailed the home's history and extensive renovation. Schiller purchased
it from a family that had owned it for about 70 years, taking much of the interior down to the studs while preserving the bottle-covered exterior.
Since the house was listed in November, Schiller said, it has drawn plenty of visitors, but that attention has yet to result in a sale.
“If curiosity and interest made transactions, we would have sold it right away,” he said.
Schiller said one serious buyer emerged within the first couple of weeks after the house was listed. The potential buyer was prepared to purchase the property but ultimately decided not to remain in Michigan.
Beyond that, much of the interest has come from people curious about the house and its renovation, Schiller said.
Schiller said feedback on the renovation has been overwhelmingly positive, but he believes the original price may have been more than the market would support. He said the latest price puts the house more in line with other renovated properties in the area.
Schiller also acknowledged that he probably won’t recoup everything he invested in the renovation, although he hasn’t totaled the final costs.
As the extent of the work became apparent, he said, the project became less of an investment and more of a “labor of love.”
Brendel Clark writes about real estate and other topics for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bclark@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan's unusual Hazel Park bottle house gets $100K price cut
