Comments on: Recession makes cave-dwellers sell on eBay

Curt Sleeper and his family live in a Missouri cave. His mortgage has come due and he's trying to refinance. Because of the recession, they've put the cave on eBay.

[rapier1]

Why did they go with seller financing with a 5 year balloon payment? If they couldn't get traditional financing 5 years ago are they really that surprised they can't find anything now?

[pigmond]

3 years ago, the banks would've financed a card board box. I can see why they thought things might have worked out...on the other hand, they bought a /cave/. Maybe they can give tours...

[rapier1]

Well, the problem is that even if banks were financing cardboard boxes 3 years ago they couldn't find anyone to finance a cave 5 years ago. I mean, its a *cave* after all. They had no reason to think it would be easier to find financing.

[leopardology]

Ah, but you SHOULD think about their heating bill--they say, on their E-bay listing, that it's about the same as their old 800-sq-ft house! The temp. inside remains fairly constant, between 65 & 72F (62 & 75???) , I think they said. All part of the fun of it. NOT TO MAKE IT MORE APPEALING TO ANYBODY--I want my friends to KEEP their awesome living space!

Also, it's a mining cave, not a natural cave.

They're just trying to cover all the bases--they don't really want to leave, of course!

[Penguinisto]

leopardology is right - caves do have one big fat advantage: the temps are almost constant. In the winter, heating is cheap because you're only fighting 65-degree (F) temps (which you can just wear a sweater for and not even use the heaters if you want). In the summer, you don't have to A/C the thing.

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

@Penguinisto,

Have you ever lived in one? You sound very, very knowledgeable.

Chris