An entire 356,787 square-foot piece of property in Maryland — complete with a "nice spacious kitchen and dining room," a "private basketball court," and a "private study!!" went up for sale on Zillow last week for an unbelievable $42,067 — which breaks down to only 12 cents a square foot.
The listing seemed too good to be true, and then it got stranger, describing the property as a "nice half working jail" that was "built in 1792" and hilariously boasted of the property's "complementary trash scented air freshener and water issues!" noting that "all 15 bathrooms come with sewage issues!" Turns out the jail was actually Meade High School, built in 1977, and was listed by a group of the school's 12th-grade pranksters. Fortunately, school officials in Fort Meade had a good sense of humor and saw the prank as harmless — if not a bit insulting — fun.
From HuffPost:
… Students also referred to the school as a "nice half working jail," and said "all 15 bathrooms come with sewage issues!" as well as "dangerous unfinished sections that could cost you your life!"
The listing also promised that "your neighbors are rodents and insects that will make you squeal!"
Although the listing was a little insulting, Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesperson Bob Mosier admits he found it funny.
"This is incredibly creative advertising, but we are stunned that the listers so vastly underestimated the value of this prime real estate with amazing amenities," he said in a statement to media outlets. "Potential buyers surely will be flocking to snap this deal up, right? This won't be on the market for long."
Zillow eventually caught wind of the prank and, before any excited buyers had a chance to put down a deposit, took the listing down.
