A particularly hot property in the quiet rural town of Burbank, Oklahoma—population: 123—has the phones of husband-and-wife realtors Cindy and Tim White ringing off the hook. About three weeks ago, a couple came to the brokers desperate to offload the 1920s-era high school they’d repurposed to serve as their home for the past two decades. They struggled to find a buyer after listing the 17,000-square-foot space as a commercial property, but the Whites felt the approach of marketing it as an unorthodox single-family residence might yield more interest.
“The response is out of nowhere. People told us we were nuts for listing this thing,” Tim tells AD. “Yesterday we were sitting at lunch and a guy called from Florida. He’d heard about the property on XM Radio. We have literally been on the phone every day for hours talking to people about this space.” The realtors are based in Independence, Kansas, about an hour and a half from the property, but felt a particular pull to take on the unusual listing. About two weeks after posting it to Zillow, they’ve received numerous offers and anticipate selling the school turned five-bedroom home for well over its $60,000 asking price.
The 1924 build comes complete with all the trappings of a typical high school across its 1.76 acres. While a baseball diamond, gym, and auditorium are common features of an educational institution, the prospect of owning them as part of one’s home boosted the listing to commodity status. By Tim’s count, the auditorium houses about 250 seats, which would allow “basically everybody in town to come and bring a friend.” Cindy notes that the resort-like amenities have also drawn in a number of city dwellers looking to escape the rat race to a unique, all-inclusive country abode. While they’ve fielded a few local calls, most are coming from out of state, with a New York couple currently eyeing a contract on the space.