How much would you pay for half a house? 

Half a million dollars?

Homes cost a fortune in Southern California. Even half homes do, apparently. Half a house just hit the market there. 

It has just one bedroom and one bathroom. Worse: A large pine tree fell on the house in May. 

Two renters and two dogs were inside when the tree struck the home. No one was hurt. But the house was nearly ruined. The roof was mangled. Now it has missing walls, hanging wires, and no ceilings. 

Kevin Wheeler is the real estate agent selling the house. He jokes that the house has an “open-concept floor plan.” (An open-concept floor plan combines rooms that would ordinarily be divided by walls. Done on purpose, an open floor plan can be a good choice . . . but not like this!)

What’s left of the dwelling is listed for sale at $499,999. That’s one dollar shy of a half-million dollars. The electricity is turned off. But the plumbing still works.

Buyers are lining up to see the house. Very few houses are available to buy around Los Angeles. For the area, half a million is a low price.

“There’s been a lot of interest so far,” Mr. Wheeler tells the Los Angeles Times. 

My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. — Isaiah 32:18