This house in Kelowna could be yours - for free

With soaring housing costs in the Okanagan, it’s no surprise a home being offered for free is generating a buzz in Kelowna.

Brar Jatinder posted a listing for a free house on Facebook Marketplace last week, and it has piqued quite the interest.

“If I can help somebody, I will look to do that, but if we have to rip it down, we will,” he told Kelowna10, noting a bounty of showings since it went up.

The home, located on McClure Road, was built in 1971. Aside from a new roof, Jatinder said the home is solid. It is just over 1,000 sq/ft and has three bedrooms and one bathroom.

Brar and his cousin bought the vacant house in 2020 as an investment. Most recently, they rented it to a family who had fled the war in Ukraine.

“We’d rather someone who is looking for it, use it,” he added. “If we can do something good, even a little thing, I’d like to do that.”

He figures it would cost about $100,000 to relocate it.

According to B.C. Assessments, the property was valued at around $278,000 last year.

Even after re-roofing it, and hooking up utilities, Jatinder said it would be a good investment with a quick return.

Despite pushback online, Jatinder said relocating a home is not new and is done in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba all the time.

“The road is wide, and we can get it out. It’s not in a tough place to move.”

He said there have been a few serious inquiries by people willing to take on the task.

“One person is looking for land in West Kelowna and was interested,” he said. “There is a family from Armstrong, they own some land … near Kamloops, and they were serious and wanted to take it, too.”

If no one can move the home in about five or six weeks, Jatinder said they’ll front the $10,000 to knock it down.

“We are just giving someone the opportunity. Otherwise, we will demo the house, not a problem.”