Buyers dared to spend a night in the 'world's loneliest home'

The world’s loneliest home has languished for a year on the market, and the owner has finally revealed the caveat under which he would sell the spooky outpost.

And someone met the unusual terms, because the shoebox-sized house is under contract on the listing.

The property on an island in Maine, US, carries a price of US$339,000 ($492,000), but despite the low sum, winning the keys did not come easy.

Duck Ledges Island had been on the market since June last year, but the owner has come clean on the condition under which he was happy to sell and, although it is very pretty inside, this might explain why it had been available for so long.

You had to stay the night to qualify to buy it, the owner told the New York Post.

Owner Billy Milliken, who is also a real estate agent, said he was is seeking a buyer willing to make the 10-minute boat ride from the mainland marina to the island and sleep over in the simple weatherboard dwelling.

Without heating to cook with, the ability to fish for your supper is a must.

The only company are the seals that play in the bay and Atlantic Ocean beyond.

The little home does not have running water and therefore a bathroom, and the new owner will need to make a dash to a windy outhouse.

Milliken admitted it is inappropriate to visit during wild weather, saying it’s no place “for man or beast”, and that his friends and family have tended to make day trips to the island, rather than rough it through the night.

“In our lives, we’re busy, and there’s so many distractions, but when you’re out on that island, you really feel small,” Milliken told the Post. “It’s very healthy to be there alone where you can really listen to yourself. You’re a guest of nature when you’re there.”

“The longer I own the island. I understand even more that it is a special place.”