'I'll take it': Man pays almost $1m for three-metre wide 'spite house' in Florida

A Florida man who paid almost $AU1 million for a three-metre wide house says he is happy with his investment, despite the fact the home was originally built to spite local planning authorities.

Mike Cavanagh told Msn.com how he came to buy the house in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, earlier this year, and why he thinks it’s a good investment, despite its compact size.

Cavanagh, a 51-year-old empty nester, said he sold his much-larger family home in 2020 after his children moved out.

He rented a townhouse for four years in the hope the market would drop before deciding to re-enter the market as a homebuyer earlier this year.

After touring a number of properties that were not right for him, his real estate agent called to tell him about a “really unique” house that was on the market.

He said as soon as he stepped inside he turned to the real-estate agent and said, “I’ll take it.”

Property records show he paid $US619,000 ($AU993,000) for the two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom house in May, despite it being just three metres wide.

A story about the listing earlier this year said the “skinny house” at 1952 Horn Street occupied a 323 square metre block.

Cavanagh told MSN he later met the builder, who told him that his neighbours had wanted to buy the land where the house now stands but he refused to sell.

He had hoped to build a 4.5 metre wide house on the property but that was knocked back by local planning authorities, so he decided to press ahead and build the skinny house out of spite.

Despite its width, Cavanagh said the house “doesn’t feel small.”

He said he worked with a designer, who commissioned built-in furniture to make the most of the space.

Cavanagh said the house attracted a lot of attention when he first moved in because there was a For Sale sign out the front and it featured on Zillow Gone Wild, but interest was now settling down.

He said he believed the house was a “solid investment” and while he saw himself staying put for now, if he ever wanted to move on he could list it on Airbnb or sell it for a profit.