Festus, Mo. (AP) - Ebay customers have a unique item to bid on...a home built in a cave. Curt and Deborah Sleeper of Festus bought the 3 acre property in 2004 and paid about half of the $160,000 price tag with the option to pay the rest in five years. That deadline is in May and the family doesn't have the money.
"I get the financing, or I sell the property, or I lose everything," Curt Sleeper, a self-employed Web designer and a small business consultant said.
If they can't secure new financing through loans, the family will auction their cave home through eBay. Bidding Starts at $300,000.
The cave has a long history. The first owner used it as a roller rink and concert arena including shows by Ted nugent and Bob Seger from 1960 through 1985. A glass recycling center moved in until 1990 when it was sold to a private owner.
At 17,000 square feet the three-story, three-bedroom home is quite large. The home has electric, water and sewer, a decked-out kitchen, goldfish pond, and a whirlpool tub. It is at a constant 62 degrees and doesn't even include a furnace or air condition.
The Sleepers are not willing to accept donations.. Curt Sleeper doesn't consider his family to be in a bad financial position.
"It's not terribly stressful," he said. "It's life. There are things you can control, and things you can't, and the hardest part is figuring out which is which."
Festus is 30 miles south of St. Louis.
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