… but it’s got good bones.
A seemingly ordinary six-bedroom San Jose home — listed for $1.5 million — comes with a caveat you don’t see every day: It cannot be legally inhabited until its meth lab is thoroughly cleaned up, the Mercury News reported.
The home’s hazardous history is no secret, having been raided earlier this year as part of a larger investigation targeting 36-year-old Peter Karasev, who allegedly used the property as a hub for his explosive and drug-related activities.
During the raid, law enforcement officials uncovered an array of homemade explosives, destructive devices, and bomb-making substances. The ensuing investigation tied Karasev to multiple explosions across San Jose. Following his arrest, Karasev’s family was relocated, leaving the property unoccupied.
Despite its unsettling past, the house has been put on the market with a firm “sold as-is” condition, with potential buyers not even allowed a glimpse inside until the Santa Clara County Health Department gives its approval. The property’s listing agent, Cindy Selleos, remains tight-lipped, refusing to comment on the property’s troubled history or the specifics of the cleanup costs.
Originally purchased for $1.5 million in 2021, the house has recently experienced a price hike, now listed at $1.55 million to accommodate the impending expenses of the meth lab cleanup.
Situated in the Vista Park neighborhood, just a stone’s throw away from Gunderson High School, the property’s tainted past has not deterred the hike in its asking price.
At least the meth lab is being disclosed up front. In 2018, Keller Williams settled a lawsuit in which a former broker allegedly sold a home he partially owned without disclosing that it had been used as a meth lab.
The buyers, a couple with seven children, appealed to Keller Williams to pay for the cleaning costs, expecting that the brokerage’s insurance would step in to cover the costs, which they pegged at around $900,000. But a protracted legal battle ensued for more than a year, until the two parties settled with an undisclosed arrangement.