US1 min(s) read
Published 13:43 27 Oct 2020 GMT
A homeless man from Detroit managed to purchase a house for a mere $1,500 and has spent the last decade renovating it for his wife.
According to a recent report from Business Insider, 67-year-old Michael Gray purchased the four-bedroom abandoned property from his nephew back in 2009.
At the time, Gray (a college graduate who now works as a machinist) was struggling to find work in Michigan and had been forced to live in his niece's basement.
Recently this homeless woman went viral for her incredible singing skills:
[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/R7MXo9Mm-Q0L14jDU.mp4||R7MXo9Mm]]
The only money Gray had to his name was the cash he'd received from a settlement after he was struck by a car while out riding his bike in 2008.
He was able to use this money to purchase his nephew's property and then spent the next ten years painstakingly revamping the house to give him and his wife Cynthia somewhere to live.
Gray told Business Insider that when he first moved into the house, he had nothing but an air mattress to sleep on. The house was infested with vermin, such as mice and insects, and was without even a working toilet.
Gray ripped everything out and started anew, performing approximately 80% of the work himself, including the flooring and painting.
Gray learned all he needed to know about revamping his house when he eventually found work as an administrative assistant for a construction-management company in Michigan.
When there was work he couldn't perform alone, Gray would recruit friends to assist him, and they helped install the drywall, the electrical box, a new furnace, a hot-water tank, and central air.
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kzshabazz/status/1200941641005248512]]
According to a report by WXYZ Detroit, Gray might have made an extremely savvy investment, with real estate listings in Detroit currently booming as a result of the COVID pandemic. WXYZ reports that seeing multiple offers and home showings in the Detroit area have risen by 6%.
So there you have it: Gray's story just goes to prove that with time, care, and a lot of patience, you too could have the house of your dreams one day. Just be prepared to put in an incredible amount of hard work, love and dedication - like Michael Gray.
