THE HOUSE where Ariel Castro allegedly held three women captive for a decade before their release on Monday is listed on the Trulia real estate website with an estimated value of $77,000 – more than double the house's worth a year ago. A 2012 valuation put it at $36,100 and that was with an intact front door.
2207 Seymour Avenue, where Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were kept sometimes bound by ropes and chains, is described as a Colonial-style 'single family home' located in the Tremont district of Cleveland, Ohio. According to the site, the average list price for similar homes is $125,717.
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As for the detached garage, police have told the local media that the only times the women saw daylight during their long years in captivity was on two separate visits there. On both occasions, they were apparently dressed in wigs and disguises.
The Trulia site offers valuations of houses across the United States based on recent sale prices or – as in the case of Castro’s home – public records.
But will the real estate agents who advertise on Trulia ever get the chance to sell 2207 Seymour Avenue – and, if so, could they really hope to fetch $77,000 or thereabouts? One agent approached by The Week said the old valuation of $36,100 was nearer the mark for this area of Cleveland, given local crime statistics and the fact that many neighbouring properties are rundown.
There’s also the issue of unpaid taxes. According to USA Today, the city of Cleveland had already threatened to foreclose – or repossess – the house because Castro owes $2,501 in unpaid taxes so it’s likely the future of the house will be in the city’s hands.
Another local real estate agent told The Week that, given its relative low value and its miserable history, the house will most likely be bulldozed once Castro’s trial is over.
2207 Seymour Avenue is the house partly hidden behind the tree in the Trulia listing below.
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