nypost.com

Entire Texas town abandoned in the '90s lists for only $100K

Mary K. Jacob

3–4 minutes

One lucky buyer will have the opportunity to own an entire Texas ghost town for the bargain price of $100,000.

A man named Alexander Bardorff purchased the 10-acre town of Lobo along with a few buddies in 2001 for $20,000.

Bardorff said more than 70 people have already descended there in hopes of making the purchase. He’s sat under the canopy of the deserted gas station in town and heard from each person who made the trek to this corner of West Texas — each pitching a vision for its future.

Bardorff, who was born in Germany, said the sale was not about money, but rather about finding someone who “understands how special the land they fell in love with is.”

“It’s difficult for me to let go,” Bardorff told the Wall Street Journal. “To some of the potential buyers, I say, ‘It’s like Lobo is my baby or our baby and we want to find new good parents.’”

“Do you respect what I call the soul of Lobo?” he added. “You can have a campground anywhere.”

The town features an empty swimming pool, a motel, a grocery store, a restaurant and a post office — all of which are defunct — as well as vacant houses, according to the listing.

One of the vacant homes has a living room, three bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a screened-in porch and an 800-square-foot storage room.

But it does have a functioning water pump that runs hot and cold water

Over time, the town expanded, but after its last resident departed in 1991, Lobo remained empty until Bardorff and his friends transformed it into an artistic hub, hosting art installations, film festivals and musical performances.

A map of Lobo, Texas.

A map of Lobo, Texas.

Google Maps

The welcome sign for Lobo.

The welcome sign for Lobo.

Google Maps

“Just being out here it kind of slows down time,” prospective buyer Andrea Alvarez told the Journal.

Lobo’s history dates back to the mid-19th century, when it served as a stopover on the mail route from San Antonio to San Diego.

Prospective buyers presented a wide range of ideas for Lobo’s future, including a kangaroo farm, a nudist colony and an escape room-style attraction where people escape from the town, not just a room.

Lobo has a peaceful desert landscape and is located between Van Horn, home to Jeff Bezos’s space company, and Marfa, its own art hub known for its empty Prada store installation.

The post office/store.

The post office/store.

Google Maps

The motel.

The motel.

Google Maps

One musician envisions desert-inspired art and music as the town’s focus.

Others contemplate building a super-powerful radio tower, or establishing sustainable agriculture and rental properties.

Bardorff and two other buyers will make the decision of who the winning bidder will be.

The deadline to bid on the town is June 24.

The gas station.

The gas station.

Google Maps

The empty pool.

An empty pool.

grumpyolditguy via TikTok

“It’s the dream, you know,” Jennifer Ficke, Alvarez’s aunt, said. “The opportunity to say, ‘Oh, I bought a town.’ Not too many people can say that.”

While this isn’t the first ghost town to hit the market, it certainly is the cheapest.

A ghost town in Arizona complete with a refurbished general store is currently on sale for $1.1 million.

" “It’s the dream, you know,” Jennifer Ficke, Alvarez’s aunt, said. “The opportunity to say, ‘Oh, I bought a town.’ Not too many people can say that.” "

SHE DOESN"T GET IT.

"The deadline to bid on the town is June 24."

Sandy, I would do that.

Who as the banker, Ray?

The Hot Rod Museum, Hoosier?

The Planning Commissioner, Ken?

The Mechanic, myob?

The Grounds keeper, Busy?

The bar, Sid and Hoosier?

The church, Brad 20,000?

The school, Still Learning, Busy and Barb?

The hardware store, Robert J?

Who runs the old hotel, PMH?

The stage coach if not going with modern cars, Nicole?

The Soothsayer, AllyM?

Who's the Judge, Jeffrey? No, wait, I like Jeffrey as a teacher.

myob would make a good judge.

Who am I missing?

The old saw mill, Robert J?

Robert J could fill many spots.

Another teacher, Moshe?

Big truck museum, 6x6?

Stock yard, 6x6? I feel at home already. Only one problem, I have no clue how to run a stock yard, but I could pet them.

Hey, this is in Texas, we could have some long horns on the stock yard. I'm getting excited now.

Add to church, Mike A?

I'm in! I don't have any specific skills and not a great talker but I am a body.

We could build the place up and turn it into a Landlord Only Retreat location. Wasn't Las Vegas a tiny desert place at one time?

Slowly set it up with maybe solar only to keep the electric utilities down. Get some people that are handy and want to be out of the way to run the day to day stuff. Manager(s) of sorts. Plenty of folks on here that know how to advertise well so they can draw in the curious.