LARGO - They knocked on the doors of 132 and 198 Gatewood Drive. They called City Hall, asking for directions to their new homes.
All they had to do was bid a small sum - say, $10 - and move them.
But in the end, everyone who expressed interest in the city's offer rejected it.
The city purchased the two properties recently for $339,000 because they are prone to flooding from nearby McKay Creek. People were invited to have the homes for pocket change - plus the cost of moving.
"It's a shame," city buyer Joan Wheaton said. "You first think, "OK, a free house, I can move it,' and then when you figure out what it really costs to move . . . the cost is phenomenal."
Taylor Bingham, president and owner of T & B House Movers in Clearwater, estimates it would cost about $50,000 to $60,000 to move each house.
It costs more to move a concrete block house than one on a wood frame, Bingham said. Also, the L-shaped three-bedroom houses would have to be cut into two before being moved.
In Pinellas County, "when lots were cheaper, you could buy a lot and move a house on it," Bingham said. "Lots are getting so expensive now and house moving's gone up a little bit in the last five or six years, so people say, "Might as well build a new home.' "
The city received 100 calls in three days and a dozen letters after the St. Petersburg Times wrote about the free houses.
"They were knocking on the people's doors," Wheaton said. "The one lady who lived there, she said people came to her door and wanted to come in. She said, "You can't come in. I still live here.' "
Only 17 people asked for bid documents to be mailed to them. None responded.
So, Sonny Glasbrenner Inc. will demolish the houses for $4,850 and $7,450.
The land will be used as a natural flood plain and for improvements done to alleviate flooding along McKay Creek.
The houses - one is 1,309 square feet and the other is 2,042 square feet - were on a repetitive loss list because they flooded at least twice in 10 years, lowering the city's flood grade and raising individuals' flood insurance bills.
By removing the houses, Largo's rating will increase from a C to a B. With fewer than 10 houses on the list, city homeowners could save a combined total of $125,000 a year on insurance.
Leslie Kaye of Indian Shores said she sent a letter to City Hall inquiring about the free houses but didn't get a response.
"I'm still interested," she said, "but not if it's going to cost me $120,000 to move (the houses)."
