An old school bus converted into a tiny home is on the market for $50,000 in north-central Arkansas, a real estate listing shows.
The 300-square-foot property sits on 3 acres of wooded land in Clinton, about an hour east of the Ozark National Forest.
The one-bedroom, one-bathroom home comes fully furnished with a refrigerator, shower, washing machine, air conditioning unit, TV and other appliances. An outdoor storage shed sits at the end of a porch that stretches the length of the bus.
Realtor Wendy Russ said the house is best suited for those who want to embrace the simple life.
"The owners are free-spirited people, and they realized they were working for stuff," she said. "You spend your life accumulating things, and you have to work to have a place for it. They wanted a little freer lifestyle."
Owners Doug and Hollie Richardson said they bought the 20-year-old school bus in 2017 for about $2,500 while they prepared to move from Florida to Arkansas. The vehicle doubled as a home and a moving truck as they drove to Arkansas — a centrally located state that they hoped would be a good home base as they traveled across the United States.
"There’s something about being debt-free and living with just what you need," Hollie Richardson said. "We bought a lot of stuff we didn’t need, and it never made us happy. It was a lot of stress. I used to be a control freak, but bus life has opened me up. Experiences mean more than the stuff you surround yourself with."
After spending six months gutting and rebuilding the bus, the couple decided to downsize again to an 80-square-foot van, and they put the home on the market in September.
Russ said that although many people inquire about tiny home listings, only a handful of people have expressed interest in the bus.
"We’re selling it now because we were on the road, and we liked being on the road," Hollie Richardson said. "We don’t want a permanent home."
The Richardsons, who are now based in Indianapolis and work seasonally for Amazon, keep only a few items, including clothes, solar batteries, two single burners for cooking, a fold-up table and outdoor hiking gear. They bought memberships at Planet Fitness and showered at the gym.
"It’s the same life. We just have less stuff," Hollie Richardson said. "We wish we would have figured it out when we were younger."