The 772-square-foot house at 885 Hall Ave., a short walk from the Colorado Mesa University campus, is being offered by the university for free – to anyone who can move it. 

“There are some criteria that the properties need to meet before they can be moved,” CMU spokesperson Dana Nunn said. 

885 Hall Ave. meets that criteria.

CMU acquired the property through the state of Colorado on behalf of the university’s board of trustees in August of 2012, according to the Mesa County Assessor’s office. The assessor has the property valued at $126,970. 

Interested parties are encouraged to contact the CMU purchasing department within the week as they are planning to demolish the property if they do not receive any interest.

“If nobody wants it and we end up demolishing it, we certainly have some experience at that,” Nunn said.

Nunn said the university has in the past offered nonprofit organizations like Habitat for Humanity to take what they need from the house before they demolish it.

While the university has offered houses for free in the past during their expansion efforts, they often do not get any takers. This can be attributed to the realities of moving a house itself. 

“We’re in a position, or had the skillset, to make it a very cost-effective thing for them, but, just because you’re not paying for the house doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of expenses involved as well,” Nunn said.

Some home builders have wide-ranging estimates of the cost of moving a house, from $12-$16 a square foot to even $100,000.

The university encourages anyone interested in the two bedrooms, one bathroom house to call them at 970-248-1337.