How A Combative Bear Landed In California Cabin's Realtor Listing

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA — Real estate photos of for-sale homes typically accentuate the positive, showing properties in their best light with inviting images of kitchens, baths and living spaces.

A cabin currently on the market at $199,000 in South Lake Tahoe is an undeniable fixer-upper. For full disclosure, sellers used photographs showing the century-old home's peeling paint, aging floors and overall, dilapidated, reno-ready interior.

But, included in the montage, one photograph — of a man and a bat-wielding woman confronting a large bear at the back stoop — proved a puzzler.

"Why did this pic that was included in the listing of them swatting away a bear (with it kicking up dust) make me laugh?" one Patch reader asked. "Did a bear live there?" another said.

So why, for the love of listings, was this particular picture included?

Again: full disclosure, said George Warren, the property's broker, also a longtime Sacramento television news anchor and reporter, formerly with KXTV (ABC10) and currently a contributor at KOVR (CBS13).

"After somebody buys the cabin, neighbors are certainly going to tell them about the bear incident," said Warren, whose firm, Warren Land Co., is handling the sale for his wife's family. "A buyer might wonder why the listing broker didn’t mention this."

The "bear incident"?

The tiny, 800-square-foot cabin, in the family for decades, was a favorite vacation spot for the clan since the 1960s. The most-recent, fulltime resident was elderly "Uncle Kunio," who began suffering health and dementia issues and was unaware a 500-pound bear was living under his home in 2019.

The bear's maneuverings presumably ruptured the gas line. And in late October, a dog-walking neighbor smelled gas, heard "hissing" and called authorities, Warren said. Crews from South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue responded and shooed off the bear, while Southwest Gas handled the gas leak.

"The result could have been catastrophic," Warren said, adding that the gas line was repaired.

While the bear's presence in 2019 clearly ruffled folks at the scene, the bear photo on Realtor.com apparently has not ruffled prospective buyers. Warren said dozens of inquiries are pouring in for the cabin, which sits a mere three blocks from Lake Tahoe shores.

"Frankly, we were unprepared for the response when the listing went active on July 30th," he said.

The former occupant, Uncle Kunio, has since relocated and is living with relatives in Sacramento.

As for the squatter bear? It was relocated, as well, after last year's incident by Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, although Warren suspects it may still reside in the neighborhood.

"I cleaned up the yard last month, and last week I found a shredded bag of chips and a cardboard container of soup with what appear to be bite marks," he said. And for further full disclosure: "Of course, I can’t be sure it’s the same guy."

Owners are accepting cash-only offers, due noon Monday, Aug. 10, for the South Lake Tahoe cabin. Follow this link for more listing info and photos.

• Address: 889 Alameda Ave, South Lake Tahoe, California
• Price: $199,000
• Square Feet: 796
• Bedrooms: 2
• Bathrooms: 1 Baths
• Built: 1916
• Features: Rare opportunity: A rustic cabin for the price of a vacant lot three blocks from the beach at South Lake Tahoe. You can see the lake from the front yard! The cabin sits on a roughly 5, 000 SF lot in a neighborhood of tidy homes.
• Of course for this price it is a MAJOR fixer. F-I-X-E-R. Built in 1916, it has lots of charm but needs lots of work. The kitchen and bathroom are a mess, the subfloor has holes in it- but the roof was replaced in recent years. An interior stairway leads to a stand-up attic not included in the listed square footage.
• All utilities are connected and a cursory check with the South Lake Tahoe planning department indicates the cabin is NOT listed as a historic structure, meaning modification up to and including demo should be OK. If you're handy with a hammer and want a place that's a five-minute walk to one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, you're not going to find a better deal than this one.
• Please, cash offers only! Offers will be reviewed Monday, Aug. 10.

This listing originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here.

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