Everyone scoffed at this house – but it landed the owners a $1 million paycheck

It looks like a normal house, but this US property was the butt of jokes thanks to a single line in the real estate listing. 

The now-notorious home in Palo Alto, California hit the market last March. 

Bizarrely, the real estate advertisement seemed to hint that buying the house could help you get into an Ivy League university. 

“A legendary home where success is part of its history,” the listing read. 

“Since its 2017 rebuild, every owner’s children have gone on to Harvard or Stanford, paving the way for even greater achievements. Now it is ready to pass on its extraordinary energy to the next family.”

Ivy League graduation diplomas were displayed prominently in listing photos. 

For context, Palo Alto is a major Silicon Valley hub with historic links to global tech powerhouses like HP, Apple, Google and Tesla. 

It’s also just down the road from the prestigious Stanford University. 

Palo Alto residents are among the most highly-educated in the US, according to data.  

The house listing quickly made the rounds on social media, where it became the target of mockery. 

A Reddit user called it “the most obnoxious house for sale listing I’ve ever seen”, while another called it “peak Palo Alto”.

Within hours the opening lines had been scrubbed from the listing, but the damage was done. 

Screenshots of the original Ivy League boast continued to circulate on social media platforms. 

However, the homeowners ended up having the last laugh. 

The house had been listed for $US4,888,000 ($7.1 million). 

Just 24 hours later, it sold for $US5.6 million ($8.1 million) – a cool $1 million above the owners’ price hopes.