Detroit mother of 6 trades her $96,000 house for a 2006 minivan

Here’s a heartfelt story for all of you right before the holiday season kicks into full force. A disabled mother of six who said her family could not longer put trust in the city’s bus service as a form of transportation, traded her 4-bedroom, three-bathroom house in a nice neighborhood for a 6-year old minivan.

LaWanda Flake, 36, said the her posting on Craigslist on Nov. 7 flooded lucrative offers from families across the United States but she ended up picking a silver 2006 Chevrolet Uplander with 85,000 miles because she felt the move benefited both families.

“I had a lot of good offers, some from out of state,” Flake said. “It turned out I took one of the first offers I got because I felt like it helped us both. They needed the house more than anyone I spoke with. They kept telling me it was a blessing to them. I really feel like I made a good decision.”

Kelley Blue Book valued the car between $5,000 and $8,500. The city valued her house at $96,000, however, Flake picked up the house last year at a foreclosure for $3,600.

What were the other offers made to Flake? A 1996 Bentley Brooklands worth $20,000, a 1996 Chevrolet Corvette and many others.

Flake now lives in a 3-bedroom home that she grabbed with a $4,000 land contract.

Source: Detroit News