It’s time for your real estate portfolio to go ballistic! After a decommissioned Titan II missile silo in Arizona was sold in just two weeks late last year, two more desert silos have blasted onto the market. One is in Oracle, AZ, and a second is in Benson, AZ. Each is priced at $495,000.
For buyers who missed out on picking up the unique property that sold in early December, there’s a second (and third) chance to shoot for the stars. And fair’s fair.
Listing agent Grant Hampton is giving interested buyers until Jan. 20 to submit offers on these two new opportunities. Out-of-towners can make plans to tour these former military sites before plunking down cash.
But buyers beware—these silos will likely be multiple-offer scenarios. The first missile silo was listed in November 2019 for $395,000, and sold for $420,000.
And that buyer, a Tucson resident, has some serious plans cooked up.
“He’s going to build a home on top, and turn the lower half into the ultimate man cave,” Hampton says. We can’t wait to see the results!
Potential buyers have already been in touch with Hampton, who says he’s heard all sorts of concepts on how to repurpose the silos. Big ideas range from Airbnb rentals, to a medical marijuana facility, to a “semiunderground resort for those with electromagnetic sensitivities.”
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Watch: Arizona Property Is Actually a Former Missile Silo
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Underground history
Built in the 1960s during the Cold War, these secret silos existed in three states: 18 apiece in Arizona, Arkansas, and Kansas.
Originally designed for a 10-year deployment, the missiles stayed in operation for some 24 years, and had to be monitored around the clock, with personnel eating, sleeping, and working on-site. Accessed by elevators and staircases and equipped with escape hatches, the facilities now need to be completely rebuilt.
In the 1980s, the Titan II program was deactivated. Fifty-three of the sites were shut down, partly demolished, and sealed shut. The remaining one is now part of a museum.
“It’s pretty rare that one comes up [for sale], let alone three in about a three-month period,” Hampton says.
“All the Titan II complexes were built to the same standards and layout,” he explains. “I think when they decommissioned them, they thought no one would step in them ever again,” Hampton says.
Now interest in these underground Cold War relics as private property is red-hot. Let’s dig into both of the silos available right now.
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63514 E Highway 77, Oracle, AZ
Price: $495,000
Explosive attributes: This complex comes with 11.78 acres and panoramic views of the Rincon and Dragoon mountains. The listing states it’s in “extraordinary condition.”
It “is connected to city water, and interiorwise, it still has the old fixtures, conduit, and duct work. And the paint isn’t peeling,” Hampton says.
The silo was purchased in the mid-’80s from the government, he continues. The current owners operate Falcon Valley Ranch, which is near this site.
“They didn’t want anyone to have the property, and wanted to expand the ranch,”he says. Now the ranch is selling some of its holdings, including this missile silo.
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980 N Sibyl Rd, Benson, AZ
Price: $495,000
Explosive attributes: Decommissioned in 1984, it hadn’t been accessed by the current owner until 2016, when he dug 35 feet down with an excavator into the facility.
The site is currently buried, because the owner lives out of town and can’t monitor it.
“He wanted to rebury it to prevent vandalism” and unwanted guests, according to Hampton.
The upside to its untouched status? This place is a time capsule. Left inside: a newspaper from 1984, documentation from commanders to the officers, and a Pepsi! The site also has a well and electricity.
While the owner had wanted to open an RV park on the 15-acre parcel, and rehab the lower half, his wife’s death changed his plans. So the place is now up for grabs.
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