Home completely decked out in University of Michigan gear hits market for $169,000
A die-hard University of Michigan fan spent the last 29 years decking his home out in U-M colors and paraphernalia.
Now the maize-and-blue home in Allegan County is on the market.
The three-bedroom, one-bathroom home in Hamilton, Michigan, is listed for $169,000. It has housed an extensive collection of Wolverine gear for decades.
"It is every single room — not one single room does not have Michigan gear in it," said Jeannette Brownson, real estate agent for the home.
But those looking to add to their own collection shouldn't get too excited — only the maize and blue paint inside and out of the home will stay with it.
Loren Joostberns is a lifelong Michigan fan and has been adding to the collection for decades. The collection is expansive, touching every room and every wall in the house— from Wolverine tablecloths and dish towels in the kitchen to Wolverine bedding and posters covering the walls. If it is U-M-themed, Joostberns has it.
"It's been 45-50 years in the making," Joostberns said. "A little bit here, a little bit there and after a while, you've got a lot of stuff. I don't know if any of it is particularly valuable but I guess maybe it's the volume that kind of surprises people."
Joostberns is an alumnus of Western Michigan University but has been a Wolverine fan as long as he can remember.
"Sometimes, I'd go to the Western football game and I'd listen to the Michigan football game on the radio," he said.
The 1,250-square-foot home was built in 1940 and is located on a third of an acre in a quiet neighborhood with quick access to Allegan and Holland, according to the listing.
There are two bedrooms on the main floor with the bathroom, laundry room and kitchen. The house has an unfinished basement with 7-foot ceilings and an updated furnace and air conditioning.
Joostberns has been a football season ticket holder for 45 years and has gone to 14 Rose Bowls.
Because the home is so flooded with Wolverine gear, Joostberns said the actual design and look of the house does not matter much to him. If it has U-M on it, he's happy.
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"Interior decorating means nothing to me — I don't care a thing about what it looks like and there is some ugly wallpaper on the walls but I figure I just put enough Michigan stuff on the walls, it will hide it all and that's what I did," he said. "In fact, some of it is probably kind of ugly but it doesn't bother me a bit, just put something Michigan up and you can look at that, instead.
"Some people ski, some people snowmobile, some people do other things — I do Michigan."
Meredith Spelbring is a news intern with the Detroit Free Press. Reach her at mspelbring@freepress.com or on Twitter @mere0415.