1983 Thomson Home with Hunting Lodge, Garage, and Mississippi Access — $149,900

The thing that makes this property worth looking at is the hunting lodge. It sits attached between the house and the two-car garage, which means you have a connected run of spaces: living quarters, a separate gathering and storage room that started its life as a lodge, then the garage. That middle piece is the variable. You could use it as it was meant to be used, strip it back for storage, or turn it into something else. The listing doesn't give you much detail on its condition, so go in with your eyes open.

The house itself is 1,420 square feet, three bedrooms, one bath, built in 1983. Nothing unusual there. It's a straightforward single-story layout on a half-acre lot that the listing describes as level, which matters if you're thinking about what to do with the yard. Half an acre gives you room to work with.

Thomson sits along the Mississippi, and the recreational access here is the real draw for the right buyer. Hunting, fishing, boating — you're close to all of it. The river corridor in this part of Illinois pulls serious waterfowl hunters and fishermen, and a property with an actual lodge structure attached to it makes more sense for that use than a standard house would.

The listing says two baths in the opening line, then the square footage and layout suggest one. Go verify that before you get too far down the road.

At $149,900 for 1,420 square feet, a garage, and that lodge space on a half-acre lot near the river, the math is reasonable if you're the person this was built for. If you want a polished house in a subdivision, this probably isn't your search. If you want a functional base for spending time on the Mississippi with room to store gear, keep a boat, and host people without cramming them into your living room, this is worth a look.