[imagesource: Dean Tyler Photography]

In order to qualify as the buyer for the ‘world’s loneliest home’, you had to arrive packing a little more than just a load of pocket money.

You would have also needed grit and gut, according to Billy Milliken, the island’s owner and real estate agent in charge of the sale.

Duck Ledges Island, a 1,5-acre landmass in Wohoa Bay, Maine, US, was on the market for at least $339 000, but just officially sold for $492 000 (almost R8,9 million).

That means that the new owners met Billy’s very particular conditions, and were able to make the home theirs after it had been on the market since June last year.

Billy’s main stipulation was that anyone interested in Duck Island needed to be prepared to spend a night on the island and win him over, reported Insider:

“I’m sticking to my plan in that to qualify as a buyer, you’ve got to stay,” he said. His reasoning is that he wants the new owner to see the value in the island’s natural landscape but also be willing to deal with its quirks.

…If more than one potential buyer qualified, Milliken said the deciding factor would be his instinct.

“It’s going to be coming from the gut,” Milliken, 52, said. “When it’s right, it’s right. I’ll feel it, and they’ll feel it.”

Throughout the years that Billy owned the island, he shared it with his family and close friends, who he said preferred to make day trips rather than stay overnight.

Even though the island is a 10-minute boat ride from Jonesport, Maine, it is a little rough and ready, noted Yahoo! Finance:

The cosy cabin does not come without a sense of danger, with Milliken saying it’s best to avoid the island from October to May, when the weather is unfit for “man or beast”.

“There’s been three different times when the storm surges have come up to the cottage, and maybe under the cottage to a degree,” Milliken said. “But it’s elevated. It’s never ever damaged the structure or the flooring.”

Besides these natural elements, the four-sleeper has no bathroom inside, so the new owners have to brave the elements to get to the outdoor loo every time nature calls:

There’s also no electricity or running water on the property, which if you’re a glass half-full kind of person, just means that the stars are to die for:

“It’s out there far enough that you’re away from any noises and lights,” said Milliken, who has owned the island since 2007. “There’s a very dark sky out there, so nighttime is beautiful.”

It is also pretty lovely inside, though:

The beauty is really felt during the summer, when “you can very much experience the ocean and be part of it,” he said, which is teaming with wildlife, including lobsters, seabirds, eagles, and seals:

“In our lives, we’re busy, and there’s so many distractions, but when you’re out on that island, you really feel small,” Milliken said. “It’s very healthy to be there alone where you can really listen to yourself. You’re a guest of nature when you’re there.”

“The longer I own the island,” he added, “I understand even more that it is a special place.”

Billy said that it is critical to uphold the long-standing vision for the island and to protect it from owners who might wreck its nature.

If his rigorous qualification process is anything to go by, then the new owners should be able to embrace Duck Ledges Island just the way it is.

[sources:yahoo!finance&insider]