136 Grouse Cir, Westcliffe, Colorado

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Added On:01/05/2025
Last Updated:06/23/2025
STRAW BALE HOME For Sale Colorado Rocky Mountains 5.28 Forested Acres - $235,000 by Owner/Builder It Needs Finish work. $30K Sweat Equity Earns You $110K Equity
Green HomeHealthy HomeNatural HomeSustainable HomeEnergy Efficient HomeGreenBuilt HomeRammed EarthStrawbale ConstructionAdobe Construction
$245,000Asking Price (USD)
$300Annual Property Tax
1,400Square Feet
2 / 1Beds / Baths
5.0 acresLot Size
2008Year Built
$1,000Annual Power Consumption
Single Family HomeProperty Type

Insulation

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Other

R-Value: 60
Straw bale walls, Straw roof insulation. Earth/adobe floors, a pumice insulating foundation and bath floor (vs concrete).

Mortgage Calculator

Purchase Price ($)Down Payment
%
Loan Amount
$196,000
Annual Interest Rate
%
Loan Term (years)
Estimated Monthly Mortgage Payment
$1,410.95

Key Green Features

Native Landscaping

The property looks as natural and undisturbed as it was when I bought it.

Biowaste Management

Newly installed Biolet Composting Toilet. Saving 5 gallons per use. A urinal was also installed.


Eco-Friendly Materials

Strawbales

Where was this used? Barley straw bales were used as insulating infill for the outer walls throughout the building and loose straw insulates the roof. A 6" to 8" earth floor and adobe interior wall (between the pellet/wood stoves) retain ambient heat and then radiates it back into the house well into the next day.


Property Description

STRAW BALE HOME For Sale Colorado Rocky Mountains 5.28 Forested Acres - $245,000 by Owner/Builder The Hard Work is Done While The Home is Livable, It Needs Finish work. $45K Sweat Equity Earns You $110K Equity Cash Buyer, 10% discount (not the usual 5%) 136 Grouse Cir. Westcliffe CO 81252 https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZGsSutdPrKuJ1FrX8 [email protected] 719-820-0878 Jerry PM Appointment Required This is a straw bale home and not a conventionally built home. While this will give you a general overview, it is a partial house description. Reading about the house's specific needs will help you determine whether this house is for you. Interested buyers need to read the full description before making an appointment. Contact me to obtain a Full House Description (or if you have any questions), and I will send you the entire document. Priority will be given to buyers with a letter of Pre-Approval Financing, Pre-qualification, and Cash Buyers who have read this Full House Description. I presently live in the home and require a day or more notice to show the house. Straw Bale Home Enthusiasts who are not looking to buy but are curious or want to see the house to get ideas about building their own straw bale house, upon request, I will arrange an open house for the curious and SB builders. Please understand that I do not have time to show the house to every interested party, but feel free to drive by to look at it. Introduction The house is fully functional and livable. I am the builder & owner of this straw bale home and own this house outright (no mortgage). I have built three straw bale houses in this area and have worked on several other straw bale projects. This house was built as my home; this means I put in extra quality work and features. The heavy construction is complete, about 80%; some finish/detail work remains. Since this house is functional and completely livable, you can move in immediately and live there as you finish it. Nothing immediate is required, so you can complete the projects when convenient. It would take a full-time person about one month to complete the house. Equity-wise, you could hire out the work and still come out ahead. While crime and rent prices escalate in the city, home prices in the country are lower. Buying a home in Custer County makes safe sense; our county jail recently closed due to too little crime. Sweat Equity: House Completion Cost is Estimated at $45K. Approximately $45,000 gets you $110,000. As an incentive for the $45,000 sweat equity, I subtracted an allotted $110,000 (not $45,000) from the home’s completion or finished price of $355,000 (detailed later). This not only dramatically lowered the house's cost to $245,000, but it will also generate a 275% return on your sweat equity and expenses. In effect, your $45,000 investment and sweat equity will not only earn back your initial $45,000 but also instantly add $65,000 in home equity, totaling $110,000. $65K of free equity will give you the flexibility to minimize or tailor the details of each project to your desire and satisfaction. This will bring the home’s value to $355,000. No well has been installed yet, and some electrical, plumbing, and light construction remain to be completed. The sweat equity offer has two phases. One requires an investment of $15K (allotted up to $35K) to install a water well, and the other is $25K (allotted up to $75K) in sweat equity for some utility and light construction. Neither requires immediate attention, as alternatives are in place. They can be performed at your convenience. Currently, I haul my water and maintain a sufficient 2,450 gallons of potable household water (a year's supply) in a freeze-free, underground cistern. This includes a 400-gallon cistern located in the home. Since the house lacks a well, I have adjusted the price to account for the buyer’s cost of drilling a well, which is approximately $15,000. This investment will increase the home's equity and value not just by $15,000, but for a total of $35,000. The estimated cost breakdown for drilling a water well on this property is $8,000 at $40 a foot up to 160 feet (the average depth of water wells in this immediate area). The pump, plumbing/wiring, and trench are separate expenses, bringing the overall cost to about $15K. Here in the Wet Mountains, water is abundant: one neighbor hit water at 60 feet but drilled to 150 feet to be safe. After a heavy rain, a budding artesian well tries to push water up from underneath the road in front of my home, creating a wet spot. Essential plumbing and electrical wiring, including kitchen/bath sinks, a shower, and a new Biolet composting toilet, have been installed and are operational. With the well drilled, the second part of the sweat equity option remains, which is estimated at $25K for some basic household plumbing, electricity, and miscellaneous work. Some of the electrical and plumbing materials required to finish the house have been purchased and are included with the house. Upon completing this work on the house, you'll increase the home's equity not just by $25K but by $75,000 total – bringing your home's value to $355,000. he final expenses and earned equity would depend on your choices of added aesthetics. I will review the finer details with you and/or your contractor to outline the requirements for each project. I will provide recommendations and instructions on how to complete each job. *Price & Equity While motivated to sell, I own the property outright with no mortgage, so it is not distressed or in foreclosure. How did I arrive at the $245,000 price of the house? I took into consideration the asking prices for regional Straw Bale Homes on the market, which are commonly between $360K and $460K (with some exceptions). In addition, I averaged four estimates for my finished home: Chase's $381K ($480K High Range), FSBO's $342K ($420 High), and Rocket Homes' $346K. However, these estimates are for a conventional home. The most relevant estimate was the selling price of a Straw Bale House I had built locally. It was listed at $375,000 and recently sold for $355,000. However, his property has six acres more than mine. So, I adjusted his selling price to be comparable to mine at $300,000, and then I averaged all four estimates. When the house is completed, the value I placed on my home will be at least $355,000. (Link to Sold SB House which I built:) https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/533-Aspen-Trail-Rd-Westcliffe-CO-81252/194790856_zpid/ The Straw Bale Home industry states that building costs for SB homes are 15% above those of conventional houses. This strawbale home would have an added value of $51,000 over a conventional home. This could increase the completed home value to $396,000. However, since this is new to me and I have not yet verified the 15% increase in costs, I decided not to consider the increased value of the Straw Bale Home at this time. While it is more likely to be true than not, this would apply more to a completed house. I intend to pass the increased 15% value on to the buyer. Bottom line: If my finished house were sold today, it would sell between $325,000 and $375,000 +. I worked out a discounted house price and equity incentives to make owning this home affordable and to facilitate a quick sale. In summary… (1) I used the lower estimated home values (above) to assess the value of this home at $245,000. (2) At this time, I am waiving the increased 15% Straw Bale Home Value, as this is new to me and I have not yet verified it. I'll be passing it on to the buyer. That potential 15% increase ($51,000) brings the completed home value to $397,000. However, I am using $355K as the completed home value to determine my home’s value. (detailed later). (3) $110,000 was deducted from the finished-house estimate of $355,000. Yet, only $45,000 of sweat equity/investment will be required to finish the home. You’ll earn an additional $65,000 in equity, or a total value of $110,000. In effect the house is discounted by at least $65,000. (4) I'll guarantee that your out-of-pocket expense for a well will hit water, or I'll pay half the drilling cost, up to $7,500, if you initiate drilling a well up to 200 feet within the first three months and no water is discovered (See Details below). (5) Rural Water Well Financing is available for up to $15,000, with a 1% interest rate and a 20-year term. It requires no credit check and no collateral. (6) Cash Buyers receive a 10% discount instead of the customary 5%. Possible owner financing with 50% plus down. The home’s price of $245,000 is the equivalent of what it would cost today to build it in its current state. Building materials are expected to increase in price due to tariffs, inflation, and delays caused by disruptions of the supply chain. Notice: Price Increase from $245K to $280K The following is based on the lower (finished) house estimates of $345,000. Since this property does not have a water well, I discounted the property by $110,000 as an incentive for the buyer to install a well for $15,000 (based on three estimates, all of which selected the same location for the well). I offer buyers the option to install the well for approximately $15,000, and added an additional incentive of $20,000, for a total of $35,000 in equity, thereby increasing the home's equity and value to $280,000. However, if the home does not sell by the summer of 2025, I will consider having the water well drilled to make the house more attractive to potential buyers. In that case, the $35K well equity will no longer be available to the buyer. So, if you're interested in the well equity, there is still time before I have the well drilled. You can make those arrangements, keeping the home's cost at $ 245,000. Three drillers agreed on the same drill location at an estimated the minimal depth of a water well to be about 160 feet at $45 per foot to drill ($7,200). The pump, trenching, plumbing, and electrical work to the home will cost approximately $8,000. If I pay for the well, the proposed added sweat equity of $35,000 will be eliminated. The remaining sweat equity will be $25,000 for the house’s finish work, providing you with $75,000 in equity – but the house will come with a well! Is the price of $280K for the home with a well more appealing than paying $245K? For some, the assurance of a well may be worth it. For others needing to economize or capitalize, the lower price provides an advantageous equity plan that would be more profitable for the buyer to put in the well. With water so shallow and abundant, I will guarantee an out-of-pocket expense for a working well if you initiate having it drilled during the first three months of ownership. With a minimum depth of 200 feet, if the well is dry or is required to be drilled deeper, I will pay half the well's cost beyond the allotted incentive amount of $35K, up to $ 7,500. If you want to put in the well yourself, alternatively, you can consider the favorable well financing in the following paragraph. Well Financing: A non-profit program exists to finance water wells in rural areas, for which anyone can apply; no credit check or collateral is required. 1% interest, up to $15K, which can be repaid over 20 years. Cash buyers will receive up to 10% discount, which is twice the standard 5%. Buying the house outright with cash, as is, so I can walk away, will get you the best price. The added 5% discount, or $11,700, would include everything remaining in the house and on the property, including power tools, left-over building materials, general tools, stereo and entertainment systems, and furniture. While you may end up discarding some things, you’ll save me a lot of time and work. For your effort, you'll also come out ahead financially. I know it sounds a bit crazy to pay you to take everything, but the sooner we can close on the property, the less complicated things will be and the happier I’ll be. However, you’ll still have the option to pay the additional 5%, and I'll use the money to clear out and donate everything. (Truck is Optional). Creative Trade Option I am open to trade for establishing a 5-year minimum internet presence and marketing my book, Inner Passage of the Sixth Chakra. I am seeking an experienced professional in internet marketing who can commit to this project for a minimum of five years. It will be a long-term, part-time position, averaging a few hours each week. You would earn a guaranteed monthly cash payment of at least $10,000 per year for five years (excluding your share of royalties). We can make this a separate transaction or, if desired, we can include it as part of the contract. ______________________ If you are interested in the home, Part II must be read before scheduling an appointment to view the house. It provides a detailed description of the house and outlines the necessary work to be done, so you will know what you are buying. I will send you the full description upon request.) [email protected] ______________________ The following Full House description (Part II) details the house's description and, importantly, the breakdown of projects required for its completion. Location and Area: The home is in Custer County, in the South-Central Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It is on 5 acres of hills, with 400+ pine trees. It is on a cul-de-sac road with minimal to no traffic. There are two other homes on this road; one is a summer retreat. You'll have most of the area to yourself. While the Home Owners Association no longer meets or enforces covenants, it is not entirely dissolved, and the covenants are still applicable. Custer County's population is 4,700, and it is not a major tourism center, so living here is quiet and easy. Westcliffe is the nearest town, 18 miles north. Pueblo is 65 miles to the east. Colorado Springs is 75 miles north. Denver is 135 miles away. The 70-mile-long Sangre De Cristo mountain range, with 14,000-foot peaks, is 10 miles across the valley. Hiking, backpacking, biking, etc. Pine trees cover the area with occasional meadows and grassland valleys. Electric lines are underground. The homes in the area are on five-acre parcels with county-maintained roads (including winter snow removal). The value of the custom-built houses in the area ranges from $250K to $2M. There are a few newer modular homes, but no mobile homes. This property sits in the Wet Mountains at an elevation of 8950 feet and above a 7,500-foot-high valley that runs at the base and length of the snow-capped mountain range. The name Wet implies an abundance of shallow water (60 to 100 feet) as it rains here more than in other areas. The property has abundant wildlife. I continuously see deer, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, a few bears, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, and a beautiful variety of birds. Several deer trails crisscross the property. The animals are free to roam with few fences in the area. It is very quiet and peaceful here. I love the contrast of the winter in a warm, impermeable straw bale home, yet the house is cool in the summer. It has been the ideal setting to concentrate on a book I've been writing. I stopped working on the house when it was livable to start writing. The house sits on a slightly sloped northern side of a pine-forested hill above a meadow known as Antelope Valley, the name of the subdivision. The house's interior is 1200 sq. ft., and the exterior is 1400 sq. ft. (Keep in mind the straw bale walls are 20" deep with a stucco coat.) It has two bay-front type entrances. If viewed as two sections perpendicular to each other and sharing a common wall, the house's exterior dimensions are 30' x 25' and 30' x 21', plus an 8' x 8' rear entry mud room with a storage loft. See the floor plan. House Details Hard Work's Done - Needs Finish Work The Main or Master Bedroom: The main bedroom (or Great Room) is 28' x 22' @ 600 sq. ft., with plenty of windows for soft northern light exposure, a sliding glass door, and a 12-foot cathedral ceiling. The great room/ bedroom can be subdivided to create an additional bedroom or office. There is also level ground to expand the house to the west (on the right as you look at the front) and east of the house. (Note: The main bedroom floor needs to be finished with brick, 3" earth-fill (or whatever material you choose), over a base of 4 to 6 inches of earth-fill. An open spaced Loft/Bedroom is 20' x 12' @ 240 sq. ft. above the Kitchen and Bathroom and overlooks the living room, with a window view of several acres of forest. Behind the loft’s wall are household water tanks, 400 gallons. The efficient Kitchen space is - 9' x 12' @ 110 sq. ft. It has the rear entrance/exit to the house via an 8x8 Mud-room/Storage room with an added mini-loft for extra storage - 4x8. This mud room has a Dutch Door entrance. The kitchen has a two-year-old Whirlpool refrigerator - 21 cubic ft. (Retail $1000). The kitchen is plumbed for propane, has all the essentials in place, and is fully functional. However, it has temporary furnishings. It needs a full cook stove, counters and cabinets, and sink replacement. A Radiant Floor Heating hose is installed in the earth floor in the kitchen in conjunction with the earth floor in the living room. A heat source, pump, and installation are required. The kitchen opens up to the Living Room area - 20' x 17' @ 340 sq. ft., with a 14' high cathedral ceiling, and is shared with the loft. The main entrance to the house is in the living room. The room has a bay window with two opening windows, and there is a second large opening window. One bathroom - 9' x 12' @ 110 sq. ft. A high-end Biolet Composting Toilet, $2100, is installed and requires no water - a savings of 20+ gallons per day. Should you prefer to install a conventional toilet, a flushing toilet drain is in place. An efficient manual flush urinal is installed. The shower/bathtub is provisionally served by a 7-gallon electric water heater for brief showers. A washing machine drain is installed in the bathroom (no washing machine). The septic tank is in place and operational. Sewage/septic is complete and operational. The Custom Entry Doors are simple and energy efficient. The doors are unique, 4 inches thick, and have an 18 R-value. This is at least four times better than conventional doors. The living room and kitchen Earth Floor is made of 6 to 8 inches of earth clay and sand (adobe - See photos). The bathroom and bedroom have pumice-crete floors. The pumice in the floor contributes about a 12+ R-value to the floor (beyond concrete's R-3). Meanwhile, the rest of the house has an earth-clay-sand adobe floor six inches deep that is cool in the summer, and it acts as a thermal–mass that captures ambient heat (from pellet stove/propane heater) and radiates it back into the house throughout the night (when I have the heat off). In other words, it will keep you and your feet warm in the winter and the entire house cool in the summer. In addition to the earth floor throughout the living area and the kitchen, radiant heat tubing is embedded in the floor. A pump and a heat source are needed to make this operational. This will add substantially to the heat radiation and distribution throughout the floor and house. Heating costs will be substantially reduced. Although the living area and kitchen are carpeted, the floor has multi-layer coats of earth-tinted (reddish brown) varnish finish, a nice semi-gloss, and looks very earthy (as seen in the pictures). Heating: The energy heating efficiency of a strawbale design is not just an ecological concern. It is an economic concern when, in our later years of life, we'll need to have more control over the increasing cost of heating fuel. In the main living area (including the living room, kitchen, loft, and bath), you have a highly efficient ecological Englander Pellet Stove ($1200) as the primary heat source (90% smokeless, $350/year for pellets to operate). Behind the stove is a traditional adobe wall made of earth adobe bricks for ideal heat retention and radiance. The wall is unconventional in that it is a completely interior wall, and it has a wood stove on the other side, in the main bedroom, adding to the house's heating efficiency. A high-end Rinnai Propane Heater heats the home in 30 minutes with a quick warm-up in the early winter mornings, 30,000 BTUs. That gives the propane enough time to heat up and take over for the rest of the day and night. Radiant Floor Heating hoses are embedded in the earth-floor of the kitchen and living room. A heater and pump will be required to complete the system. This low-cost, ecological efficiency heating will keep you comfortably warm during the coldest days of winter. You're heating bill will be cheaper than any conventional home, No AC is needed in the summer, as the strawbale insulation and earth floor construction (and all the pine trees) keep the house cool on the hottest days. POST AND BEAM CONSTRUCTION gives this house a strong building frame, which carries the load of the roof and supports the overall structure. (This is not load-bearing strawbale construction.) Each 8" to 10" post throughout the house is bolted to an anchor made of angle iron (1/4" x 4" x 4" by 2 feet), which is embedded up to 4 feet of reinforced concrete. STRAW BALE WALLS are an insulation infill between the frame's posts, providing an extremely well-insulated building. There is no other better-insulated house. The straw bale/wall, 20 inches thick, has a 56 R-value – which is 2 to 3 times the warmth of a conventional house. Conventional houses are rated as low as 19 R-value. This house has the essential breathable lime plaster and stucco inside and out, which was traditionally applied by hand (which means it is securely bonded and creatively detailed). Windows: Double pane, insulated windows are installed throughout the home. The Footer/Stem Wall, on which the bales sit, is 18" wide and made of a Portland cement pumice mix (no sand). This footer has created an unheard-of 20 R-value for a pumice-crete foundation. (Concrete/sand mix commonly used is R-3 and acts as a cold-conductor rather than an insulator.) The Roof and Cathedral Ceiling are a gentle 12/3 pitch, which will help control the snow from sliding off the roof, adding to the roof's insulation, and it allows for capturing rainwater in an existing 1500-gallon concrete cistern (emergency-water supply/storage and fire protection). The roof is made with wooden 18" TJIs Truss/Joists I-beams, which are more commonly used in much more expansive construction such as warehouses. (8" to 12" TJIs are more common in home construction). These I-beams provide for the heaviest snow load, allowing for 18 inches of roof insulation, up to 54 R-value. Packed straw in large bags was used for roof insulation. The snow on the roof does not melt quickly; this indicates the well-insulated roof is not losing heat. The accumulated snow on the roof also adds to the house's insulation. The roof overhang, or the eaves, extends 42" further than the usual 24" and effectively gives added protection for the stucco and straw bale construction from the rain and snow. The pitch of the roof is seen on the inside as a gentle cathedral ceiling, with large exposed center beams supporting the roof. The roof has mineral-surfaced roll roofing and is in good condition. No Leaks. Upon building my house, I put off drilling a well to apply my funds toward the construction of the house and getting a roof over my head. Water Supply: Even though groundwater is abundant, no water well has been installed. Instead, interior supply tanks, which provide 400 gallons of water, are installed and operational. Interior water supply means no freezing, plus water remains available as gravity-fed water during power outages, though rare. After the well is installed, this would still be the ideal reservoir set-up. An estimated $15K investment in equity is allotted for installing a water well, although it could be cheaper. However, if you want to save $15K by postponing a well, you can haul your water until you are ready for a well. And the $70K well discount will keep the cost at $245K. Two hundred seventy-five (275) gallons of household water is hauled with my half-ton truck eight times a year, costing $120 a year. Four 275-gallon water-hauling/storage tanks are included. This is how water will be supplied to the home until the well is installed. The total water storage capacity is 2450 gallons, a year's supply for one person. An extra 275-gallon tote is not in use. I have a seldom-driven 1996 Ford F150, a reliable 4x4 work truck that can be sold ($3,000) with the house if needed. I use it for hauling water, pellets, firewood, snow removal, and an emergency backup vehicle. A 1500 gal. concrete cistern has also been installed/buried with the top exposed and straw bales insulating the top so it will not freeze during the winter. The cistern is presently filled and rough-plumbed to the house. The cistern can also serve as a water supply for a fire emergency. This cistern will lower homeowners' insurance. Drilling a residential water well costs $45 per foot or $15,300 on average for a complete system and installation. Water is abundant and close to the ground surface. I can show you how and where to use Divining Rods to detect water underground on my property - You can compare weak spots to strong areas. Neighbors at the top of the hill hit water at 60 ft. and again at 150+ ft. Guarantee: At the asking price of the house, if you install a well within the first six months of purchasing the property, I will guarantee reimbursement of half the cost of drilling the first well for water up to $10,000 if you do not hit water within 250 feet, and as long as we agree on the driller's recommendation where the well will be drilled. What other work needs to be done to complete the house? The essential projects that will complete the house are some electrical, some plumbing, contemporary kitchen cabinets, a sink, and a stove, which are not included. And the main bedroom floor needs finishing. I didn't want to invest/install cabinets, counters, etc., only to have them removed for your preferred style. Household water, sewage, plumbing, and electricity are functional and in use. Temporary in-wall plumbing is in place for the house water supply but should be replaced. All plumbing is designed to go into an accessible interior wall (thus, no freezing) shared by the kitchen and bathroom. I have all the PEX plumbing materials. PEX is the best water supply pipe in household plumbing and is included with the home. Most interior electrical wiring is installed under the floor, but additional wiring/work is needed on the walls. Temporary lighting will need to be replaced with your choice of lighting. I have already purchased most of the basic electric supplies/materials, which are included (other than the supply line). The floor in the main bedroom needs finishing. - e.g., brick, compact earth-fill, or whatever you wish. It has 4 inches of hardened earth fill as a base. The bathroom pumice floor could use a final coat of pigment/sealant. Presently, the house is fully functional and livable. If you were to finish the essential work yourself, you would save about $12k in labor costs. Miscellaneous: Some minor trim and paneling needs to be installed. Two new 5-gallon electric water heaters are installed, one for an efficient shower and one for the kitchen and bathroom sinks. They can be upgraded to a larger capacity. An 11' interior divider wall between the master bedroom and the living room needs to be installed/finished (like the loft wall in pictures). Presently, temporary straw bales are used as a divider. Electrical and plumbing supplies and materials are included in the price. Everything in the house, including the refrigerator, pellet stove, wood stove, furniture, and fixtures, is included. Building materials, lumber, and a storage camper are included on the property. Construction tools and the work truck are negotiable. You’ll need a ‘Get’er done attitude if you want to get it done within a month or two, hire it out, or both. Alternatively, move in, enjoy the roof over your head, and you can get to it whenever you want. Thank you for visiting this site. Builder Jerry Gomez

Home Energy Evaluation

Glazing: Dual-Paned Windows

Installed Appliances:
  1. High Efficiency Furnace was installed in 2018

Air Sealed: No

Energy-Star Appliances: Refrigerator

Tankless Water Heater Installed: No


Home Health Evaluation

Water Purity: no

Air Purity: no

Radon Test Date: ,

Wall Finishes: Plaster, Unfinished: Wood, Clay Paint


Energy Cost Breakdown

Gas600
OtherValue: 400 Description: Pellet Stove. Efficient, minimal smoke, replenishable fuel

Contact Seller

Listing ID : 23690