How inventory-bloated is today’s depressed real estate market? So much so that a southern California builder is throwing in an extra dwelling on every sale:

“We thought, ‘Why does it just have to be on Pop Tarts and restaurants? Why not buy one home, get one free,’” Dawn Berry of Michael Crews Development told 10 News in San Diego.

More: “Michael Crews Development is offering new, 2000-square foot cityscape row-homes worth $400,000 in Escondido for free — if you buy one Royal View Estate home in San Pasqual Valley starting at $1.6 million. ‘You know it’s a straight-up legit deal; no prices have been increased, there are no hidden costs. Michael is just giving away a free home for people that buy at Royal View,’ said Berry.”

Buy more house than you can afford and take on more house than you can handle. Such a deal!

Incidentally, this promotional gimmick is a step up for Michael Crews Development, considering it usually flexes its marketing muscle on planting fake customer-testimonial comments on its company blog.