OCEANSIDE - A dollar can buy you a candy bar, a calendar, or a candle - or it can buy you the historic Rorick house at 106 N. Pacific Street, which now fronts one of the city's best beaches.

But don't get excited about the ocean view. Before you can call the historic structure home, you'll have to shoulder the costs of moving it, city officials say.

The city-owned house, built in 1907 by former city attorney and developer David Rorick, is being sold to make way for a new Westin hotel and beach resort that will fill two seaside blocks near the Oceanside Municipal Pier. Construction on the 293-room hotel is set to begin in fall 2008, said Oceanside economic development director Jane McVey.

In order to make that time line, McVey said, the house must be moved by April 1 or be demolished next spring, along with two other structures on Pacific Street.

McVey said the issue will be discussed by the City Council on Nov. 14.

It is unclear exactly how much it would cost to move the building. However, raising utility lines so that the house can be towed underneath them is just one of the expenses to consider, said Kristi Hawthorne, with the Oceanside Historical Society.

"You buy a house for $1 … but when you add the fees that go into moving something like that, it's actually astronomical," she said.

In 2006, Oceanside residents Dan and Jo Ann Crawley spent more than $20,000 to move a similar house at 101 Mission Ave. - and that home was moved just 1.5 miles from it's original location.

Even more expensive than moving the house can be finding a place to park it. The lot for the Rorick house would need to be legally subdivided, residentially zoned, and big enough for two-car garage in addition to the relocated home, city officials said.

Whoever buys the home would also have to be able to post a bond or provide financial information to the city to show they can handle the costs of the project, McVey said.

"Basically you're going have to qualify as a viable buyer so that we don't get into a situation that the house is remaining there because the person hasn't thought it through," McVey said. She said the city would prefer that the buyer be an Oceanside resident.

McVey said Monday that the phone at City Hall has been ringing off the hook with people interested in the idea of a $1 house, but so far no deal has been inked.

"We had one person who was about 30 miles away, along the freeway," she said. "It just wasn't realistic."

The Rorick house isn't the only home on Pacific Street that will be relocated. Next door, the historic Graves house - also known as the "Top Gun" house for its appearance in the 1986 movie - will be moved to the restaurant area of the hotel project, where it will be restored and serve as a coffee house.

McVey said the city's Historical Preservation Advisory Commission suggested selling the Rorick house for $1 at its last meeting as an option for saving it.

"The commission is very supportive of the hotel project and is very pleased the developer has incorporated the Graves house into the project," McVey said. "But they had the thought that if possible, and the right person came along in our time frame," the sale might be possible.

McVey said the perfect buyer would be a person who loves historic homes, lives within a few miles of the house and has the perfect site and the money to accomplish the move.

"If somebody got enough satisfaction out of this restoration project they might be interested," she said. "Others might say, 'I like historic houses, but this is complicated.' I don't think it'll be a situation where you can just move it, put some paint on it and call it a day."

If the home can't be saved, the preservation group Save Our Heritage will likely be given time to salvage hardware from the house before it is demolished, McVey said.

Those interested in making a pitch for the house can call the city at (760) 435-3352.

- Contact staff writer Marga Kellogg at (760) 901-4067 or mkellogg@nctimes.com