One of my favorite things to do is visit and tour huge historical homes. I love imagining that I have the privilege of living in those massive houses. It would be especially fun for me to decorate one--Man! Would that be an extensive project to undertake or what?!
After touring the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina one Christmas I was a little disheartened to find out that it wasn't for sale--okay, okay, so I knew that it wouldn't be for sale, but can you imagine living in a home that immense??! (If you have never been there or heard of it, just look it up on the Internet and see for yourself!) The mansion was built in 1895 and has
four acres of living space--including 250 rooms, 33 of which are bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, 3 kitchens, indoor swimming pool and a bowling alley. It is a truly remarkable property and worth a visit to tour the home and grounds which include a winery, majestic gardens, and much more.
So what does this have to do with the White House? Well, the real estate developer Fred Milani, built a replica of the White House as his personal home in Atlanta, Georgia. It's a scaled-down version of the true White House, but spectacular and vast none the less! He has lived in the
16,500 square foot presidential mansion replica for the previous seven years.
However, this January he put the home on the market for $9.88 million. The mansion can be found in the North Druid Hills neighborhood and is complete with an Oval Office including an exact replica of the President's Desk where Mr. Milani can be found working, a porch called the Truman Balcony overlooking the 75 car parking lot and the Lincoln Bedroom where guests sleep. Additionally, the home is very personalized with Middle Eastern home decor and self-promotion, such as the "M" which is tiled into the in-ground swimming pool.
The real estate agent on the property has said that most likely it will be a wealthy international buyer, perhaps from Dubai, who would be willing to buy this extremely personalized and unique home in this tough economy.
Mr. Milani is a prominent builder of McMansions; Atlanta was once a city where Mr. Milani could barely keep up with the demands of people wanting to buy the mansions he built, now the city has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. Already Mr. Milani has narrowly missed being foreclosed on twice. Although he doesn't want to move out of his White House, he has multiple loans to repay from other homes he's built.
The New York Times article stated: "The forced sale of one of the city's most expensive homes, owned by someone who made his fortune in homebuilding, makes clear the widespread nature of the real estate collapse."
So, anyone want to go in together and buy this property with me?! Just let me know. :-)
On a more serious note, If you are in the market to buy or sell your home in the Bethlehem or Dacula area, I would be happy to assist you! My passion is helping people find their dream home and stepping them through this exciting journey. I serve the Walton, Barrow and Gwinnett county areas. Call or text me today!
(The research from this article came from this New York Times article.)
