Real Estate News

The White House and the Playboy Mansion

Ever wonder what the White House might be worth in today’s real estate market?  Recently Realtor.com  estimated that the White House would list for $90 million if it listed today. Analysts arrived at this figure by projecting what it would cost today to build the 55,000-square-foot,132-room house, which was constructed in 1792 for $232,000. Realtor.com then used the value of a comparable property — in this case, candidate Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida. Curious choice for a comparable ya think?

Finally, the analysis estimated that if the White House were used as a hotel, it would be a cash cow, with its 16 bedrooms pulling in $5 million per year.

But what’s inside the first family’s abode is even more valuable than the property itself. If a buyer were to purchase the White House fully furnished — including its plethora of valuable artwork, furniture, and china — the grand total would come to $250 million.

And what does any of this have to do with the Playboy Mansion?  The Playboy Mansion recently sold for $100,000,000. One hundred million dollars!  Ten million more than Realtor.com valued the White House.  That’s about half of Hugh Hefner’s original asking price, but still the most expensive home to ever sell  in Los Angeles.  And, where the White House has a change of occupants every four to eight years Hugh Hefner , now 90 years old, will remain at the Playboy Mansion for the remainder of his lifetime. (For Sale by Owner in this instance became For Sale With Owner!)

Mark Danforth Lomas

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