Texas Congressman Ron Paul is having a busy year, traveling the country to campaign for the GOP presidential nomination while spearheading House oversight of the Federal Reserve. As if that weren’t enough, he’s also trying to sell his house, without an agent. Paul listed his Lake Jackson, Texas, home of 42 years via Facebook earlier this year and also on a website, buyronpaulshouse.com. He’s asking $325,000 for 5,500 square feet that includes four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a craft room and a waterslide-bedecked pool.
As the campaigning for 2012 heats up, we decided to take a look at some of the real estate action involving current and former public servants over the past year, with a little help from the folks at Trulia.com, Realtor.com and Zillow.com.
Another Republican presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, announced plans this summer to tear down a 3,000-square-foot La Jolla, Calif., mansion he purchased for $12 million in 2008 and build a new one quadruple the size. Romney, who made hundreds of millions as chief executive of Bain & Co. and Bain Capital, has been an active buyer and seller of properties: He also currently owns a Boston-area townhouse and a vacation home in Wolfeboro, N.H. worth $10 million. In 2009 he sold a home in Belmont, Mass., for $3.5 million and a ski lodge in Deer Valley, Utah, for $5.25 million.
At the other end of the financial spectrum, Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) finally unloaded a three-bedroom home in Sacramento earlier this year in a short sale after going into default on the mortgage in 2008. Neighbors had complained that the home had fallen into disrepair and was a blight on the neighborhood. /snip
More (and gallery):
http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2011/10/19/washingtonians-slept-here-peeking-inside-politicians-homes-on-the-market/?partner=forbeslife_newsletter