http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/191765-expert-real-estate-agents-will-use-connections-to-woo-obamasDecember 02, 2013, 02:57 pm
Expert: Real estate agents will use connections to woo Obamas
By Judy Kurtz
The Obamas aren’t ruling out the possibility of settling down in Washington post-presidency, and at least one real estate agent says having the first family as a client would be a major boon for any housing pro.
In an interview with Barbara Walters for ABC’s “20/20” that aired Friday, President Obama noted that younger daughter Sasha, 12, will be a sophomore in high school come 2016.
Asked by Walters if the family “may want to stay in Washington because of Sasha,” the president replied, “Let’s put it this way: Sasha will have a big vote.”
He added, “Obviously, they’ve and Michelle made a lot of sacrifices on behalf of my cockamamie ideas, the running for office and things. And so I want to make sure it’s good for them.”
If the Chicago natives were to stay in the nation’s capital, real estate agent Ann Dozier Michael tells ITK there may be some tough competition to do business with the Obamas: “I think probably there would be aggressive agents who certainly would use their connections to get close to them, in hopes that the Obamas chose them to be their agent.”
But the McEnearney Associates broker, who has sold exclusive properties to D.C.-area VIPs for the past 30 years, says loose lips could sink some ambitious real estate experts, “I think agents would love to be working for them, although I think they would want to be very quiet and discreet.”
Michael says keeping mum would be key, and if she were picked to help find the Obamas an abode, “Nobody would ever know I was working with them.”
While it might be tough to buy any digs that are comparable to the White House, Michael says there would be a few, important considerations when choosing the perfect pad for the first family: “Being as recognizable as they are, they’re going to want a place that’s private, with room for the girls to grow…without the prying eyes of the press or gawkers.”
And she wouldn’t forget two other (furry) members of the family, saying, “They have two Portuguese water dogs. They’re going to need some land because they’re not going to want to get up and walk those dogs two times a day.”
The Obamas — who still own a home in the Windy City — wouldn’t be the first former West Wing residents to have a place to rest their heads in Washington. Bill and Hillary Clinton plunked down $2.85 million for a five-bedroom, colonial-style home near Embassy Row in 2000.
Michael says if the commander-in-chief wants to stay within Washington, he can expect to pay “$2 million plus” for a four to six bedroom home. But if the family was to move to one of the District’s ritzy suburbs, such as Great Falls, Va., or Potomac, Md., “they’re still talking $1.5 million.”
