By Patrick
Bye-bye "Sarah Palin's Alaska" - hello "Sarah Palin's Arizona!"
Arizonians should brace themselves: The Queen of Mean is coming to town, following the footsteps of daughter Bristol! To Scottsdale, Arizona, to be precise - according to a report of news outlet "azcentral":
Has Sarah Palin bought a house in north Scottsdale?
For months, rumors have circulated in Arizona political circles that the former Alaska governor and possible 2012 presidential contender either was shopping for homes in Scottsdale or had already bought one.
A just-closed deal on a secluded luxury home in far north Scottsdale might fit the bill, and talk has begun that this may be the one. It's an 8,000-square-foot, dark-brown stucco home with a guard gate that can keep unwanted visitors away. It has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a six-car garage, a swimming pool and spa, and a full basement with a home theater, billiards room and wine cellar.
Safari Investments LLC paid $1.695 million cash for the home in a deal that appears designed to cloak the identity of a high-profile buyer.
Safari Investments is a Delaware limited liability firm formed May 12, the day before the deal for the Scottsdale home closed. No officers are listed on the Delaware filing, and that state doesn't require the names of individual associated with limited liability companies to be disclosed. High-profile people often buy homes through LLCs to maintain their privacy.
Alan Kierman, an attorney with the Phoenix law firm of Mack Drucker & Watson, is listed on property records as the contact for Safari Investments. Asked point blank by The Arizona Republic if Palin and her husband Todd Palin bought the north Scottsdale house through the company, Kierman said he had no comment.
In north Scottsdale's scenic desert, the former foreclosure house was purchased by real estate agent and investor Ian Whitmore in March 2010 for $805,000. He sold it May 13 to Safari Investments, but said he doesn't know who is behind the limited liability company. The home was half-renovated when it was taken back by the lender JP Mortgage Chase Bank in 2009.
I am sure that "azcentral" has been tipped off, because there is another strong connection to Sarah Palin: She owns property at "Safari Lake" in Alaska - and the Palins are famous for their play with words (especially regarding the names of their children). So it's very, very believable that they would name a company which was set up especially for this property transaction "Safari Investments." Another example for their wordplays is Todd's old email address: "fek9wnr@yahoo.com" (fe - iron / k9 - dog / wnr - winner).
So of course we want to see what property the Palins have bought - and thanks to one of our brilliant readers, who promptly found the property listings, we are lucky!
The property that Sarah Palin apparently bought is still available in the public listings - including numerous pictures. Listings are available for example here, here and here. After we did our research, we saw that the "Tucson Sentinel" also found the property.
There is no doubt that this is the property in question, as all the data matches up perfectly with "azcentral" article. For example, it is mentioned that the property was sold in mid-May 2011 for $ 1,695,000 - the listing was removed on May 15, 2011:
We also know that Ian Whitmore orginally bought it in March 2010 for $ 803, 650.
So what does Sarah's new home have to offer?
That's how it is advertised:
Scottsdale Stunner With Acreage From The Moment You Pull Thru The Private Gates Of This Stunning North Scottsdale Home You Will Be In Awe Of The Luxurious Finishes And Features. From The Grand Entry Ceilings, The Expansive Living Areas Complete With A Gourmet Kitchen, Private Home Theater Room, Billiard / Game Room, Large Walk-In Wine Room, Resort Style Backyard With Large Gazebo, And So Much More.
Funny - even the writing style of this description sounds somewhat "Palinesque!"
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 6.5
Sqft: 7,972
Lot size: 87,120 sq ft / 2.00 acres
Property type: Single Family
Year built: 2001
Parking type: --
Cooling system: Refrigerator
Heating system: Forced air
Fireplace: --
Last sold: March 25 2010
Bathrooms: 6.5
Sqft: 7,972
Lot size: 87,120 sq ft / 2.00 acres
Property type: Single Family
Year built: 2001
Parking type: --
Cooling system: Refrigerator
Heating system: Forced air
Fireplace: --
Last sold: March 25 2010
This is an older description from 2010 - published on facebook:
North Scottsdale Luxury property. This home is ready for your finishing touches. Nearly 8000 SF, 6 Car Garage, Basement with Theater, Great Room, Wine Cellar and completely wired for technology. Home is finished in high end stone, granite & rich hand carved wood. Main level has 4 bedrooms all with private bathrooms, Large living room with bar for entertaining, Custom Gas Fireplace. Kithen has an impressive island and huge pantry. Home has an unfinished elevator shaft [ USE Caution ]. Master bedroom has a private deck, Huge walk-in closet, Fireplace, beautiful master bath with jet tub, water feature and large walk in shower.
When Ian Whitmore bought the house, the property didn't look very impressive - here is an older aerial shot (click on pictures to enlarge):
But this has changed - Ian Whitmore, who bought this house half-renovated on March 25, 2010 for $ 803,605 after it had been foreclosed, seems to have been busy and turned it into a luxury house. This is what the aerial shot looks today:
So what do you think about Sarah's taste? Just the right monstrosity for her campaign headquarters, including a wine cellar and home cinema, isn't it?
And Sarah Palin doesn't need to throw people under the bus any more, she just needs to throw them down her shiny new elevator shaft. ;-)
The fountain across the pool is also perfect for her famous pissing matches!
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UPDATE:
Thanks to our commenter "guest" who posted a video of the house, which shows it before it was finished! Uploaded on September 11, 2009.
The video has a funny description:
MONSTER HOUSE. Needs some finish work. BIG, BIG, BIIIIG house. Kitchen, theater, game room, bar, study room, bedrooms, multiple guest suites, and an elevator....shaft. This home probably cannot be financed in today's lending world, so the list price of $1,386,000....is pretty darned hopeful.
Our reader AzureGhost commented:
"That's hideous. How appropriate that it has a "Large Walk-In Wine Room"
for the biggest whiner in the US."
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UPDATE 2:
Even more proof - "aczentral" reports that a black SUV with an Alaska license plate was spotted at the mansion, the driver wouldn't say who he was or whether Palin bought the house:
(h/t to PalinLies!)
UPDATE 2:
Even more proof - "aczentral" reports that a black SUV with an Alaska license plate was spotted at the mansion, the driver wouldn't say who he was or whether Palin bought the house:
(h/t to PalinLies!)
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Please re-tweet:
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UPDATE 3:
IT'S FINALLY CONFIRMED - Sarah Palin is outside the building. Thanks to our reader for the screenshot (click to enlarge):
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