Blagojevich Family Takes Home Off The Market
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Blagojevich home in Ravenswood Manor is off the market.
Less than two weeks after convicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich began serving his 14-year sentence on corruption charges, his wife Patti has decided to halt the sale of their North Side home -- at least for now.
Blagojevich family spokesman Glenn Selig said, "Patti believes it's best for (her daughters) Amy and Annie to avoid the stress of showing a house during a time which has already been filled with so much upheaval. Showing the home is just too much for the girls to go through right now."
The home went on the market nearly six months ago, with the Blagojeviches asking for $1.07 million for their 5-bedroom, 3,817-square-foot home. They later reduced the asking price to $998,000. They bought the home for just more than $500,000 in 1999.
But, with no apparent takers, they have now taken it off the market.
After putting it on the market, Patti had said it was a hard decision to try to sell the home, but a necessary one given their financial problems after her husband went through two expensive trials.
"It's the only home our children have ever known," Patti said in October. "We tried for a long time now to hold on and not have to sell. But we are, unfortunately, like many Americans, and we can't afford to stay in our house any longer."
The home sports five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a basement with a gym, three fireplaces and a music room. And at 3,817 square feet, it's also one of the largest homes in the neighborhood.
Rod Blagojevich used the home as a backdrop for many press conferences as he fought the corruption charges that eventually led to his imprisonment, including a 15-minute speech on the day before he reported to prison. It was also where he was arrested on Dec. 9, 2008, on allegations he tried to sell or trade an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.
