By Gina Martinez
President- elect Donald Trump’s childhood home in Jamaica Estates was sold at auction just days before his inauguration.
The five-bedroom, Tudor-style home located at 85-15 Wareham Pl., was where soon-to-be 45th President of the United States spent the first four years of his life.
The home was originally on the market for $1.65 million back in July and the price dropped, along with Trump’s summer poll numbers, to reach $1.399 million, and in October the owner decided to auction it off instead and let buyers decide the value of the property.
The auction was originally set for Oct. 19 — the night of the third presidential debate between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton — but the owner decided to postpone the sale until after the election.
The auction was further delayed due to the significant attention drawn to the auction after the election, according to Misha Haghani, founder of Paramount Realty USA, which was managing the sale. In the meantime, real estate investor Michael Davis swooped in and purchased the rather humble detached home for an undisclosed amount.
Davis then rescheduled the auction for Jan. 17.
Haghani said that auctioning Trump’s childhood home is more akin to selling a work of art than a simple real estate deal.
“This is the childhood home of the next president of the United States and was built by his father. A property as prominent as this has intangible value that goes beyond just the real estate — it’s like art, and that’s why an auction is the perfect platform in which to sell it.”
Trump himself expressed interest in buying the home during a September appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon.
When showed a picture of the home, he recalled his happy upbringing there, saying “I had great parents, I had great brothers and sisters. I had a really good childhood. It’s sad looking at that. I want to buy it, it’s beautiful.
After the election real estate superbroker Dolly Lenz told the New York Post the newly historic house could sell for upwards of $10 million.
“The house has at least tripled in value, if not 10 times in value,” she said. “Think of all the billionaires who could turn this into a museum. That’s the highest and best use for this house. It’s an amazing opportunity for somebody.”
Exactly who bought the home — and for how much — was not available by press time.
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
