The childhood home of Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, will be sold in an online auction next month.
The three-bedroom home in the South Side Chicago suburb of Dolton, Illinois, was originally on the market for $199,000. However, when Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, was chosen as pope in the Vatican last week, the home’s current owner realized he could make much more money.
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Steve Budzik, the property’s real estate broker, said offers began coming in immediately. He and the owner, Pawel Radzik, quickly took the house off the market to determine the next step. Radzik said he purchased the home last year to flip it.
They began working with Paramount Realty, a real estate auction firm. In 2017, the company auctioned a five-bedroom home in Queens where President Donald Trump lived as a child. It sold for $2.14 million, more than the average price of comparable homes in the area.
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In Dolton, the median home value is around $150,000, according to Zillow. Misha Haghani, the chief executive and founder of Paramount Realty, told the New York Times the home could sell for seven figures.
“We can call this the pope premium,” he said. “Within one week, this is going to be the most famous home on the planet. What the highest and best bid will be, or who it will be from, is anyone’s guess.”