Chicago Home of Former Illinois Governor for Sale

The Chicago home of ex-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is up for sale—reportedly as judge-ordered collateral for the convicted politician’s bond of $450,000. The 3,817-square foot house is not officially on the market, but interested buyers can find online listings with a quick Internet search of its Ravenswood Manor address: 2934 W. Sunnyside Avenue.

Whether or not living in the former residence of Illinois’ notorious senate seat-selling governor is your cup of tea, you can bet the home will be one of Chicago’s most notable real estate sales of the year. According to postings, this high-profile property has an estimated asking price between $820,000 and $900,000. There doesn’t seem to be any interior photos of the home available at the time being. However, people may recall seeing the exterior of the house from news coverage of Blago on his front steps (often with his entourage of family and close friends).

The 5-bedroom, 4-bath single-family house was original built in 1925. It has a detached garage and sits on a 0.12-acre corner lot in Chicago’s small, North Side neighborhood of Ravenswood Manor. Some predict the property will not be listed on the MLS and will remain a pocket listing due to the notoriety of its previous inhabitant. This is a common practice with real estate owned by celebrities and public figures that draw crowds of spectators who just want to see inside the place and have no true intention of purchasing the home. Instead, the selling agent ensures only serious buyers who are financially qualified can get showings.

It is said Blagojevich bought the house at 2934 W. Sunnyside in the 1990s for a little over half a million dollars. An assessment of the property’s value in today’s market puts its worth around $830,000+ (per recent data from Zillow). However, the Cook County Assessor’s valuation was much lower at $659,000 in 2010.

Fox News Chicago reported that Blagojevich said he would also sell his condo unit in Washington D.C. as additional collateral to post bond. House hunters with their sights set on the new listings (either here or in D.C.) will most likely need to be pre-screened before getting a chance to check out the property. Fortunately for Blagojevich, homes of highly-publicized people usually receive a lot of media attention—a priceless marketing bonus that everyday sellers pay big money to get.

Spencer Mason writes about Chicago homes along with many other Chicago real estate topics.