An unholy misuse of eminent domain, a ritzy Los Angeles mansion with a significant stigma, and a Maine broker running for governor. From the wild and wooly world of real estate, here are our Hits and Misses for the week of May 19-23.
Miss: Seizing the Pope’s Childhood Home? The Chicago suburb of Dolton, Illinois, has threatened to use eminent domain to seize the childhood home of Pope Leo XIV, with the goal of creating a profit-making attraction highlighting the pontiff’s formative years in the village. The home is scheduled to go up for auction next month via Paramount Realty USA, but the village’s attorney, Burton Odelson, sent a letter to Paramount warning “any prospective buyers that their ‘purchase’ may only be temporary since the Village intends to begin the eminent domain process very shortly.” Huh? The residence in question – a 1,200-square-foot brick home owned by the pope’s family from 1949 to 1996 – is not a registered landmark, and the village has no legitimate claim for seizing it from its rightful owners. If the village wants to acquire the property, it can place a bid during the auction – abusing the eminent domain laws will not stand up in court.
Miss: Guilt by Association. The Los Angeles mansion listed by music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs a week before his arrest has been mostly ignored by buyers after more than 250 days on the market. The 17,000-square-foot residence with 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms is listed at $61.5 million, but buyers aren’t turned off by the price – the stigma of Combs’ ownership is being blamed for the significant lack of inquiries. For the record, none of the miscreant behavior that led to Combs’ arrest was known to occur at the property. There has been a lowball offer from real estate investor Bo Belmont to buy the property for $30 million, but Combs’ representatives have not responded to his proposal. And considering how Combs’ trial is going, Belmont’s offer might be the only offer the property will receive.
Hit: A Hat in the Ring. David Jones, broker-owner of the Augusta, Maine-based F.O. Bailey Real Estate, announced his candidacy in the 2026 race for his state’s governorship. Jones tiptoed into politics 12 years ago as an independent candidate for governor, but he withdrew before getting on the ballot. This time around, he’s running as a Republican with the pledge to shrink the size of government and improve Maine’s economy. “If you can’t afford gas in the car or groceries, you are not free,” he said. “Let’s get government out of the way and let entrepreneurs be free.” We’d like to wish Jones good luck in his bid to make a positive difference in his state.
Hit: A Sense of Priorities. Here’s a thumbs up for Cleveland’s Mayor Justin Bibb, who is not being bullied by the Cleveland Browns in their attempt to pocket taxpayer money to help finance their proposed new domed stadium. Bibb boldly told Fox 8, “There are more important priorities than the Cleveland Browns.” The mayor cited the planned upgrades at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and other downtown developments as being of greater importance – and while he stated he would not simply shrug if the Browns left the city for a suburban location, he insisted, “The business community, the state, and the Browns must do the right thing to transition the city of Cleveland, so we can continue the progress we’ve had on the lakefront.” At a time when cities are committing billions of dollars to appease professional sports teams eager for new stadiums, Bibb’s refusal to kowtow to the team is a breath of fresh.
Hit: Monsieur Ambassador. Earlier this week, real estate developer Charles Kushner was confirmed by the US Senate to become the new Ambassador to France and Monaco. Kushner is the founder of Kushner Companies and is the father of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. Critics have complained about Kushner’s 2005 conviction on illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering – Trump issued a presidential pardon for Kushner in 2020. Kushner is the second real estate developer named to a diplomatic post by the president-elect – Steve Witkoff, former chairman and CEO of The Witkoff Group, is Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East and he’s doing a great job. Here’s wishing Kushner the best in his new position.
Miss: The Blame Game. Also from earlier this week, Spain’s government ordered Airbnb to remove nearly 66,000 listings from its platform. According to the New York Times, the government claimed these listings ran afoul of Spanish laws because they either lacked licenses, had fake license numbers or did not identify if the property was controlled by an individual or a corporation. However, Spain is dealing with a severe housing shortage and Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy admitted the targeting of Airbnb was designed “to ensure that no economic interest takes precedence over the right to housing.” Airbnb said it would pursue the matter through the Spanish judicial system. “The solution is to build more homes – anything else is a distraction,” said the company in the statement.
Phil Hall is editor of Weekly Real Estate News. He can be reached at [email protected].
