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The owner of the Chicago-area residence that was the childhood home of Pope Leo XIV has been taken off the market.

The 1,200-square-foot brick home in Dolton, Illinois, located near the South Side of Chicago, was thrust into the real estate spotlight last week when Cardinal Robert Prevost became history’s first American-born pope. The Prevost family owned the property from 1949 to 1996, and it last changed hands when an investor purchased it for $66,000 with the goal of renovating and flipping the property.

The owner’s sales agent, Steve Budzik, told NBC Chicago the home was taken off the market after the pope’s election – although was initially skeptical that Prevost became the pope when a reporter called him to inquire about the listing.

“At first I didn’t really like believe it,” Budzik said. “I didn’t really believe because I didn’t see the news.”

But after Budzik was flooded with calls about the property, he contacted the owner – who was at a doctor’s appointment for his pregnant wife.

“He was like ‘This is great. This is better than winning a lotto ticket,'” Budzik continued. “The excitement really just grew from there.”

Despite receiving offers above the $199,000 listing price, the owner opted to take the property off the market. Budzik added the owner would like to get in touch with the Prevost family to determine the property’s future – either restoring it as it was when Prevost was growing up or potentially relisting it.

“At this time the seller is just not ready to make a decision if he wants to sell it,” Budzik said. “He wants to kind of let the dust settle.”

Photo courtesy of Homes.com