More bad news for Schock
Friday, Feb 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As if Congressman Aaron Schock doesn’t have enough problems this week. He may have to move soon. From Peoria Public Radio…
Congressman Aaron Schock’s legally-documented residence in the 18th District is listed for sale as a foreclosure.
The congressman’s home address is listed as 222 W. Detweiller Drive on his Federal Election Commission filing dated Tuesday. But a foreclosure listing has been up for more than a week, and the 35 photos posted of the property show what appears to be a vacant home.
The person listed as the last owner is William Boyd.
The five bedroom, six bath home is listed for $2.3 million. The 7,236 square feet of living space is listed as a single family residence, but it’s believed the Congressman has been renting a carriage house portion of the property not registered as a stand alone address.
…Adding… From a PPR reporter…
An update to our story: Congressman Schock says he is still renting the carriage house on the property, only now he pays rent to the bank rather than the previous owner.
* Meanwhile, a lefty blogger put a whole lot of nasty red herrings into his story, but the gist is that a couple of years ago Schock allegedly sold a house to a Cat exec who had contributed a few bucks to Schock’s campaign. The contention is that Schock allegedly sold the place for more than it may have been worth…
Congressman Schock on October 16, 2012 sold his home to the Bahajs for $925,000… Zillow estimates that the house was worth approximately $695,000 that month.
Zillow ain’t always accurate. Just sayin…
I’m not sure at all about that blog piece, campers. I see some real problems with it, including the blogger’s bizarre vitriol. But I figured some of you would post it in comments because it’s being linked all over the place and some have already e-mailed me about it, so I wanted to head you off. Let that one be for now.
- Peoria Guy - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:33 pm:
Nothing to see there. The place he rents is being foreclosed. The rest is all wild conjecture.
- 47th Ward - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:37 pm:
I’m getting low on popcorn.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:38 pm:
Why do I see Comgressman Schock channeling Steve Martin;
“All I need is my Downton Abbey chair…and the Downton Abbey mirror…the Downton Abbey chair, and the Downton Abbey mirror…that’s it…”
A place to live? …
Bad week. Schock should lean on his Communications Staffer and…
…never mind.
- Robert the Bruce - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:41 pm:
Certainly worth looking into.
Though I agree with Rich Zillow isn’t always accurate. Follow your home’s value by registering on Zillow, and you’ll see it fluctuate by 50% at times on a weekly basis!
- Anonymoiis - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:43 pm:
So he essentially lives in a guest house of this place. Downton Abbey meets Fresh Prince?
- Walter Mitty - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:46 pm:
Crazy blog aside, it’s certainly a picture of image over substance. Nothing new, but all of these latest issues are a pattern. Either someone close to him sits down and is honest with him, or his constituents need to change their rep…….It’s embarrassing.
- Wordslinger - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:47 pm:
Phony baloney real estate deals are what nailed Duke Cunningham.
Back when the heat was on but before Rezko was indicted, a carpenter I know who did work for Rezmar was questioned by the FBI about work at the Blago house and the remarkable success a Chicago area Congressman had flipping real estate.
Nothing ever came of the look-see at the Congressman. But my buddy recounted some great advice he got from a federales:
“When we ask you a question, assume that we already know the answer.”
- PolPal56 - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:47 pm:
Anon, I was thinking Kato Kaelin.
- LizPhairTax - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:49 pm:
Too many foreclosures #gentrifynow
- Westward - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:53 pm:
Leave the poor kid alone. You might make him cry. He’s not even old enough to run for President.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:53 pm:
Home is certainly a Downton Abbish type of crib!
One has to feel sorry for the standard of living our legislators must endure just to represent us common people. Pity….
- Peoria Guy - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:54 pm:
He vigorously disputed a story posted this morning by another liberal-leaning website about a real estate transaction in 2012 on a house Schock built as a spec home. The reporting alleged that Schock sold it to a significant campaign donor on terms that were favorable and above market rates for neighboring homes. Schock said that was not the case, that other homes nearby sold for similar prices, that it had been listed by Linda Kepple, an area Realtor, and that he had no interaction with the buyer prior to the sale.
- See more at: http://www.pjstar.com/article/20150206/NEWS/150209389#sthash.KYjhS5kR.dpuf
- Peoria Guy - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:55 pm:
Yeah Tony, you are right. Rich is a conservative Republican protecting his own.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 12:57 pm:
Oh, Tony? You won’t see him no more.
- Gooner - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:01 pm:
A story claiming a scandal based on Zillow and assessed values?
Why not just base it on numbers pulled out of a hat?
I’m no fan of Schock, but this was a cheap and baseless attack.
Not to digress, but an Illinois Republican standing up for Cat? Gee, how shocking!
- Wordslinger - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:01 pm:
PG, spec homes in 2012? Wow.
That’s, um, counter-intuitive as an investment given the housing market then and the fact that there was a stock market bull run going on.
- BrianG - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:05 pm:
As a resident of the Peoria area, I can state that home would not have sold for $925,000. My subdivision has plenty of the same floor plan McMansions. They go for $550,000 to $650,000. I wish I could get over $900,000 for my place.
- Peoria Public Radio - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:10 pm:
An update to our story: Congressman Schock says he is still renting the carriage house on the property, only now he pays rent to the bank rather than the previous owner.
- JS Mill - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:15 pm:
The whole thing is pretty weird and, at times comical. I am pretty sure most of our lives are weird when viewed at just the right angle. Until something illegal is proven to be more than a lefty political bloggers fantasy I’d chalk this up to much ado about nothing. And I am getting a little sick of the lifestyle innuendos.
- Wordslinger - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:21 pm:
Clemenza, I love it.
“…then you shove in your sausage and meatballs, a little sugar, a little wine, and that’s my trick.”
Got to be careful. Doesnt take much to get me going on a Godfather jag.
- The Captain - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:23 pm:
Has anybody had a weirder week, ever?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:28 pm:
Delete the Comment.
Take the Cannoli.
- ArchPundit - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:38 pm:
To do the comparison right you need to get the assessor’s data, do a sales ratio study, and then figure out the unique characteristics of the property. There’s enough there to look into for a reporter, but you can’t draw any conclusions about the sale from the information at hand.
That said, heck of week there Schock.
- Irishpirate - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:40 pm:
- The Captain - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:23 pm:
Has anybody had a weirder week, ever?
Captain,
Watch “The Big Lebowski”. He had a weirder week and his furnishings also played a prominent role.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:47 pm:
But doesn’t he look nice?
- DaBears - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 1:49 pm:
I’m Schocked.
- Gooner - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 2:12 pm:
Reviewing the story again, it went beyond Zillow and assessed values and looked at comps. That’s the way to do it.
So maybe there is something to it.
My bad on the earlier attack on the story.
- Not Soup Yet - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 2:13 pm:
I’ve never heard of Zillows, but I have appealed assessments and looked at comparables. There’s not enough here to know whether something is fishy. For one thing, was it on the MLS (looks like it, based on the For Sale sign out front) and, if so, what was the asking price? How long was it on the market before it sold? What was the trend in the neighborhood over time? What was the average price in 2003 or thereabouts and in 2012 or thereabouts, and did the price of the Schock house track this trend? Did Schock pay fair market value in 2003, or was it a distress sale or something else–you never know, the flip side of this so-called scandal might be that Schock did a favor for someone way back when and was so rewarded with a sweetheart deal on a house.
It’s not Schock-gate, at least not yet. Not by a long stretch. But it does look like something that should be checked out more thoroughly.
- Chicago Cynic - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 2:17 pm:
Zillow? Please. Zillow was off on the value of my house by about 40%. This is the problem when the sharks smell blood in the water - sometimes they go after minnows instead of whales.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 2:27 pm:
How often is Schock around his district? This could be fodder for a Pat Roberts and Dick Lugar-type attack.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 2:27 pm:
2.3m will get you a lotta house in Peoria.
- Anonymoiis - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 2:32 pm:
==Watch “The Big Lebowski”. He had a weirder week and his furnishings also played a prominent role.==
Yeah, well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man
- Pot calling kettle - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 2:39 pm:
Those peacock feathers really tied the room together.
- Responsa - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 2:55 pm:
==Has anybody had a weirder week, ever?==
Well, Brian Williams maybe? And it’s even the same week! (the chopper apology, his daughter’s highly embarrassing acting role choices, his unraveling Katrina tales). There is a full moon.
- Irishpirate - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 3:05 pm:
Anonymoiis - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 2:32 pm:
==Watch “The Big Lebowski”. He had a weirder week and his furnishings also played a prominent role.==
Yeah, well, that’s just, like, your opinion, man
To paraphrase from the Tao of Walter:
Aaron, this is not ‘Nam. This is politics. There are rules.
- Brexton Isaacs - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 3:27 pm:
CNN has more on the story - http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/06/politics/schock-home-sale/index.html
- Rich Miller - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 3:29 pm:
===CNN has more===
No it doesn’t. Just a rehash.
- A guy - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 3:29 pm:
Can’t hide in DC or Peoria. This is a tough week.
- Ghost - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 3:59 pm:
I understand this covers some legitmate issues, but this residency stuff always seems petty to me. Just like the stuff with whats her name who allegedly lived in MO. Sure its news, but is it really NEWS.
- A guy - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 4:22 pm:
He’s a bachelor, it’s a big geographic district. I’d load up a car and move.
- Been There, Done That - Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 4:34 pm:
It wasn’t the sale price that I found odd, it was the original purchase price. $128k in 2003? That can’t be right. The house would have sold for about double that (in Peoria at that time and in that location).