Twinkies, Shortstops, and Gangsters: Homes of Famous People
Two things:
1. Last week The Chicago Tribune ran a story about an Oak Park couple that recently discovered an interesting fact about their home: James Dewar, the inventor of the Twinkie, once lived there. (The article is here, although registration is required.)
2. I recently learned that Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Joe Tinker (of "Tinkers to Evers to Chance" fame) once lived one block west of me in Oak Park. (Mr. Tinker's house at 832 Gunderson was built for him in 1907, and just appeared on a neighborhood housewalk sponsored by The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.)
This got me thinking some more about whether having a house with a famous former occupant could help you in the real estate market. (I pondered this question with respect to gangster's homes last year.)
I have to think that the internet can be a huge help in marketing these properties. After all, a person interested enough in gangsters to buy Sam Giancana's house may not necessarily reside in the Chicago area. Instead of marketing only to Chicagoland residents, a savvy realtor engaged to sell the Tinker house might try to stir up interest among baseball fans generally or among Cubs fans (or fans of baseball history) in particular. This tactic probably won't work in all cases -- I don't know whether there would be anyone willing to pay a premium for The House That Twinkie Built -- but this kind of niche marketing may be worth exploring in some cases. After all, the goal in selling a house is to sell to the person who values it the most, and it only takes one huge Twinkie fan (no pun intended) to create a windfall for the seller.
