Wasilla, Alaska Real Estate and Sarah Palin’s House
By: Diane Tuman, Content Manager | September 8, 2008
Shortly after Republican presidential nominee John McCain tapped Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, it put Palin and her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, on the map. When Palin is not dashing off to her office in Juneau, AK, she resides with her husband, Todd, and five children in a single-family home located on Lake Lucille, in Wasilla.
According to Time Magazine,
The Palin family lives on Lake Lucille on the western end of town — she’s always maintained her residence here, even though the Capitol is a long flight away in Juneau. It’s a perfectly Alaskan lake: still waters ringed by evergreens and saw-toothed peaks, staged beneath a wolf-colored sky. You can just make out Palin’s house a stone’s throw from the public launch at the Best Western Hotel, by the red and white floatplane on the small dock out front (the governor’s husband is a pilot in addition to being an oil worker, commercial fisherman, prior Iron Dog snowmobile endurance race winner, and self-anointed “First Dude”).
Sarah Palin’s house, located at 1140 W Parks Hwy, Wasilla, AK 9965 is a two-story framed structure on a couple of acres, built in 2002 with a poured concrete foundation and no basement. According to Alaska magazine, the home was designed and built by “First Dude” husband, Todd. The home has an appraised value of $552,100, according to the Matanuska-Susitana Borough real property land details. You can see Palin’s home in the background here (sorry, I learned that link was blocked, but here’s a better view of Palin’s house).
It looks like Sarah and Todd own more than their Wasilla property. We came across this post by MilwaukeeWorld who did some digging on the Palin real estate holdings and it looks like Sarah and Todd own some other undeveloped land with family friend Scott A. Richter. Not as many as running mate John McCain’s 7 houses, but they certainly love their land in Alaska.
Wasilla is a city of approximately 5,500, according to the City of Wasilla Web site (although other reports place it as high as 9,780) and it sits 43 miles northeast of Anchorage, AK, making it a bedroom community to Anchorage rather than a weekend or holiday destination.
Wasilla’s homes for sale range from the low thousands to millions and they’re not your typical real estate choices. Note these “items” for sale: airplane hangar condo, a money-making coffee shop, a snow-packed condo unit, a parcel on a swan-populated lake, the old Wasilla post office (photo, right) a parcel with private canal access for your floatplane (photo below), and homes with BIG garages.
Wasilla is headquarters of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, but is no longer part of the race route because “real-estate developers in Wasilla have cut too many new driveways through the old sled trail, making it hazardous for the dogs to maneuver.” It’s clear that Wasilla was once a small town many Alaskans adored for its outdoor recreation and raw surroundings, but with Sarah Palin on the map, Wasilla is also on the map. It will be interesting to see how Wasilla evolves from the exposure of Palin’s stardom.
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Comments
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Frank LL0SA- Broker FranklyRealty.com on September 9, 2008 8:52 am
Pretty cool
DallasDirt » Blog Archive » Sarah Palin’s Home In Wasilla, Alaska on September 9, 2008 9:43 am
[…] reported on Zillow. (Hey Diane, did you see my post on John McCain’s home? Has Chicago Magazine done […]
Real Estate Internet Marketing with Peter on September 10, 2008 11:35 am
it’s amazing what you can do with technology today. If anyone is still wondering about their privacy, well, there isn’t much left- except for your personal stuff.
Pretty soon, they’ll be looking in your window
Peter
Bob Michaels on September 10, 2008 11:57 am
I just love Sara. Alaska is a real frontier, She is the kind of woman we need in wash dc. Let`s clean it up.
laura vecsey on September 10, 2008 3:38 pm
s. palin will clean up washington? goodness, we are doomed. great post, tuman.
Parabellum on September 10, 2008 4:18 pm
“…a two-story framed structure…”
That should read ‘frame structure’, not ‘framed’.
And never trust anyone that can’t find the Shift key.
Links Back to the Week that Was 9/14 on September 15, 2008 10:48 am
[…] but I’d take the mighty Columbia River if you twisted my arm. How about Sarah Palin? Zillow gave us this great post last week about Sarah’s digs in AK and some scoop on McCain’s numerous real estate […]
Barack Obama’s Chicago House | Zillow® Blog on September 17, 2008 8:41 am
[…] See Sarah Palin’s Wasilla, Alaska house […]
Corinna on September 17, 2008 12:05 pm
If Bob (who posted on September 10)loves Ms. Palin so much he should really learn how to spell her name correctly. It’s Sarah, not Sara.
seavex on September 17, 2008 12:08 pm
Good reporting comes on all kinds of websites. Go, Zillow!
BlueSky on September 17, 2008 3:19 pm
Oh look! I can see Russia from here!
Bill Guerra on September 21, 2008 2:33 am
I lived in Alaska for thirty years, its funny we never met! Whats the difference between and a hockey mom and a pit bull…lipstick! Too funny, you go girl!
Janice England on September 24, 2008 2:54 pm
How close do the Palins live to the closed Knik Landfill (now Smith Ball Fields)? Most closed dumps contain carcinogenic chemicals. Are there public and/or private drinking water wells near the closed landfill?
Marc on September 26, 2008 4:29 pm
Who actually flies that floatplane? According to FAA records, Todd Palin only has a Private Pilot with a Single Engine Land rating.
Janice England on September 26, 2008 5:17 pm
Does anyone have information on the closed Knik Landfill, now the Smith Ball Fields?
Monticito on September 29, 2008 9:27 pm
Although I don’t care for Sarah Palin one bit, nor what she stands for, have to hand it to her… she sure does have a lovely home on water’s edge. But what is that Best Western doing so close to their property? Yikes.
Former McCain House in Phoenix to be Auctioned Off | Zillow® Blog on October 1, 2008 10:12 am
[…] Barack Obama’s house Joe Biden’s house Sarah Palin’s house […]
Real Time Convo - Hot Discussions | Zillow® Blog on October 3, 2008 3:41 pm
[…] before the Palin/Biden debate, I came across a thread titled “LIVE VP DEBATE PARTY! Post here during the VP […]
Janice England on October 3, 2008 8:28 pm
The Old Knik Landfill is beneath the Smith Ball Fields across Lake Lucille from the Palin home. There was no cleanup of this dump and the toxins remain in the landfill. Children playing at the field drink water from a well drilled through the dump. As a self-proclaimed “soccer mom” how does Gov. Palin feel about children playing on this nearby toxic waste site? Do her children play at Smith Ball Fields?
texas dan on October 13, 2008 9:38 pm
10/15/2008 I AM RELEASING PALIN WIFE SWAP SEX TAPE.
SURPRISE!
Did Sarah & Todd Palin get their house built for free by Todd’s buddies who built the sports complex in Wasilla when she was the Mayor? « White Noise Insanity on October 14, 2008 5:39 am
[…] tax returns and stated on it the family made @ $170,000 for each year, but yet, when you look at their real estate holdings (plus a private plane), you wonder if someone isn’t being entirely honest on her taxes, […]
Grace Barella on October 14, 2008 9:50 am
A list of subcontractors on the [sports complex] job, obtained by the Voice, includes many with Palin ties. One was Spenard Builders Supply, the state’s leading supplier of wood, floor, roof, and other “pre-engineered components.” In addition to being a sponsor of Todd Palin’s snow-machine team that has earned tens of thousands for the Palin family, Spenard hired Sarah Palin to do a statewide television commercial in 2004. When the Palins began building a new family home off Lake Lucille in 2002—at the same time that Palin was running for lieutenant governor and in her final months as mayor—Spenard supplied the materials, according to Antoine Bricks, who works in its Wasilla office. Spenard actually filed a notice “of its right to assert a lien” on the deed for the Palin property after contracting for labor and materials for the site. Spenard’s name has popped up in the trial of Senator Stevens—it worked on the house that is at the center of the VECO scandal as well.
Todd Palin told Fox News that he built the two-story, 3,450-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bath, wood house himself, with the help of contractors he described as “buddies.” As mayor, Sarah Palin blocked an effort to require the filing of building permits in the wide-open city, and there is no public record of who the “buddies” were. The house was built very near the complex, on a site whose city purchase led to years of unsuccessful litigation and, now, $1.3 million in additional costs, with a law firm that’s also donated to Palin collecting costly fees from the city.
Dorwin and Joanne Smith, the principals of complex subcontractor DJ Excavation & Development, have donated $7,100 to Palin and her allied candidate Charlie Fannon (Joanne is a Palin appointee on the state Board of Nursing). Sheldon Ewing, who owns another complex subcontractor, Weld Air, has donated $1,300, and PN&D, an engineering firm on the complex, has contributed $699.
Ewing was one of the few sports-complex contractors, aside from Spenard, willing to address the question of whether he worked on the house as well, but he had little to say: “I doubt that it occurred, but if it did indirectly, how would I know anyhow?” The odd timing of Palin’s house construction—it was completed two months before she left City Hall and while she and Todd Palin were campaigning statewide for the first time—raises questions, especially considering its synergy with the complex.
What an unusual situation. Giant construction contracts are being awarded to campaign contributors at the same time that “buddies” who just happen to be contractors are “helping” Todd build their two-story house. At the same time Sarah ensures there will be no public record of building permits. WTF? How is this different from the Stevens situation?
We need to know:
Who Built Sarah Palin’s House?
Janice England on October 14, 2008 11:44 am
How close is the Old Knik Landfill to Lake Lucille, often called “The Dead Lake”?
Susan on October 14, 2008 12:53 pm
Yet another brick in the never-ending road of Sarah Palin lies and miscalculations. Did they really think no one was going to look into their past dealings, let alone the current abuse scandal? Did Rick Davis really not know what he was unearthing when choosing Sarah Palin for the national spotlight? I pray this can all go away in three weeks when Obama becomes President. Regardless of what the Republican campaign shouts, he has been very open about Bill Ayers and ACORN and the Rev, Wright, and anything else they have tried to smear him with (remember questioning his birth certificate?)
Compared to Palin and her stand that she is “grateful” the investigation showed her innocent, the report does not say that at all! I guess when she couldn’t tell Katie Couric what she reads, she really meant that she doesn’t. Sad for the US, sadder for Alaska, who will have to take her back soon.
Who built Palin’s house? Why no permits?
Janice England on October 14, 2008 1:12 pm
Do the Palin’s live across the lake from a toxic waste dump?
Leon Teague on October 14, 2008 2:27 pm
I though they were just plain hard working people? How can they build a $552,100 home on a lake and on $140,000 a year raising five kids and on top of that have other property besides that. Does this add up?
Ellis Paulk on October 15, 2008 7:34 am
Where did the money to build this house come from.
Sarah your statement that your husband and his buddies built the house on week-ends is impossible. What about their other properties? Where did the money come from?
Very fishy. Why don’t you expain this to the American public rather than questioning Senator Obama’s background.
After you and McPain lose the election, Sarah I “betcha” (wink) your political career in Alaska is over.
Elizabeth on October 15, 2008 8:55 am
Do they really think that all citizens are so dumb to believe all the lies, such as how this house got built, that the report says she did nothing wrong? Are they this dumb or are the citizens of the US that gullible!?!
Janice England on October 15, 2008 12:28 pm
Is there a toxic waste dump on Lake Lucille, sometimes called the “dead” lake?
Karen on October 17, 2008 9:35 pm
It’s not a dump. It’s a shopping Center that has a tremendous amount of runoff into the lake. Sarah baby (wink wink) brought it in during a flurry of junk strip building she actively recruited during her tenure as Governor. Lots of box stores and such. The construction runoff ruined the lake. Nothing grows in it any more.
Karen on October 17, 2008 9:35 pm
Sorry…during her tenure as MAYOR
Janice England on October 20, 2008 12:38 pm
Karen, thank you for responding to my question. Where is the shopping center located? It may be one of the many shopping centers that were developed on top of closed dumps.
I was referring to the Old Knik Landfill on the south side of Lake Lucille. The closed dump is beneath Smith Ball Fields, Iditarod Headquarters and possibly Lake Lucille Park. Most closed dumps contain carcinogenic chemicals and highly explosive, highly flammable gases. Is the Wasilla community concerned about children playing on top of the Old Knik Landfill?
Sarah Palin is proud to be a redneck « White Noise Insanity on October 23, 2008 4:33 am
[…] what a redneck is? Does wearing a $150,000 wardrobe mean one is a redneck? And how about all the real estate holdings Sarah & Todd Palin have, plus their airplane, and the stays at the Ritz Carleton? Huh? Is this being a […]
Bollo on October 28, 2008 4:38 pm
Sarah Palin is a complete moron, it’s unbeleivable that they thought picking her was a good idea.
The only hope for her is that fruit fly research finds a way to implant a fly brain into a human body - this could increase her IQ several fold.
WOW on October 30, 2008 1:50 pm
I am sorely disappointed. I came on here with real estate in mind. Instead, I find several preachers huddled together to share the same political soapbox (I’m amazed there’s room for all of you teetering on the same one!). Folks, surely there is another forum more suited to your political opinions and juvenile attacks? This is a site for real estate and home values. If you wish to frame a question or comment please bear that in mind while composing your post.
Realtor Debbie Kendrick on October 30, 2008 7:42 pm
The math of a Big Home & Five children don’t add up with Palin Income. Perhaps that how we got in this recession. McCain Math must be the same. All for them and who’s paying?? McCain & Palin will have to lower their standards if goverment money is no longer available to them to spend on themselves.
palmeranian on October 30, 2008 10:16 pm
I work in Wasilla. I enjoy it here after touring the US from coast to coast I decided this was a much better area to live. It is cleaner, quieter, and the people are nicer than most places in the US.
Janice England on October 31, 2008 1:04 am
The Old Knik Landfill is beneath Smith Ballfields and Iditarod Headquarters on the south side of Lake Lucille. Chemicals from the closed dump have contaminated the groundwater. Wasilla Sports Complex property west of the lake was previously owned by Dow Chemical Company. Lake Lucille is sometimes referred to as a dead lake. It seems very possible that the Palin home is surrounded by toxic waste sites.
palmeranian on October 31, 2008 10:12 am
Whoever called Lake Lucille a dead lake hasn’t fished there. It is excellent fishing.
I do agree that there is some pollution from runoff surrounding the lake and also from the homes surrounding the lake. Most of the homes and the businesses around Lake Lucille were there before Sarah Palin was mayor.
I thought her home was on Wasilla Lake until everyone pointed out her new home during this election cycle.
The fact that Dow Chemical at one time owned some property west of Lake Lucille means nothing…they did absolutely nothing with that property.
Janice England on October 31, 2008 11:36 am
Palmeranian,
Mat-Su Valley Borough assembly member Michelle Church said, “Lake Lucille is basically a dead lake, it can’t support a fish population.” The Alaska Department of Conservation has had Lake Lucille on the “impaired” list since 1994. The lake may be continually restocked, but I wouldn’t eat any fish caught in it.
How do you know that Dow Chemical “did absolutely nothing” with the land that later became the sports complex?
Do you think it’s safe for children to play sports on the Old Knik Landfill, now Smith Ballfields?
palmeranian on October 31, 2008 3:52 pm
I know that Dow did nothing because I drove by that piece of land every day. They did a transfer with the Nature Conservancy I think it was and that was who the city of Wasilla dealt with in their messed up real estate deal.
When Dow owned the land it just sat there dormant.
I would not call Lake Lucille a dead lake, but I would agree that it has more pollution than most lakes in Alaska. I am no scientist but neither is Michelle Church…she is a politician, so take it with a grain of salt.
For your info…here is a link to water quality in a well near Lake Lucille http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/2005/wdr-ak-05-1/regions/southcentral/wq/2005.qw613441149293301.pdf It does show some pollution and is more accurate than getting info from a politician.
martin botbnick on October 31, 2008 7:52 pm
Well, men do have “buddies” that do pitch in when and where required. I worked in construction for many years. Would you believe that when one of the trades and workers wanted to build or needed help - his “buddies, the trades with whom he worked, would be there for a 24/7 week end to help get something fixed or built. That’s the way life with the real working men exists. Check it out with any one of the help that you might employ to fix your electrical stuff or repair a drain.
palmeranian on October 31, 2008 8:13 pm
Martin is right. It is common for people in Alaska to build their own homes. Sometimes they do it entirely by themselves, but more often they employ the help of friends who work for pizza and beer.
Someone like Todd Palin who lives in the working mans world would have friends in almost every aspect of construction. If you can’t do it yourself you can get the advice of someone you know, if you still can’t do it they will just come over and do it for you.
Cheryl Hanron on November 1, 2008 9:59 pm
Diane,
I noticed you did not post the street addresses of Oboma or Biden’s homes, but, you did post it for Sahra and Todd’s. What’s up with that?
I thought Zillow was about Real Estate. Zillow should not be tolerating this kind of negative blogging. Can Zillow be held liable if something happens to their home? What about Zillow’s insurance company? Would they approve of this irresponsible report? I think not. Very unprofessional.
miguelobrien on November 2, 2008 2:25 pm
I have been looking everywhere for info on the Palin house and finally found it here. Finally googled and got this result. Been trying to get ADN to run a report on the contractor connections between the sports complex, knowing in my gut that there were some.
And, boy howdy, was my gut right. This is way bigger than the Stevens scandal. Please, please, please get this info out TODAY to Huffington Post, at least. It will link to many other important sites. Get it to Anchorage Daily News and get a return receipt so that they know that the rest of us know they have the info.
I have found the ADN to be a legitimate news organization, but they must be sitting on this story. My guess is that it is just too big. It will blow a very big hole in the McCain campaign.
Thank God for Sarah Palin, who, as I write, is spewing her shrill attack shriek some more. She should just shut up and go home and enjoy it before she goes to the slammer.
For the people whining that this site is just about real estate, this is about real estate. And the truth belongs everywhere, anyway. Just wonder why we can’t find it in the national news.
Janice England on November 2, 2008 2:39 pm
I think the biggest unreported story is the dumpsite under the playing fields near “soccer mom” Palin’s home.
palmeranian on November 2, 2008 11:43 pm
She’s a “hockey mom”, they don’t play soccer on those fields…:-)
I have played on those fields. Grass seems to grow nicely.
Janice England on November 3, 2008 1:26 am
Grass grows on toxic waste sites
BJSoxx on November 3, 2008 12:31 pm
Very easy to build and own a $552,100 home on a lake and on $140,000 a year raising five kids. It is called a good work ethic and budgeting - skills a VP needs, lacking in all the other 3 candidates. Oh I forgot most writing here support the guy with the illegal aunt living in social housing milking the system - betcha she went and had more kids from various fathers to get more money. And yeah, I so believe that guy didn’t know she was milking the taxpayer - she made it into the trash book of his in several places.
Cheryl Hanron on November 3, 2008 1:08 pm
Excellent point made by BJSoxx!
Marcus on November 9, 2008 2:12 pm
I make $60,000 a year, have 4 kids and built my own home for $80,000 (appraised for $320,000).
If you want a real sweet deal get Obama’s real estate buddy Tony Rezko. He got Obama a STEAL of a deal on his million dollar mansion. Oh, that’s right,Rezko is in jail now.
Memo Exploits Palin ‘Joe Sixpack’ Comment | Christopher Howell on November 11, 2008 10:46 pm
[…] could seem like a naked ploy to insult your intelligence. She lives in a half-million dollar house on a lake, and has glommed up $25,000 in gifts since becoming governor 19 months […]
kim smith on November 16, 2008 4:18 pm
I don’t know gov. Sarah Palin at all only what i have seen on the news programs during the elections. She is not a close friend of mine. All i know is that i viewed her as a very moral person, as far a human being with faults can be. All i know is that you put her up next to all the other congress, senators, and soon to be presidents, and i would say that compared to them she would be less corrupt. How in the world can anyone compare clothing, uneducated views of our world with rubbing shoulders with terrorist,having muslims roots? How in the world do you compare living in a huge house to living in a smaller house?How do you compare having friends like warren Buffet and Oprah with having friends with less than billionaires. I guess the next four years will tell the whole story, about where this country is headed. it’s scary to think that as bad as this country is that it could be worst off, but i guess that it is a possibility. A COUNTRY IS ONLY AS GOOD AS IT’S LEADER.If it’s leader has terrorist friends and has billionaires as friends, I guess those are the type of people that will be running this country.It’s scary to think that country’s like Iran and other muslim country’s could be telling us what religion, and how women are to be slaves to their males companions.That women will have to wear the headdress that the Iran’s and Iraq women wear.As a christian woman, i enjoy our freedom of being able to choose where i go, who i talk to,If i want a education or not, what religion i’m, unlike the muslim women.We live in a free world now, but in four years there is no telling what will happen to these united states of american. The enocomy might not be the biggest problem that we have to deal with.It might be the judgement of all-might God, that has had enough of our ways and turning our back on him.I guess the world has spoken, and the results are soon to come. I just want one thing and that is God’s mercy because we are going to need it.
Freesia Realtor Mike Stewart on November 16, 2008 9:06 pm
Sarah Palin is a fool.
Look where having a fool as President for the last 8 years got the US and the rest of the world…
Thank god for Obama!
Cheryl Hanron on November 16, 2008 11:41 pm
Mike Stewart Sir, you are a fool. You have been dooped into beliving the bashing. Have you ever heard of Sol Alisnky? Read his book. It is a plan to sew the seeds & rub raw discontent. The left demos did it to Bush, Palin, McCain and anybody else they don’t like. It is also called demonizing. It has been very affective up until now. When you read the above blogs there is no mistaking the evil that is being woven.
Rational, reasonable, intelligent people are aware of what is going on and don’t buy into it. They see it for what it is.
Let us pretend this book did not exist and everyone was behind President Bush, as they were before the professional bashers began their vicious tirades. I imagine things would look alot different today. We would not be in this economic mess. We would have taken care of business and been done with it. Can you imagine? Probably not. You are thanking God for someone to take over our Country who has had no experience other than teaching “community organizing, Alinsky style”, running for office and political speech. God save us all
Leon Teague on November 17, 2008 10:57 am
I thank if she was my Governor She should be held accountable for her travel, Family travel,and building a home in a few months with free labor? and besides I though the First Dude was a fiherman, and oilfield hand,where do the construction buddy’s come in??????
All Spin Zone » Eulogies for Ted Stevens, Who Isn’t Asking for a Pardon? on November 19, 2008 1:50 am
[…] then decided not to report them. The real question is whether folks are going to investigate the building of the Palin home, now that the building of the Stevens home got him into trouble. Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 | […]
Patsy Blake on November 21, 2008 6:57 am
I agree with the above, Kim Smith, in God have mercy on our souls. Everything our forefathers fought for will be gone- a year from now you will not regonize the country you live in. Our freedoms will disappear one by one, but always under the title of “for our own good” and most of the sheep will buy into it. They already have. I know this is a real estate site, I have been an investor, builder, land owner for 25 years and I don’t begrudge anyone that can amass money or accumalate property - we live in America and we have the right - but for how long????
Klyphton on November 23, 2008 3:32 pm
I realize that we all have different ideological views. Given that, I think this is a terrible invasion of Gov. Palin’s privacy. Is it absolutely necessary to publish her home address? Would you post your own street address here?
Love her or hate her, lets not cross the boundries of human decency. You should be ashamed.
http://www.teamsarah.org
Bill Morgan on November 24, 2008 9:40 pm
I’ll make you a deal. We will tell you who helped build the house when Barrack Obama brings forth a real birth certificate showing he is a true American Citizen. Until then, buzz off.
Katie Sue on December 2, 2008 11:31 am
Sarah Palin is great! Democrats are soooooooo afraid of her. Dems and media are still trashing her today. Tolerance is not their middle name-Jealousy is!