Joe Biden’s House Endures the Media Swarm
By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | August 25, 2008
Joe Biden’s House
1209 Barley Mill Rd, Wilmington, Del. 19807
See more Greenville, Delaware real estate
Barack Obama’s intent to unveil Joe Biden as his VP choice via text message was scooped by the MSM (ooh, take that, bloggers!) as the media descended on Biden’s house last Friday and chronicled his every move — from walking his mother to her carriage house at 11 p.m. to TV stations shining spotlights down his Wilmington, Delaware driveway at 5 a.m. early Saturday morning, his nomination day.
As I researched Joe Biden’s house, I realized he found his house like a lot of us find our homes: by driving around neighborhoods where we want to live. According to Noam Scheiber of The New Republic:
Joe found it one night, a couple of years after he became a Senator. He was driving around, like he did back then. He was snooping around Greenville, streets of his dreams, when he saw it, all overgrown, boarded up. Some developer was going to knock it down because the four and a half acres were worth more than the house.
Yes, Joe is just like us: He drives around neighborhoods, looking for deals and opportunities.
Since Biden has not claimed his home on Zillow and updated his home facts, his Zestimate is way off at $1,329,000. We show a mere 1,803 sq ft for his home while the county records show two parcels for a combined square footage of 8,750 sq ft. I was able create my own Zestimate according to what I know about his home, coming in at $2,856,950, which is probably much closer to its actual value.
For some more information about Biden’s home, check out this post by Chickaboomer, who documents the history of Biden’s “compound.”
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DC Links | Redfin Washington, DC Sweet Digs on August 25, 2008 5:51 pm
[...] When it comes to house hunting, Joe Biden is just like us! [ZillowBlog.com] [...]
Mortgage Samson on August 25, 2008 7:42 pm
He’s just an average Joe.
Average Joe VP.
Rich on August 26, 2008 11:24 am
Excellent post, Diane. Constructive criticism — can you load up a new photo. In your thumnail you look like you have a white beard on half your face and I saw you today and I know you no longer have that beard
Diane Tuman on August 26, 2008 12:08 pm
I’m in the witness protection program.
Barack Obama’s Chicago House | Zillow® Blog on September 17, 2008 9:09 am
[...] See Joe Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware house [...]
Palin’s Home Guarded by Coast Guard | Zillow® Blog on September 24, 2008 9:23 pm
[...] That’s First Dude Todd’s floatplane pulled up on the shore, the Palin house in the background and an unlikely scene on serene Lake Lucille: a 25-foot Defender class patrol boat owned by the United States Coast Guard. But wait — doesn’t Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden have a lake (or some body of water) behind his house? [...]
Mama Moroni on October 2, 2008 8:00 pm
Is Joe Biden paying taxes on the 1800 sq ft or the 8700 sq ft house…now there’s a question!
MarcomMom on October 3, 2008 8:26 am
Am I the only one that thinks it’s a bad and potentially dangerous idea to have pictures and exact street addresses of presidential and vice-presidential candidates’ homes on the internet for all to see?
Diane Tuman on October 3, 2008 9:08 am
MarcoMom: We do not expose the addresses of anyone’s home unless it is already publicly available online.
kris on October 3, 2008 12:57 pm
I think Mr. biden has a lovely home. I believe most political figures are normal people out of the lime light. We found our home in the same fashion as the V.P candidate. As a matter of fact, we met our real estate agent while walking the neighborhood. Turns out she lives two blocks away from us and is a great neighbor!
rnargi on October 3, 2008 8:07 pm
Wow….I guess people in his neighborhood REALLY DO ‘get it’….
The Palins are far more charitable than Joe Biden | BlogWonks Free WordPress Blog Hosting on October 4, 2008 7:13 am
[...] a terrible showing for Biden. For a guy that lives in a 3 million dollar home, you’d think the guy could be a little more generous than $3690 over 8 years. The Democrats [...]
Gene on October 17, 2008 6:31 am
Joe Biden recently said of “Joe The Plumber” quote “I don’t know any plumbers in my neighborhood making $250,000.00 a year”. GEE REALLY? Know I can see why. Joe The Plumber would have to own Roto- Rooter to live in this neighborhood. Biden wants everyone to believe he is the “guy next door”. Well his next door neighbor is probably a half mile away. How despicable!
Gene on October 17, 2008 6:32 am
I know people who made less than $60,000.00 last year that donated more than $3,000.00 to charity. Gee these democrats are so charitable…with our money!
Bunnie on October 17, 2008 5:58 pm
Having lived in Delaware for 30 years, I am very familiar with the neighborhood where Biden lives. This is the normal kind of home for northern Delaware….the kind of home that middle class people have worked themselves up to by hard work.
Joe originally came from Scranton, PA….He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth and did not marry Money like McCain did. Joe was born into a middle class, hard working family, and he certianly IS very familiar with the middle class. At one time he lived in Claymont, DE in a lower middle class row home Why would anyone be down on a person who has worked hard all his life to advance himself through hard work. He DOES NOT have a second home in D.C. or its suburbs like many senators and government officials have. NO…he commutes between D.C. and Wilmington on Amtrack every day! He prefers to go home to his house which he designed himself and be with his family.
Mama Moroni on October 19, 2008 4:53 pm
So nice…does he pay taxes on the 1800 sq ft or the larger size??? Anybody know? Oh maybe we should ask Barney Frank….he’ll know
RaytheRetiredGuy on October 24, 2008 6:41 am
Does anyone know/have evidence of where Joe obtained his mortgages, and what interest rates were paid compared to the prevailing rates. E.g., it is a fact that slime-ball Dodd had “special VIP” rates given to him.
Linda Roche on October 24, 2008 12:00 pm
Wow, Joe you did pretty well for being a Senator. I did not know they made such a big salary. We know Mc Cain married a very wealthy woman—-from what I have read you married a teacher. As a tax payer I would like to know your secret on how you managed to buy this property???????? Did you have the same help with it as Chris Dodd did?
sharon on October 28, 2008 6:16 am
Petty…so petty!
RaytheRetiredGuy on October 28, 2008 6:53 am
Gee, what a statement about the masses and our dear government. Ethical behavior is now petty. Please don’t run for office Sharon.
RaytheRetiredGuy on October 29, 2008 8:57 pm
Joe’s house funded with a series of interesting loans, then there’s his running mate …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PboVTn_Lv4
And the Winner Is… Sarah Palin! | Zillow® Blog on November 4, 2008 9:31 am
[...] we ran blog posts on the homes of the presidential and vice presidential nominees, starting with Joe Biden’s home, then John McCain’s homes, then Sarah Palin and finally, Barack Obama. If page views are an [...]
NB Stewart on December 11, 2008 5:28 pm
Joe Biden has a beautiful home. Appropriate in that it belongs to a beautiful person. If some of the posters on this thread had bothered to learn VP-elect Biden’s extensive personal and political background and accomplishments, and donations of time and checkbook that are not documented on tax forms, there would not be one cheap or nasty comment. I love and respect Joe Biden…We’re a fortunate nation to have him.
Delaware Nurse on December 14, 2008 5:49 am
Someone made the comment that Joe Biden’s closest neighbor is probably 1/2 a mile away. Not quite. He can walk to his nearest neighbor in about 20 seconds. On either side of his house. I’ve driven by his house many times and it’s a lovely neighborhood, with real live neighbors. I saw Biden putting his trash out one day, years ago, which is when I found out that he lived where he does. Joe Biden is a great guy, with a fantastic wife, who taught English to some of the nurses I work with. They said that she is a great teacher, very committed to her students. America is very lucky to have the Biden’s as their Vice-Presidential family.
100% Mortgage on August 14, 2009 10:10 am
Funny how things get shown differently sometimes to what they actually are.
travel on August 30, 2009 10:38 pm
I don’t know much about this kind of issue, but yeah it’s a really nice house