The former Obama residence in Chicago, IL
CHICAGO, IL - President Obama's Chicago homecoming on Wednesday was less welcoming than he expected, as Obama was shocked to learn his Hyde Park residence had been foreclosed upon some time last year. Obama was in Chicago for a series of fundraisers and decided to visit his old home, only to discover the locks had been changed and a new family had moved in.
Since his inauguration, President Obama had neglected to make a single payment on the home he'd shared with his wife and two daughters, while the house itself fell into grave disrepair.
"The place started to become a real eyesore," said Kevin Deckman, who owns a home on the opposite side of the street from the former Obama residence. "The lawn was nothing but weeds, and there were a bunch of stray cats that would come and go through an open window, I think. It was a real health hazard. I had to tell my kids to stay away from the Obama house so they wouldn't catch rabies."
Since his inauguration, President Obama had neglected to make a single payment on the home he'd shared with his wife and two daughters, while the house itself fell into grave disrepair.
"The place started to become a real eyesore," said Kevin Deckman, who owns a home on the opposite side of the street from the former Obama residence. "The lawn was nothing but weeds, and there were a bunch of stray cats that would come and go through an open window, I think. It was a real health hazard. I had to tell my kids to stay away from the Obama house so they wouldn't catch rabies."
Ironically, Obama had joked before heading to his old house that the untended structure was "bringing down property values" in the neighborhood, which turned out to be true. Sheila Kravitz, a retired schoolteacher, tried to sell her home on Obama's block last year but couldn't, as any prospective buyer was uninterested in living next to the decaying structure.
"They had a TV on in that house that was on 24 hours a day for months," said Kravitz. "The volume was way up and it was on one of the Spanish stations. Why would they be watching a Spanish station in the first place? And then to leave it on full blast? It's just so inconsiderate."
Daniel Broyles, a spinal surgeon at the University of Chicago Medical Center, purchased the former Obama home at a foreclosure auction last May and was headed to his kitchen Wednesday night when he caught the president trying to jimmy open the side door with a credit card. "He came through the door, and we both had this moment where we were looking at each other like, 'What are you doing?'" When Broyles explained to Obama the circumstances by which he came to own the house, the president apologized and left.
In Washington the next morning, Obama downplayed the foreclosure as a minor inconvenience. "Whatever. It's cool," said Obama. "It's not like the girls and I don't have anyplace else to go. So I was too busy creating jobs and killing Osama bin Laden to remember to mail a check. Whoops."
Obama added, "If anything, I think this shows other Americans undergoing foreclosure that it doesn't matter if they're irresponsible or bad with money, because so is their president."
"They had a TV on in that house that was on 24 hours a day for months," said Kravitz. "The volume was way up and it was on one of the Spanish stations. Why would they be watching a Spanish station in the first place? And then to leave it on full blast? It's just so inconsiderate."
Daniel Broyles, a spinal surgeon at the University of Chicago Medical Center, purchased the former Obama home at a foreclosure auction last May and was headed to his kitchen Wednesday night when he caught the president trying to jimmy open the side door with a credit card. "He came through the door, and we both had this moment where we were looking at each other like, 'What are you doing?'" When Broyles explained to Obama the circumstances by which he came to own the house, the president apologized and left.
In Washington the next morning, Obama downplayed the foreclosure as a minor inconvenience. "Whatever. It's cool," said Obama. "It's not like the girls and I don't have anyplace else to go. So I was too busy creating jobs and killing Osama bin Laden to remember to mail a check. Whoops."
Obama added, "If anything, I think this shows other Americans undergoing foreclosure that it doesn't matter if they're irresponsible or bad with money, because so is their president."
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