Living Large
Photo by Bob Gothard Photography
On the Market
President Obama’s Martha’s Vineyard rental (owned by Republican timber-and-corrugated-box king William Van Devender) is on the block for $23.7 million. That means the first family will have to make that age-old choice: Do we rent elsewhere or start looking to buy? The 28.5-acre gentleman’s farm in Chilmark includes two homes totaling nearly 9,000 square feet, an outdoor pool, and a 150-year-old eight-stall barn. It lacks the glitz you’d expect for a $50,000-per-week rental, but maybe that’s the point: At this price, it’s easy to find a shiny home with a mega chef’s kitchen, but folksy cabinetry, a cozy fireplace, and a hammock with a view are as rare as an actual vacation day when you’re prez.
Address: 41 Cobbs Hill Rd., Chilmark, Listing price: $23.7 million, Listing agent: Tom and Peyton Wallace, Wallace & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty, 508-627-3313, wallacemv.com, Stats: 13 bedrooms, 12 full bathrooms, three half bathrooms, and a three-car garage
Told You So
In February 2010, we ran a luxury condo smackdown pitting 45 Province, the Clarendon, and the W against one another. Our forecast was that, over time, the Clarendon would smoke the competition. Behold: the W developers’ bankruptcy soon after. Meanwhile, 74 Clarendon units have sold as of press time — outpacing competitors’ sales by at least 35 percentage points.
Gene Therapy
Satisfy the narcissist on your Christmas list with a “DNA Ancestry Portrait.” The folks from DNA11 will trace your roots back to the Stone Age and create a Web page dedicated exclusively to your relatives’ mating habits. The actual portrait is a framed two-dimensional QR code; scan it with your smartphone and go directly to the digital family tree.
Starting at $440, dna11.com.