Now, we've all heard or read wild stories on the web about this or that, about things found on eBay and at garage sales. About lost art and lost treasure suddenly found. Well, there's this guy, an author, who seems to have found an awfully
large treasure. A
BIG, HUGE, AMAZING treasure. An American icon, behind only the Flag and Coca-cola as a recognizable symbol of America.
This author, David Jenneson, was working on a book called "Night of the Realtors" (ooohh! scary!). In the midst of his research in the National Archives, he discovered that there was
no valid deed on file for the White House. He double and triple checked then did what any smart cookie would do, he filed a claim on the property. The law said -
As to the legality of the offer, the Washington D.C. Code is quite clear on the point.
District of Columbia Code:
§ 42-406. First recorded deed preferred.
When 2 or more deeds of the same property are made to bona fide purchasers for value without notice, the deed or deeds which are first recorded according to law shall be preferred.
"That means when two deeds are presented for the same piece of property, the deed that was recorded and signed first or earliest will be accepted," Jenneson explained. "So if the US Government can't produce the original deed for the White House and has to do a new one, mine would have been recorded earlier and thus would be the one accepted."
so Mr. Jenneson was well withing his rights to offer the property for sale, which he did by posting it on eBay and caigslist.
But, like most things, it was too good to last. After a day of being posted, and the bidding rising to $15,000, Mr. Jennsen gets a phone call. From the White House. Soon after, the posting disappears. Mr. Jenneson found this strange, since he hadn't been told it was going to happen. He promises to try again on other auction sites.