Tim Geithner Can't Sell His House, Either

After a price drop, the treasury secretary rents his house. He's not alone.

ByABC News
July 24, 2009, 5:34 PM

July 27, 2009— -- The country is finally starting to see some positive signs in the housing market. But don't tell that to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner or the countless other Americans who still can't sell their homes.

After leaving the tony New York City suburb of Mamaroneck to take his new post in Washington, D.C., Geithner put his five-bedroom Tudor home on the market for $1.635 million.

That was in February. By May, he cut the price $60,000 but still got no takers. A few weeks later, May 21, the home in New York's Westchester County was reportedly rented for $7,500 a month.

"Mr. Geithner's house is a textbook example of what is happening in the market here," said Leah Caro, president of Bronxville-Ley Real Estate and president of the Westchester Board of Realtors. "Many sellers are bringing their houses on [the market], finding that they don't have a buyer for it, making price adjustments in hope of luring a buyer into the marketplace. In the case of Mr. Geithner, he had to move. And renting was his best option."

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Many properties in the suburbs north of New York City are on the market both for rentals and sale, real estate agents there said.

"Sellers who are trying to sell their houses and may not be able to, have decided that getting some money every month is better than getting no money, particularly in the case of vacant homes or owners who are relocating," Caro said.

And while $7,500 a month might seem a lot to rent Geithner's 3,600-square-foot home that includes an eat-in kitchen with black granite countertops, it probably falls short of his monthly expenses for the house.