Montclair, N.J. ‘Russian spy house’ in escrow after big price reduction | Armonk NY Homes
It’s no secret that the stigma around homes where notorious crimes were committed can dent their resale value.
But what if a home in the suburbs was merely lived in by a couple accused of being Russian spies?
Known to their neighbors as Richard and Cynthia Murphy, Vladimir and Lidiya Guryev were allegedly part of a network of “deep-cover operatives” who “established themselves in the U.S. and went about leading seemingly normal lives — getting married, buying homes, raising children and assimilating into American society.”
That’s how the U.S. Marshals Service described the couple who lived in the “Russian spy house,” a 1,830-square-foot four-bedroom home in Montclair, N.J. seized by the government and put on the market in April for $444,900.
The 10 members of the alleged spy ring were rounded up by the FBI in June 2010, after a decade-long investigation code-named “Ghost Stories,” and quickly deported in a spy swap.
According to Zillow.com, 31 Marquette Rd. last sold in 2008, for $481,000. Putting on its real estate agent hat, the Marshals Service attempted to not only capitalize on the home’s notoriety, but paint the 1950 colonial in the best possible light, pointing out the “recently-updated kitchen,” and a lot that “backs to open space.”
- See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/12/20/montclair-n-j-russian-spy-house-in-escrow-after-big-price-reduction/?utm_source=20131220&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinespm#sthash.gyLRqgt2.dpuf
But what if a home in the suburbs was merely lived in by a couple accused of being Russian spies?
Known to their neighbors as Richard and Cynthia Murphy, Vladimir and Lidiya Guryev were allegedly part of a network of “deep-cover operatives” who “established themselves in the U.S. and went about leading seemingly normal lives — getting married, buying homes, raising children and assimilating into American society.”
That’s how the U.S. Marshals Service described the couple who lived in the “Russian spy house,” a 1,830-square-foot four-bedroom home in Montclair, N.J. seized by the government and put on the market in April for $444,900.
The 10 members of the alleged spy ring were rounded up by the FBI in June 2010, after a decade-long investigation code-named “Ghost Stories,” and quickly deported in a spy swap.
According to Zillow.com, 31 Marquette Rd. last sold in 2008, for $481,000. Putting on its real estate agent hat, the Marshals Service attempted to not only capitalize on the home’s notoriety, but paint the 1950 colonial in the best possible light, pointing out the “recently-updated kitchen,” and a lot that “backs to open space.”
- See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/12/20/montclair-n-j-russian-spy-house-in-escrow-after-big-price-reduction/?utm_source=20131220&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailyheadlinespm#sthash.gyLRqgt2.dpuf
Comments