Pope Leo's childhood home in a Chicago suburb was recently listed for sale for under $250,000 -- until Thursday, that is.
It appears the listing for the small home in Dolton, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago, was taken down just after the new pope was elected.
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WATCH HEREThe 750-square-foot home on East 141st Place had been put up for sale on May 5 for $245,957.
"Three levels of living space await you in this immaculately rehabbed single family home!!" the listing stated. "Situated on a quiet block, this affordable, brick, move-in ready retreat features 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, & almost everything new."
The seller's realtor, Steve Budzik, confirmed to NBC Chicago the home was taken off the market after news of the pope's election first broke.
He said he learned the home was the new pope's childhood home when he received a call from a reporter.
"At first I didn't really like believe it," Budzik said. "I didn't really believe because I didn't see the news."
But then, the calls came pouring in and he realized "this is real."
When he informed the seller of the news, the now-owner of the home was at a doctor's appointment for his pregnant wife.
"He was like 'This is great. This is better than winning a lotto ticket,'" Budzik said. "The excitement really just grew from there."
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SIGN UP Offers started coming in, with up to nine received shortly after, Budzik said, many of which were over list price.
The home was last purchased in May 2024 for $66,000.
"It's been pretty wild," Budzik said.
While the pope was born in Chicago, he spent his childhood, along with his two brothers, in the Dolton suburb.
"We all grew up in Dolton," his brother John Prevost told NBC Chicago. "I think it was just a normal childhood."
Pope Leo was born in 1955 on Chicago's South Side and grew up in suburban Dolton. He attended Mass and elementary school at St. Mary of the Assumption in Chicago's Riverdale neighborhood.
Prevost still lives in the area, in suburban New Lenox.
Budzik said the owners of the home hope to get in touch with Prevost to discuss the future of the home.
"At this time the seller is just not ready to make a decision if he wants to sell it," Budzik said. "He wants to kind of let the dust settle."
Current talks include the possibility of making the home a landmark, restoring it to the way it was when the pope lived in it or potentially re-listing it. Budzik said "he's evaluating all the options."
