Here's proof of the need for title insurance. Or perhaps it's testimony to the long arm of our government? You decide.

A year ago, I wrote a story about the true market value of the White House and what it would fetch on the open market. At the time, HouseValues.com surveyed top agents across the nation to determine the value of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, calling it the "ultimate listing."

Despite some drawbacks, the consensus was the place was worth $106 million.

At the time, HouseValues President called the property "the ultimate listing." But he acknowledged that no one really owned the White House. The true owners, he said, are "the American people."

Wrong!

As it turns out, no one has title to the place, at least not according to Vancouver novelist David Jenneson.

While doing research for his new book, "Night of the Realtors," Jenneson discovered that Uncle Sam has no deed recording the property ownership for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Perhaps it never existed, the author says.

Jenneson's exhaustive inquiry revealed a valid transfer should have been signed and recorded in the early 1790s when George Washington ordered the purchase of the parcel from David Burnes, the farmer whom Washington personally referred to as "obstinate."

The author sent a written request to the National Archives, the repository for records of that time, for a copy of the deed. But after a thorough search, it could not find one.

"We examined the records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Grounds and the records of the government of the District of Columbia but did not locate a deed for the White House," the Archives said.

Jenneson says he contacted the White House twice for a response, but both time he got a "no comment." So armed with this surprising information and recognizing a grand opportunity to publicize his book the Canadian writer offered for sale on ebay.com, a popular auction website, what he claimed is "the only deed in known existence" for the property.

The winning bid, Jennseson said, would acquire title to what is perhaps the world's most famous property, plus a signed copy of his book, which just happens to be about a Canadian real estate broker who sells the White House.

Jenneson says the concept of selling the White House occurred to him years ago when he became fascinated with "the ridiculous amounts of money Presidential candidates spend to live there for just four years."

"Only after some historical inquiry did I realize the legal details made the scenario plausible!" he said with a chuckle. "It became a comedic scenario that I couldn't pass up."

Well, Jenneson followed up on his promise the other day, offering to sell what he vows is a legal quitclaim deed/covenant for the White House. And within a day, his listing for the deed to the White House attracted more than $15,000 in bids.

Among the bidders were a realty broker who said he wanted to own the deed "at any cost" and GoldenPalace.com, the online casino made famous by such eBay purchases as the Pope Mobile and, most recently, a cheese sandwich which held the image of the Virgin Mary.

The author says the D.C. Code is quite clear on the point of legal title to real estate. It says that "when two or more deeds to the same property are made to bona fide purchasers for value without notice, the deed or deeds which are first recorded according to the law shall be preferred."

Since Uncle Sam can't produce the original deed and has to request a new one, Jenneson says his deed should prevail because it was recorded earlier.

As you might imagine, media interest in the auction has been brisk. And in the midst of all the developing attention, Jenneson says he finally spoke on the phone with a Bush Administration official.

Shortly thereafter, his eBay auction listing was shut down at what the author is certain was the White House's insistence.

Jenneson found this rather curious. "eBay has listed all sorts of strange things, including a cheese sandwich with the Virgin Mary's image on it," he says. "I have a Quitclaim Deed to the White House that was bid up to $15,000 in the first day, and a solid commitment from publicity minded bidders like GoldenPalace.com to top that bid. These people are professional bidders on eBay and know exactly what they're getting."

Jenneson now promises to list the deed for the White House on another auction site. "The real solution to all this would be for the White House to produce the original deed," he said.

And as promised, the deed was put back up for auction at eBid.tv. And still no comment from the White House.

Published: August 31, 2005

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When Lew Sichelman first started writing about housing in 1969, he was the youngest real estate writer in the country. Now, 37 years later, he's one of the oldest -- and most decorated. He has been rated the top housing columnist in the country by the National Association of Realtors as well as by his peers in the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Indeed, NAREE has recognized his work on numerous occasions. One year - due to his advancing age, he can't recall which one - he earned top honors in the annual NAREE Journalism Contest in three out of the four major writing categories. It was the first time one writer has won so many NAREE awards in a single year. Known for his ability to make even the most difficult topics understandable, Sichelman also has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage Bankers Association. He began providing in-depth coverage of and consumer-oriented information about housing and housing finance at the Washington Daily News, where he was real estate editor. He held that same position for nine more years at the Washington Star, which purchased the News in 1972. The Star, a so-called "writer's newspaper" which also had the misfortune of being an evening paper, was put out of its misery in 1981, and Sichelman, who had begun self-syndicating his column in 1978, decided to become a full-time columnist. Today, his column, "The Housing Scene," is distributed by United Media to newspapers throughout the country. He also is on the staff of National Mortgage News, an independent newspaper which is considered the bible of the mortgage business. And he writes for numerous other publications, including MarketWatch.com, where he answers readers questions once a week, Sports Illustrated (don't ask), RealtyTimes.com, BigBuilder and others. Sichelman is married, the father of five and grandfather of eleven.