Political Leaders and the worth of their residences!
Our leaders – the Prime Ministers and Presidents – live in houses and mansions which are valued to high that a normal person can not even of – in fact these places are so expensive and extravagant which makes one wonders, if its worth to have such people in there? Given their talent and what they offer.. one wonders… except for a few.. the rest probably don’t deserve such accomodation!
India’s Accomodation:
Rashtrapati Bhawan: A building which took 17 years to construct (1912 to 1929) has 4 floors and has been built from 700 million bricks and 3 million cubic feet of stone. Steel is almost non-existent in the building. Occupant = 1 (with family)! Its worth? Well, it ranges from Rs 4000 crores ($1 billion) to Rs 16,000 crores ($4 billion). The President’s House of India has nine tennis courts, a polo ground, a 14-hole golf course and a cricket field. It is enconsed in spectacular surroundings: West – Mughal Gardens on 13 acres with canals, fountains and terraces; East – Jaipur column of red sandstone with a bronze lotus and glass star of India. Here it is on Google Satellite map. [1] [2]
7 Race Course Road: The Prime Minister’s house is worth $1300/square yard. Rajiv Gandhi became the first occupant and then PM VP Singh made it his permanent residence.
US Accomodation:
White House: It is official residence of the US President and is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, in Washington DC. It was built in 1792 with white-painted Acquia sandstone. It is built on 18 acres in downtown Washington DC and boasts of 55,000 square feet of indoor space, 132 total rooms, 35 bathrooms, 16 bedrooms, three kitchens.[3]
According one estimate it is probably worth $308 million. A 30 year Fixed Mortgage would require the occupant to have gross income of $53.3 million to be considered!
I tried to look for the price of 10, Downing Street – the British PM’s official house. Readers please do comment and share your thoughts on these residences!
Reference Links:
1. Rashtrapati Bhavan – Most expensive home in India
2. How much is PM’s residence worth?
3. What Is the White House Worth In the Market?