The Material Girl's childhood home went to the highest bidder in just 12 minutes. Sam Michael, representing an Ohio real estate group, bought Madonna's former Oakland County, Mich., home and a few items of rock memorabilia with a bid of $331,000 Saturday afternoon (Nov. 17).
"I had no idea this was going to happen," Michael told The Detroit News. "It was very exhilarating." Michael said he hopes to profit by reselling the 1.3-acre wooded property.
About 15 people walked through the four-bedroom house and 10 registered to bid by posting $25,000 deposits. The auction drew online participants from as far as Nevada and Florida -- some of whom wanted to turn the home into a shrine. Others, carrying cameras instead of checkbooks, simply came to see where Madonna spent her teen years. Posters, pictures, and an encyclopedia on Madonna were arranged on an outside table. Some of her hits played over a loudspeaker.
The singer lived at the residence with her father, stepmother, and seven siblings from the age of 12 until she left for the University of Michigan. Her father and stepmother stayed there until July, when the house was sold for $270,000.
Saturday marked the second try at selling the home after an Internet auction on the Web site eBay attracted pranksters who bid as high as $99 million.
Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
"I had no idea this was going to happen," Michael told The Detroit News. "It was very exhilarating." Michael said he hopes to profit by reselling the 1.3-acre wooded property.
About 15 people walked through the four-bedroom house and 10 registered to bid by posting $25,000 deposits. The auction drew online participants from as far as Nevada and Florida -- some of whom wanted to turn the home into a shrine. Others, carrying cameras instead of checkbooks, simply came to see where Madonna spent her teen years. Posters, pictures, and an encyclopedia on Madonna were arranged on an outside table. Some of her hits played over a loudspeaker.
The singer lived at the residence with her father, stepmother, and seven siblings from the age of 12 until she left for the University of Michigan. Her father and stepmother stayed there until July, when the house was sold for $270,000.
Saturday marked the second try at selling the home after an Internet auction on the Web site eBay attracted pranksters who bid as high as $99 million.
Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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