Known as "Ballyshear," the estate at 25W447 Plamondon Road in Wheaton was built for golf pioneer Charles Blair Macdonald.
Known as "Ballyshear," the estate at 25W447 Plamondon Road in Wheaton was built for golf pioneer Charles Blair Macdonald.
Illinois' highest-in-the-nation property taxes are eroding home equity and depressing home values across the state. This report is part of a Dupage Policy Journal series on recent home sales that demonstrate the consequences.
The home: 25W447 Plamondon Road in Wheaton
Built in 1897 for golf pioneer Charles Blair Macdonald, this 2-acre estate known as Ballyshear sits in the exclusive enclave adjacent to the Chicago Golf Club.
The property includes an in-ground pool and tennis courts, which can be converted to a hockey rink in the winter. Inside, the home includes five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, two kitchens and a home theater, spread out over 6,008 square feet.
The seller: Matthew and Jessica Krauser
Matthew is a group vice president for Micro Focus, a multinational software and information technology business; and Jessica is the development director for Second Chance Humane Society in Telluride, Colorado where the couple now live.
The purchase: The couple paid $1.65 million for the home in July 2007, or $2 million in today's dollars.
The sale: According to Zillow, the home sold for $1.33 million on Dec. 13, or $670,000 less than the original purchase price, in today's dollars.
The Krausers originally listed the home for $1.98 million in October 2015. By December 2017, the price had dropped to $1.7 million and the couple took it off the market. They relisted the home in May 2018 for $1.5 million.
The property taxes: The Krausers paid $355,446 in property taxes while owning the home, or 27 percent of the sale price.
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