 |
 |
 |
| LACI & CONNER "When thoughts of her cross your minds, be still in silence and feel her presence through the love of God or he will unite them together one day again." Michele Robertson ~ Sacramento ~ Guestbook |
| The Modesto home in which Scott Peterson likely killed his pregnant wife, Laci, is for sale. Prudential California listed the three-bedroom, two-bath "cottage-bungalow" at 523 Covena Ave. for $379,996. Police found no physical evidence of Laci Peterson's murder at the home, though prosecutors repeatedly said her husband killed her there. In December, jurors sentenced the fertilizer salesman to death. Realtor Mary Prieto said a strict screening process will keep people obsessed with the high-profile case from touring the 1,770-square- foot home, built in 1949. Prospective buyers began calling Tuesday, she said, even though she didn't put a for-sale sign in the yard. Before seeing the home, people must fill out a lengthy preapproval application, submit to an interview with Prieto and sign a confidentiality agreement, for example, they cannot take pictures or video, she said. "I don't think any looky-loo is going to want to go through that process," Prieto said. Peterson's rights to the property evaporated with his conviction. His parents, however, might have a legal interest because he used the house as collateral for a loan they gave him to help fund his defense. Lee and Jackie Peterson agreed to the sale, said Adam Stewart, a Modesto attorney representing Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha. Stewart said the parties haven't agreed on how to divide proceeds of a sale. Though state law requires sellers to disclose crimes that occurred on listed properties, authorities were unable to prove where Peterson murdered his pregnant wife and unborn son. Prieto said attorneys prepared a disclosure on the Peterson house, and it does not identify the home as the crime scene. A detailed description on her company's Web site doesn't either. Prudential California did not inflate or deflate the asking price of $379,996 because of the home's notoriety, Prieto said, but based it solely on comparisons of nearby sales. The asking price works out to $214 per square foot. For example, a house with the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms a block away sold in September for $355,000, according to RealQuest.com. Property records show Scott and Laci Peterson bought the home in October 2000 for $177,000. He did some remodeling and had a wimming pool installed in the back yard, according to trial testimony. In April 2003, shortly after Scott Peterson was arrested, Modesto real estate agent Patrick Wallace estimated the home's value at about $275,000. Property values across the region have since soared. Whether Laci Peterson was murdered at home may remain a mystery forever. But what happened there since has been scrutinized by millions intrigued with the disappearance of the pretty substitute teacher. Well-wishers turned the front yard into a shrine for the victims soon after the bodies of mother and son were recovered in April 2003 on the shore of San Francisco Bay near where Peterson said he had gone fishing. People again flocked to the home after jurors declared Peterson guilty in November, leaving a mass of flowers, candles and stuffed animals. |
| Peterson home hits market: $379,996 May 12, 2005 - Full Story |
 |
|
| ALBUM VIEW INSIDE OF HOUSE |
| Home probably will sell quickly
Well-publicized slayings of O.J. Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson in Los Angeles and of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey in Colorado cut into the appraised value of their homes, Laguna Beach appraiser Randall Bell told The Bee in April 2003. But Prieto said Tuesday she senses the Peterson home will move quickly, based on initial interest. A neighbor broke into the home before Peterson's arrest, while he was out of town. The burglar drank alcohol and left with items including underwear, a videocamera with footage of Laci and her wedding dress. Members of Laci's family removed several truckloads of items from the home in May 2003. Lee Peterson equated that with burglary of his son's home. Lee and Jackie Peterson stayed in the home several times before their son and his trial were moved to Redwood City. Lee Peterson once emerged carrying a shotgun and said they didn't feel safe in Modesto. "The home has been the subject of a lot of disagreements over the last 2½ years now," Stewart said. "This should put some of those issues aside." Next-door neighbor Karen Servas, who found the Peterson's dog with its leash still attached wandering alone in the street the day Laci was reported missing, said she is "ready for new neighbors." "I trust the process that Sharon and Ron are going through," Servas said. "Looking back at Laci and her life, maybe it's time for a new family to move in who can honor her. I'm looking forward to that." |
| **LINK TO PRUDENTIAL LISTING 523 Covena Ave Modesto, CA, 95354 MLS#: 50036691 Price: $379,996 |
|
| **UPDATE Peterson house a quick sale |