Clintons refocus D.C. House Hunt
By SHANNON McCAFFREY
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Clinton and his wife, Sen.-elect Hillary Rodham Clinton, have refocused their Washington house hunt on a six-bedroom, brick Colonial near the tony Embassy Row
area listed at $3.5 million, White House sources said late Thursday.
A contract had not been signed, but the sources said the Clintons could do so as early as Friday. The couple already owns a home in suburban Westchester County, N.Y.
Mrs. Clinton is in search of a place to live after beginning her Senate term next month.
The home sits on the end of a secluded, dead-end street near the vice president's official residence on the grounds of the Naval Observatory. Its bright red door was adorned with a Christmas wreath
Thursday night, ``no trespassing'' signs dotted the small, front lawn, and a police officer sat out front in a patrol car. The Brazilian, Danish and Italian embassies are nearby.
The home has 7 1/2 baths, a fireplace, a pool and garage, according to a real estate listing.
The Clintons recently have toured homes in several of Washington's upscale neighborhoods. They came close during the Christmas weekend to a deal on one property, but couldn't agree with the owner
on a price.
``Hillary's got to have some place to live, but we haven't closed a deal yet,'' the president said at a news conference Thursday. ``She needs an address, and I'd like to have some place to come see her.''
Last year, the Clintons bought a five-bedroom home in Chappaqua, N.Y., for $1.7 million, allowing the first lady to set up residency in the state and launch what became a successful bid to replace
retiring Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
The white Dutch Colonial has two fireplaces, a swimming pool and an exercise room. President Clinton is expected to commute from the home to office space in Manhattan once he leaves office next
month.
The Clintons have lived in public housing for 20 of the past 22 years - 12 years when Clinton was governor of Arkansas and the past eight as president.
Clinton will earn $157,000 as an ex-president. Mrs. Clinton will earn $145,000 a year as a senator. She will be sworn in Jan. 3.
Two weeks ago, the first lady agreed to accept an $8 million advance from Simon & Schuster for her memoir - among the highest ever for a nonfiction book.