Earlier this week, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the estate that once belonged to Dan Snyder, the former owner of Washington’s NFL team, went back on the market—a bit surprisingly, for the same price, $34.9 million, that it had been unsuccessfully listed for last year.
Some backstory, for those who haven’t followed the saga of the Potomac mansion: Snyder and his wife first listed the five-bedroom French chateau-style house for $49 million in February 2023; the price dropped to $34.9 million in August, after Snyder sold the Commanders. When the property still didn’t sell, he donated it to the American Cancer Society. The nonprofit has now put the house back up for sale.
Cara Pearlman of Compass, the listing agent this go-round, says “the market is different from what it was in the third or fourth quarter [of last year]. I think it’s stronger than it was.”
That was part of the decision, she says, to list the property again for $34.9 million. Other factors? A recent appraisal, she says, valued the property at more than it’s listed for. Plus, “the American Cancer Society is obviously looking to maximize what they can from the sale of the property because the impact every dollar has is substantial,” she says. “Obtaining top dollar is most important to them versus the speed of the sale.”
What would a buyer get for almost $35 million? The 25,000-square-foot mansion, which sits on 13.5 acres along the Potomac River, includes a primary owner’s suite with two full bathrooms and “automated” dressing rooms with a built-in watch winder and a grooming station. Other features include an entry vestibule with a 24-foot limestone fireplace, a commercial-grade chef’s kitchen, a theater, a custom playroom, and a heated pool.
But now, the listing mentions one thing it did not before: “the proceeds from the sale will be donated directly to the research and work of The American Cancer Society.”
Says Pearlman: “You have the opportunity to purchase something that’s once in a lifetime, and you have the opportunity to have a massive impact on the American Cancer Society’s mission. If you think about it in that light, there’s so much good that can come of this. For the person who felt it was indulgent, that may help justify it.”
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.
