Realtor: Just Another Little Piece of Property? Buy Janis Joplin’s Childhood Home

Friday, April 14, 2017

Just Another Little Piece of Property? Buy Janis Joplin’s Childhood Home

Evening Standard/Getty Images

Here’s your chance to own a piece of rock ‘n’ roll history—now offered at a whopping 60% off.

Last summer, the owners of Janis Joplin‘s childhood home in Port Arthur, TX, listed the property for $500,000. But with no buyers ready to rock out with a half-mil, the house went back on the market for $200,000.

It’s been said Joplin grew up in this four-bedroom, 1,450-square-foot house in the ’40s and ’50s. Don’t believe it? Well, there’s a plaque in the front yard declaring the home a historical landmark because of Joplin’s history there. Plus, the tourists who stop by to take photos can’t be wrong, right?

Janis Joplin’s childhood home

realtor.com

In addition, the concrete slab on the garage floor where Janis and her sister carved their names is still in existence. And the listing says that many of the original architectural features remain from the time of Joplin’s residency, including some doors and cabinetry.

Joplin scratched her name in the cement floor

Joplin scratched her name in the garage floor.

realtor.com

It appears that Joplin’s life there is its top selling point. The property might have value as a Janis Joplin museum, but Houston, the nearest big city, is over 90 miles away, and Port Arthur isn’t the most convenient location for a pilgrimage.

The tax assessment on the place has it valued at $52,500, and the government usually doesn’t take celebrity provenance into consideration. Plus, the median list price for homes in the city is a minuscule $60,000, so there’s still a celebrity premium on the home, even with the reduced price.

Perhaps the initial price was inspired by the December sale of Joplin’s kaleidoscopic-painted Porsche, which was auctioned off in New York City. The vehicle was expected to go for $400,000 to $600,000, but when the gavel finally fell, the bid had skyrocketed to $1.76 million.

Janis Joplin and what wold become her million dollar Porsche

Joplin and her pricey Porsche

Sotheby's

The soulful, gravelly voiced singer died of a drug overdose in 1970. She was 27 and left behind a legacy of classic hits, including “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Piece of My Heart,” and “Mercedes-Benz.”