Clay Aiken of “American Idol” has listed his North Carolina home for $980,000
People would have laughed at you if you had told them a decade ago that they could live in Clay Aiken’s home. The internet has made it easier than ever to learn just about anything you want. So with all this content and information available, how did you know which ones to learn from and which ones actually work?
Luckily for you, TTP Member, for today’s blog we will be talking about the $980,000 that Clay Aiken listed. Did you know that it is his home in North Carolina? Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live like an American Idol contestant? Now is your chance, then. Literally! Live like an American Idol star in Clay Aiken’s former residence! Do you like that?
According to Fox 8, the American Idol star has listed his Raleigh, North Carolina home for sale. What could possibly be better? The home costs less than $700,000! According to Fox 8, the listed price for the Raleigh home is $980,000. Aiken acquired the 4,277-square-foot home for $655,000 in 2018. It has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.
Since his appearance on American Idol’s second season in 2003, the native of Raleigh has released numerous albums. Fox 8 reports that his debut album went platinum and sold over 5 million copies.
One of our mentors identifies the residence as a charming brick home constructed in 1994. The ranch-style home on a single level features a two-car garage and multiple decks for your enjoyment.
Aiken rose to national prominence in 2003 after winning the second season of “American Idol,” a reality singing competition. Despite placing second to Ruben Studdard on the fifth season of “The Celebrity Apprentice,” he has remained active in the entertainment industry with a stint on Broadway and a second-place finish on the show. He has since transitioned into politics. He has twice run for political office and hosts a political podcast. In 2014, he ran for the 2nd Congressional District of North Carolina but lost to Republican Renee Ellmers.
The campaign was documented in “The Runner-Up” television series. Recently, Aiken ran to replace retiring Congressman David Price in North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District. He finished third in the Democratic primary, losing to North Carolina Senator Valerie Foushee. On Bartwood Drive in the Hunter Hill neighborhood of Raleigh, the one-story single-family home is listed as a private residence. There are cathedral ceilings, a fireplace, and an indoor grill among the interior features. Popular real estate websites Zillow and Realtor.com host the listing. Zillow has estimated that the home is worth approximately $1.1 million.
In 2018, the Raleigh native paid $655 000 for the property. The charming brick home is 4,277 square feet in size and has three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. The “rare” North Raleigh retreat features a living room with a fireplace and glass doors that open to the outdoors. In addition, there is a light and airy dining area adjacent to the kitchen. The 1994-built single-story ranch features a two-car garage and multiple decks.
In addition, the home features a game room, an enclosed porch, and a room above the garage. The main suite includes a sitting area and a set of glass doors leading to the exterior. The 1.24-acre property features a fenced yard, expert landscaping, a swimming pool with water features, a sun deck, and a basketball court.
The house also has a fully accessible bathroom, level flooring, and a laundry room on the main floor. The residence has a total of nine rooms, including two master bedrooms, a great room, an enclosed porch, and a room above the garage. There are three full bathrooms, each with a whirlpool tub, a walk-in shower, and tubs with ceramic bath walls. The kitchen has a breakfast area adjacent to the dining room.
One of our mentors reported that the home’s exterior features a fenced-in yard and private fence, a storage shed, and a detached workshop. In addition, there is a deck, outdoor gas grill, and patio. Aiken attended Leesville Road High School, one of the local high schools. Baileywick Elementary School and West Millbrook are two additional nearby schools.
Aiken, a political activist and two-time candidate, sold a mansion in nearby Durham for $1.59 million in 2014. According to Dirt, it was a loss for Aiken, who purchased the 9,392-square-foot mansion in 2006 for $2,361,000.
In 2003, following his second-place finish on the second season of “American Idol,” the fan favorite released the multi platinum album “Measure of a Man.” He released multiple albums and sold over 5 million copies. In 2012, he placed second on the fifth season of “Celebrity Apprentice,” losing to Arsenio Hall.
Aiken co-founded the National Inclusion Project and was appointed a UNICEF ambassador in 2003. In 2014, he ran unsuccessfully for Congress. Aiken entered the Democratic primary for the 4th congressional district of North Carolina in January 2022, but finished in third place.
Clay Aiken, a special education teacher-turned-platinum-selling pop balladeer-turned-activist-and-political-hopeful, has put his home in the leafy northern suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, up for sale for just under $1 million.
The “American Idol” alum, who finished second in the second season of the still-airing talent competition in 2003 and is now 43 years old, is seeking a 50 percent profit on the transitional traditional ranch home he purchased for $655,000 four years ago.
The mostly single-story home on nearly 1.25 acres has three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and a spacious bonus room above the two-car attached garage. The nearly 4,300-square-foot home’s nine rooms are illuminated by arched windows, French doors lead to multiple decks and patios, and dark brown wood floors cover the majority of the space.
The living room is large enough to comfortably accommodate a lounge area and a white lacquer pool table, and the great-kitchen room is open to a spacious dining area and family room with a vaulted ceiling, fireplace, and Easter-like lavender walls.
The guest bedrooms have private bathrooms, and the primary suite has a sitting area with multiple sets of French doors leading to the backyard. The spacious retreat also features a walk-in closet and a travertine-tiled bathroom with a column-accented garden tub, a separate shower, and a wall-mounted telephone in the commode so that guests never miss an important call.
During North Carolina’s hot, muggy, and insect-ridden summers, the screened porch’s view of the professionally landscaped backyard and dark-bottom swimming pool is a wonderful amenity. There are also expansive concrete patios for outdoor gatherings, including a 50-by-65-foot pad with a basketball hoop, as well as verdant lawns that roll up to the edge of the dense woodlands that surround the property and obscure neighboring homes.
The property is listed with Second Story Realty’s Cameron Saemann.
Aiken has not released a record since 2012, but in his heyday, years after “American Idol,” he released six albums, was named People magazine’s “Favorite American Idol” in 2006, made his Broadway debut with the runaway hit “Spamalot,” and won four Billboard Music Awards. He had a child with music producer Jayme Foster in 2008 and is an advocate for UNICEF, autism awareness, and LGBTQIA+ issues.
The News & Observer reported on Monday that Clay Aiken is seeking a seat in Congress to represent North Carolina. This will be Aiken’s second attempt to attain political office; he previously ran for U.S. president.
In 2014, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives won the Democratic primary but lost the general election. However, North Carolinians likely recognize Aiken’s name for a variety of reasons. Aiken attended Leesville Road High School prior to enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Aiken graduated from UNC-Charlotte in December 2003, but his studies were interrupted by his time on the second season of “American Idol,” where he placed second and launched a singing career that resulted in the multi platinum certification of his debut album.
After “Idol,” Aiken went on to become a best-selling author, Broadway performer, and activist for multiple causes, including children with disabilities through his co-founded National Inclusion Project. Since “Idol,” he has made additional television appearances, including 2012’s “The Celebrity Apprentice.”
What else about Aiken should you know? Here are some additional details about him.
CLAY AIKEN ON ‘AMERICAN IDOL’
In 2003, Aiken first gained widespread recognition when he appeared on the second season of the singing competition show “American Idol.”
Aiken, who was studying special education at UNC-Charlotte at the time, auditioned by singing “Always and Forever” by Heatwave to Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, who remarked that Aiken did not “look like a pop star” but had “a great voice.” Aiken sang his way through each week of the competition, ultimately finishing in second place, behind winner Ruben Studdard, in the finale.
“Idol” host Ryan Seacrest announced three different numbers for the total number of votes separating Studdard and Aiken during the finale episode, before FOX confirmed the number — 130,000 votes — afterward.
Aiken’s second-place finish did not hinder his success. “Measure of a Man,” his debut album, was certified multi-platinum. Since then, he has released six albums and embarked on numerous tours, but he told The News & Observer in 2020 that he had “no strong desire” to record again. Since their time on “Idol,” Aiken and Studdard have remained friends, and in 2018, they performed together on Broadway in “Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Christmas Show.”
AIKEN AFTER ‘IDOL’: BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND BROADWAY
In November 2004, following “Idol,” Aiken co-wrote and published his memoir, “Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life,” which debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list.
In the book, Aiken discusses “what it takes for him to remain true to himself and to recall the lessons he learned while growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina.”
Early in 2008, Aiken portrayed Sir Robin in “Monty Python’s Spamalot” on Broadway for approximately four months. Later that year, beginning in September and lasting until January 2009, he resumed the role.
In September 2008, Aiken revealed his sexual orientation in an interview with People magazine.
AIKEN ON ‘CELEBRITY APPRENTICE’
In 2012, Aiken appeared on the fifth season of “The Celebrity Apprentice,” the reality competition television show hosted by the then-real estate mogul and future U.S. president Donald Trump.
In the original format of the show, which was canceled in 2017, contestants competed in business-related skills, tasks, and challenges while vying for employment.
In the celebrity version of the show, contestants competed for charitable donations. Trump “fired” contestants who did not perform well and were eliminated during boardroom scenes on the show.
During his time on the show, Aiken competed to raise funds for the National Inclusion Project, an organization he co-founded in 2003 to promote the inclusion of disabled children in activities with their typically developing peers.
Aiken finished the competition in second place, after Arsenio Hall. Later, in 2017, Aiken revealed to The N&O that producers fed Trump the decision to fire contestants via a teleprompter disguised as a phone on his desk. Aiken stated to The N&O in the same 2017 interview that he believed Trump ran the country similarly.
AIKEN’S FIRST RUN FOR CONGRESS AND DOCUMENTARY
Aiken will not be seeking congressional office for the first time with his bid for North Carolina’s 6th congressional district. In 2014, he ran for the state’s 2nd district, which encompassed several predominantly rural counties south of the Triangle and west of the Triangle.
Aiken, a Democrat, faced two opponents in the party’s primary, including Keith Crisco, who had served as the state’s commerce secretary under former governor Bev Perdue. Initially, the Democratic race was too close to call in the week following the primary, with Aiken leading Crisco by less than 400 votes.
On May 12, 2014, Crisco died unexpectedly at home after a fall, and Aiken was declared the winner of the primary.
Aiken lost the general election to Republican Renee Ellmers, but Ellmers received less than 60 percent of the vote. In 2015, the four-part documentary series “The Runner-Up” documented Aiken’s campaign for the seat.
AIKEN NOW: PODCAST AND MORE
Since his last run for Congress, Aiken has begun hosting the Politicon podcast “How the Heck Are We Gonna Get Along?” The podcast, which began in March 2020, features Aiken as the moderator and rotating guests discussing politics and current events.
In a 2020 interview with The N&O, Aiken stated, “We do our best not to choose guests who are inflexible and refuse to hear the other side.” The objective is to have a conversation in which participants listen to one another. Aiken discussed his political views, Confederate monuments, Donald Trump, and more in a 2020 interview with The N&O.
Here are some fun facts about Clay Aiken:
- He changed his surname from Grissom to Aiken, his mother’s maiden name.
- Was a major in special education at UNC-Charlotte
- Worked for the Raleigh, North Carolina YMCA.
- Following the suggestion of American Idol’s producers, Clayton was shortened to Clay (2002).
- Prior to American Idol, she recorded two CDs titled “Redefined” and “Look What Love Has Done.” These CDs have been discontinued.
- His single sold over 393,000 copies in its first week of release, the most since Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind.”
- This Is The Night was certified platinum in the United States and six times platinum in Canada.
- Created the Bubel/Aiken Foundation to integrate children with developmental disabilities into activities with typically developing children. The foundation was named after Mike Bubel, an autistic boy with whom he worked in North Carolina. Diane, Mike’s mother, convinced him to audition for American Idol.
- His debut album, Measure of a Man, achieved double platinum certification.
- Kimberly Locke, a former “American Idol” contestant, was his roommate in Los Angeles.
- Was born with a lung collapse.
- Kelly Clarkson’s closest competitor in terms of album sales and number-one singles.
- Received his first name (Clayton) from the maiden name of his grandmother. He asserts that this is a Southern Tradition.
- His debut album was certified triple platinum.
That’s it for this blog TTP Member, remember to subscribe to our channel and if you feel like we’ve delivered value please share this blog with ONE person. That’s right just one person as a token of your appreciation for the hard work we put into making content that educates and helps you on your mission of building your own fortune. Remember you can read blog after blog, but it isn’t until you actually take action that you’ll start to see results. See you soon!
