Is Sarah Palin High-Tailing it for the Lower 48?

BUYERS: Sarah and Todd Palin
LOCATION: Scottsdale, AZ
PRICE: $1,695,000
SIZE: 7,971 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Buckle your safety belts, butter beans, because the 2012 Republican presidential race is on. Misters Trump, Daniels and Huckabee are out out out and Newtie G., Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Ricky Santorum are in in in. There are several others with a dark horse is the race–i.e. Ron Paul and Herman Cain–but what all the righty-tighties and social conservatives really want to know is if the Tea Party's de-facto Queen of Hearts Sarah Palin will soon throw her snow shoes into the political circus ring.

Given that it would be a logistical nightmare to run a presidential campaign from the great but remote state of Alaska, its been widely rumored for quite some time that the former governor–who famously quit her term half-way through in order to twitter like a demon and appear on her own reality program–might want a home base in the Lower 48 from where she can headquarter her as yet undeclared run for the presidency.

Last weekend a clue emerged in regards Miz Palin's potential presidential intentions; She and the Mister (allegedly) purchased dee-luxe desert digs in the far northern reaches of Scottsdale, AZ. We're not sure what exactly the Palin clan's interest in Arizona is–besides it being about 100 degrees warmer than Alaska in the winter–but around the 2010 Christmas holidays Missus and Mister Palin's eldest daughter–teen mother turned new-jawed abstinence advocate Bristol Palin–laid down $172,000 for a 3,929 square foot house in Maricopa, AZ, just south of Phoenix.

Property records show the 7,971 square foot Scottsdale mansion in question was acquired for $1,695,000 in cold hard cash through a Delaware-based entity called "Safari Investments." Missus Palin's people have yet to confirm that the newly-completed crib in Scottsdale was purchased by Missus and Mister Palin but circumstantial evidence mounts and reports of the couple's alleged purchase pile up.

The Phoenix, AZ attorney whose names appear on documents related to the property declined to comment but as it turns out Safari is the name of the Petersville, AK lake where Missus and Mister Palin own a couple of vacation cabins for which some reports indicate they've failed to pay adequate property taxes. A black mini-van with blacked out windows and Alaska plates was recently videotaped leaving and returning to the property and the driver also declined to comment and rather nicely asked the reporter(s) to vamoose.

Listing information for the walled and gated estate in an upscale enclave half-way between Scottsdale and Carefree shows it contains 5 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, a 6-car garage, a gas fireplace or two (or three) and an elevator shaft.

The vast and voluminous open plan main living area has double-height ceilings, stone floors, built-in entertainment center, carved stone fireplace jammed up into the corner, dining area with buffet niche and staircase and balcony with wrought iron railings. Just off the great room an oddly-shaped and window-wrapped gourmet kitchen has a sizable center island, high-grade appliances including double under-counter ovens, hickory-colored raised panel cabinetry and black granite counter tops.

Extensive additional living and entertainment areas located in the full basement include a wine cellar, home theater with tiered seating platforms and an all-but-windowless family room with built-in wet bar.

Four of the bedrooms are located on the main floor and each has a private facility. The sprawling master suite on the second level features an acre of wall-to-wall beige carpeting, a carved stone fireplace, a gigantic walk-in closet for all of Mister Palin's flannel shirts and Missus Palin's perfectly-tailored power suits and a trellis-covered terrace with outdoor fireplace. The large voyeur-friendly pooper features a jetted tub for two separated from a multi-headed walk-in shower by a large window that makes it convenient for anyone in the shower to watch anyone in the bathtub and vice-versa.

The flat saguaro-dotted backyard has a number of loggias, unnaturally green grass patches and terraces that surround the rectangular swimming pool and nearby spa. An open-air cabana with fireplace provides a shady respite from the sizzling and scorching desert sun.

Your Mama wonders if Senator John McCain and his wife Cindy will bring out the Arizona welcome wagon for Missus and Mister Palin or if they'll leave that job to some of the state's other conservative honchos like Governor Jan Brewer and/or Maricopa County's tough-talking sheriff Joe Arpaio.

listing photos: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage via Hot Pads