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n Queens’ leafy Jamaica Estates, a Tudor‑style house that once housed a toddler Donald Trump is now on the market for $2.3 million. Built in 1940 by his father, developer Fred Trump, the five‑bedroom home was the family’s first residence in the neighborhood before they moved to a larger nearby property.
The house has a curious past. After years of neglect and a burst pipe that left the interior mold‑laden, it was sold in February for $835,000 to developer Tommy Lin. Lin gutted the interior to the studs, restoring it over an eight‑month renovation that cost roughly $500,000. “There was no water, no power,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “It was not livable.” The original brick and stucco façade survived, but nearly everything inside was rebuilt.
The property has changed hands several times. On the night of the 2016 election, Manhattan investor Michael Davis bought the home for $1.39 million just hours before the results were announced, betting that a Trump victory would lift its value. He sold it on Inauguration Day 2017 to a Chinese buyer for $2.14 million. Davis later leased the house back for $4,000 a month, briefly turning it into an Airbnb with Trump‑themed décor and memorabilia. The rental ran “almost indefinitely” until a U.N. General Assembly event drew attention to the refugee crisis and ended the arrangement. Davis said he expected to make $100,000, not millions, and still keeps a custom bobblehead of the house as a souvenir.
After the short‑term rental experiment ended, the house sat unused and deteriorated. By the time Lin acquired it, the basement was infested with mold from a burst pipe, the roof needed replacement, and stray cats had taken up residence. A frustrated neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Post that the abandoned house had become an eyesore and that the community had to step in to care for it.
Lin’s renovation brought the home to about 2,500 square feet above grade, plus nearly 1,000 square feet in the basement, spread over four levels. A sunroom off the kitchen overlooks the backyard, and an original wood stove remains in one corner. Modern touches include smart entry hardware and smart toilets. The finished home now spans roughly 3,400 square feet.
Jamaica Estates is one of Queens’ most established and expensive enclaves, with recent listings regularly breaking the $3 million mark. A six‑bedroom property in the neighborhood sold for about $4 million earlier this year, and homes under $1 million are increasingly rare, according to listing agent Jevon Gratineau of Brown Harris Stevens.
Lin says his purchase was not about politics; he is betting that the house’s presidential provenance and the neighborhood’s strong luxury market will attract buyers. The property’s history and ZIP code are expected to resonate with those looking for a prestigious address.
The Trump Organization has not responded to a request for comment.
