‘Sopranos’ house price meme sparks critique of overheated market
nypost.comthe current crisis American homeowners are facing — brought on by skyrocketing house prices, rising mortgage rates, and fears of a recession — to a so-called simpler time in the 1990s, when Tony Soprano, hardworking New Jersey father of two, bought his dream home on a waste management consultant’s salary. “The Sopranos own this home on a single salary from a husband that only had a semester and a half of college.
This was considered normal in 1999 when the show began,” Twitter user @Gabagoolmarx tweeted in February. In recent days and in light of the current housing horrors, the tweet has found new life, sparking a series of social media posts.The Sopranos own this home on a single salary from a husband that only had a semester and a half of college.This was considered normal in 1999 when the show began pic.twitter.com/oYoESR7EgDThe real home at 14 Aspen Drive in North Caldwell, N.J., was built by Victor and Patti Recchia in the late 1980s; the couple famously put the 4 BR, 5,600-square-foot home on the market for $3.4 million, back in 2019.
The 1.5 acre property is currently not for sale. At the time when James Gandolfini’s Soprano — who enjoyed off the books income from nefarious criminal enterprises — was first house hunting in the late 90s, the 1.5 acre property, nestled at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac and featuring a duck-friendly pool, the listing would have been valued at around $2,215,620 in 2022 money.
These days, waste management consultants make around $120,000, according to Glassdoor. Adjusting for that pesky inflation, this would have meant Tony was making a meager $67,400, all off the books — not exactly catnip to lenders.
Read more on nypost.com