It's official: the Obamas are Washington homeowners

WASHINGTON (June 2): Former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle initially decided to stay in Washington once he left the White House so their daughter Sasha could finish high school. 

Now, their presence in the US capital looks more permanent.

The couple paid US$8.1 million (RM34.75 million) to buy the mansion in Washington's swank Kalorama neighbourhood that they have been renting since January, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

The eight-bedroom, nine-and-a-half-bath home is in the same neighbourhood as the home of President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner.

Other Kalorama residents include Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post.

"Given that President and Mrs Obama will be in Washington for at least another two and a half years, it made sense for them to buy a home rather than continuing to rent property," Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis told the paper.

The posh neighbourhood has a long history as home to government ministers, Supreme Court justices, Treasury secretaries, and other powerful figures in government and business.

Other past presidents who have lived in the neighbourhood located about two miles (three kilometers) from the White House include Woodrow Wilson and William Howard Taft.

Franklin D Roosevelt lived there before becoming president.

The Obamas have travelled a fair bit since leaving 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, vacationing in French Polynesia and Italy.

Obama and his wife have signed a contract with Penguin Random House to publish their memoirs, reportedly worth more than US$60 million.