Not many can pretend to know what it’s like in Eminem’s head Ö but a Michigan man has moved into the rap superstar’s old house. What’s it like? Well Ö
“We’ve had it for five weeks, and we’re still cleaning,” Darren Martens tells the Detroit News of his new Sterling Heights home. In addition, Martens, who bought the home last month for $475,000, is not keen on the rapper’s sense of design. He’s ripped out the bright purple carpeting the rapper and his soon-to-be-ex-wife, Kim Mathers, put in, and he’s slowly working to add some consistency to the interior – two-thirds of the house has a contemporary design, and the rest is mid-1980s oak, according to the paper.
“You walk into the old foyer, and it doesn’t match,” Martens added.
It’s not as if the couple completely neglected their home – during their nearly two years of ownership, they renovated the roof, kitchen, and master bedroom – in addition to installing the purple carpeting.
Yet the 4,834-square-foot home’s price only bumped up $25,000 during their stay – not the $200,000 increase the couple were hoping for with their initial asking price.
The main reason the two were so anxious to leave (aside from their pending divorce) was the constant harassment from fans. The 2.78-acre property was a popular place for Slim Shady devotees who wanted to get a glimpse of the star – or a piece of his property. The “No Trespassing” signs were stolen. The mailbox was sawed off and stolen. And the Detroit News reports that two people dressed like workmen pried open several windows and unscrewed the outdoor lights so they could sneak back in the cover of darkness.
Eminem and Kim, who have a young daughter, Halie Jade, now own a home in a gated community in Clinton Township. In the divorce settlement agreed upon last week, Eminem will retain ownership of the secure home, and his wife received $475,000 in cash to purchase her own palace.
The pilgrimages to the old home, meanwhile, seem to have ended, Martens reports thankfully.
