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MLB’s Matt Kemp’s California Home Goes to Auction — With a Charitable Twist

Concierge Auctions will build a home for a needy family in Nicaragua once the house sells

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Tony Firriolo / Getty Images
Tony Firriolo / Getty Images

When Major League Baseball player Matt Kemp sells his California mansion at auction next week, a needy family will be one step closer to getting a home of their own in Nicaragua thanks to a corporate initiative by the auctioneers, Concierge Auctions.

The sale of Mr. Kemp’s San Diego trophy home to the highest bidder on Thursday will kick off Concierge’s "Key for Key" campaign, through which the company pledges to build one low-income house for every property sold at auction this year.

More:Read More About Real Estate in California on Mansion Global

Before turning to Concierge, Mr. Kemp put his 15,884-square-foot mansion on the market last year for $11.5 million. He had spent the bulk of his baseball career playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers before a stint in San Diego with the Padres in 2015. He now plays for the Atlanta Braves.

Before his move to the Padres, the outfielder bought the five-bedroom mansion on the Maderas golf course for $9 million in 2013, according to property records. He reportedly put another $3 million into renovations, including making the floors look like poured concrete, installing a concessions stand in the home theater and adding a barber shop.

The property will go to auction without reserve on April 20.

Meanwhile, Concierge will fulfill its pledge to sponsor a home for a family in Nicaragua, with many more in the works. The company expects to build at least 100 homes through the initiative based on the projected number of auctions this year, said Laura Brady, president of Concierge Auctions.  

"It could actually be quite a bit more that," she said. They got the idea for a full campaign following a one-off collaboration with nonprofit organization Giveback Homes last year. Through Giveback, Concierge sponsored the construction of a single-story home in San Rafael del Sur, Nicaragua, in December for a family whose father had fallen ill and could no longer work, Ms. Brady said.

The cinderblock homes take about a week to construct.

Giveback Homes

Members of the Concierge Auctions team and Giveback Homes help construction a house in San Rafael del Sur.

Giveback Homes

"When we got there he was looking very weak," said Caroline Pinal, co-founder of Giveback Homes. "It was really motivating to get these walls up as quickly as possible so that we can really help the family."

Each rapid-build home, made from either pinewood or cinderblocks, can go up in a week or less, with the pinewood single-family homes built in two or three days, Ms. Pinal said.

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The small houses are a far cry from the villas and townhouses sold through Concierge. When complete, they measure 18 to 24 square meters with wood or concrete floors—a major step up from the leaking shanties the family occupied before.

"Dirt floors, everything stuck together with scraps of metal, they are all sharing one mattress, and when it rains everything gets wet because there are holes in the roof," Ms. Pinal said. Collaboration with Concierge will help the program expand to Tipitapa, a municipality near the Nicaraguan capital of Managua.