One of the largest houses in the United States is available for rent at no cost, but the landlords are highly selective about the occupant.
The historic six-level residence, surrounded by greenery towards the southern tip of Washington DC, encompasses 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces and even three lifts.
The gem of the place is undoubtedly the unique oval-shaped room that is ideally suited for use as a home office. Indeed, much of the residence is given over to office space, but at the same time the on-site family amenities include a swimming pool, a bowling alley and a tennis court.
And while the Washington house, at 5,100 square metres, possesses only about a third of the floor space of the largest residence in the US, the fit-for-a-king Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, it is only slightly smaller than Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California.
The house is let exclusively on four-year terms, although the current occupant, who is one of the finalists, is hoping to renew his lease for another four. If he is not successful, the move-in date for the new occupant is January 20. The landlords - a group affiliated with a campusless college - are to select a new tenant from among two final prospects for the free digs on Tuesday, following an arduous selection process.
The house has been continuously occupied since 1800, except for a three-year period following an unfortunate incident in which British soldiers burnt the place to a shell in 1814.
Perhaps as a result of its periodic reconstructions and additions, the residence's architectural style has been variously described as Palladian, neoclassical, Federal and Georgian.
Famous past residents have included Hillary Clinton and Millard Fillmore. Yet unlike many of the eastern seaboard's prominent historic sites, this one cannot honestly profess that "George Washington slept here".
Adding a dash of glamour, Hollywood legend has it that the residence's name - in Spanish, Casa blanca - inspired the title of the renowned Bogart-and-Bergman movie of the same name.