After handing the reins of his powerful Open Society Foundations to his son, George Soros has quietly transferred parts of his real estate empire to one of his most trusted advisers, according to records seen by The Post.
According to records, the 94-year-old former banker and philanthropist, worth $25 billion, transferred seven properties to Judy Blum from Soros Fund Management over the past year.
Soros has amassed an impressive portfolio of at least 11 homes and properties in Katonah, an affluent suburb of New York City in Westchester County.
However, locals claim that Soros is “like a ghost” as he has never been seen in or around the city.
“He never participates in the community and never visits the local restaurants. He has cooks who send him food. He is now wheelchair bound,” a resident told The Post.
Another added: “He’s not really part of the community despite living here for so long.”
Soros first bought a Katonah property in 1993, according to records obtained by The Post.
Soros’ $10 million full-time primary home is a restored 19th-century farmhouse with nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms and 10,000 square feet of living space, which he purchased in 1996 from the author of “Jurassic Park” Michael Crichton.
Since then he has continuously bought neighboring properties and plots of land around his main house.
As a map produced by The Post shows by 2024, Soros had built his properties with several parcels of land on Cantitoe Road, totaling more than 115 acres, and several other properties on Girdle Ridge Drive.
Blum has worked for Soros for more than 30 years, according to her Linkedin profile, and is also listed as one of the leaders of his charitable efforts.
Soros already transferred most of his philanthropic empire to his son, Alex Soros, 38, in June 2023, including control of the Open Society Foundations that Soros runs in many countries. These organizations fund radical leftists and campus agitators like the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) who were behind the college campus protests last year.
The transfer of Soros’ holdings to the area where he has lived, mostly in seclusion, since the 1990s is the most significant sign yet that he is winding down his interests and sorting out his assets and properties, which sources say is all too common. . for someone his age.
Property and estate law attorney Arash Sadat of MSD Solicitors told The Post: “It’s not uncommon to place all assets in the care of a financial manager, especially for elderly people.
“Delegating control of the estate’s assets to a third party allows the property owner to ensure that the assets are properly managed.
“Placing assets into someone else’s care may be part of the owner’s pre-existing end-of-life plans or may be a decision that is made recently.”
Another real estate attorney, Paul Koenigsberg of Koenigsberg & Associates, agreed.
He added: “As a person gets older, it’s better to have a fresher mind and take care of their finances for them.
“It may also be a signal that the individual is preparing for the eventual transfer of his assets to his designated heirs upon his death.”
Representatives for Soros declined a request for comment. In addition to his properties in upstate New York, the billionaire also owns a home in The Hamptons and his business interests also own numerous properties in Europe.
In Katonah, Soros’ name is also linked to the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, though how much of a part he has in that remains a mystery.
Soros’ main property boasts botanical garden-like landscaping, a tree-lined avenue, a nine-stall stable, fenced paddock and even a caretaker’s cottage. Yet for all its grandeur, it is a place of isolation.
Few can see it—and when guests do, privacy concerns are paramount, according to local chatter.
“Whenever he throws a big party, he shuts down the Wi-Fi so no one can get it [or send] the photos [through the internet]”, several sources recalled to The Post.
Soros was last photographed in June and August in photos apparently taken at his home and uploaded to social media by Alex – the most public and outspoken of his five children. The younger Soros, 38, is engaged to former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, 48, whose first husband is Anthony Weiner.
Some say Soros became more private after an explosive device was found in his Katonah mailbox in 2018 by an employee. According to the New York Times, which first reported the story, bomb squad technicians were able to “proactively” detonate the device and it did not explode on its own.
The town and neighboring Bedford are filled with other celebrities. Blake Lively and Ralph Lauren are also known to frequent the area, mingling with locals at places like the Blue Dolphin Diner, a community staple since 1987.
With a population of about 1,900, Katonah is not a town that craves attention. The city’s blend of privacy, natural beauty and proximity to New York City make it a unique retreat for the elite.
“Even Ralph Lauren, who has a house here and has several properties, doesn’t have a store here. It’s getting back to basics with sophistication. It’s family time. It’s natural timing,” says Melissa Marcogliese, a local real estate agent with Compass.
This privacy extends to everyone, including Soros. “People here are not interested in celebrities,” she adds.
“Anyone who lives here, whether it’s an author, an entertainer or a well-known financier, can have a normal experience. Their children can have a normal experience in public or private schools.”
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