Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, bought a five-bedroom, 6.5-bath at 29005 N. 82nd St. in Scottsdale from Ian Whitmore for $1.695 million on May 13.

Whitmore paid $803,650 for the property in March 2010. The 7,972-square-foot home in North Scottsdale was built in 2001.

Ms. Palin is a former governor of Alaska, She became a household name in 2008, when the Republican party selected her as Senator John McCain's vice-presidential running mate in the presidential election. Although she lost the said election, her steady rise in popularity has fueled speculation that she will run for either the Republican presidential nomination or the Senate election in 2012. Prior to serving as governor, she served two terms on the Wasilla City Council and two terms as the mayor of Wasilla. She is a past chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and the National Governors Association Natural Resources Committee. Earlier in her career, she worked as a sportscaster for KTUU-TV and KTVA-TV in Anchorage, and as a sports reporter for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

She graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. degree in communications and journalism.

Mr. Palin is a commercial fisherman. He is a four-time champion of the Tesoro Iron Dog, an off-road snowmobile race across Alaska. He previously served as an oil-field production operator at the oil company BP before retiring in 2009.

Whitmore is a real estate investor and an agent at Platinum First Realty in Phoenix.

According to BlockShopper.com, there have been 2,720 home sales in Scottsdale during the past 12 months, with a median sales price of $273,500.

Address: 29005 North 82nd Street
Buyer(s): Safari Investments, LLC
Seller(s): Ian Whitmore
Sale date: May. 13, 2011