The scuttlebutt started late last week, and by Monday, the national media had signed on: Taylor Swift, the rumor mill has it, is buying a home on Marchant Avenue, near the heart of the Kennedy compound.
There's just one problem: No one with direct knowledge of the deal is confirming the sale to the country-pop music star on the record.
What's known is that the property listing for the home at 27 Marchant Ave., directly across the street from Ethel Kennedy's house, is no longer on listing agency Robert Paul Properties' website, nor on Realtor.com.
As of the close of business Monday, a new deed for the property had not been filed with the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds, according to the registry's website.
Robert Kinlin, the seller's agent, did not return phone calls Friday or Monday seeking comment.
Some in the local real estate industry have been abuzz with the rumors since the first accounts hit the airwaves and the Internet.
Anytime a celebrity is looking at a home on the Cape, it's good for the area, showing it in a positive light, said Matthew Weider, principal of Century 21 Shoreland.
"It's better than great white sharks," Weider said.
He said he had heard the rumors but was not involved in the possible sale.
But not everyone has been caught up in the buzz.
"I think the Cape -- maybe New England -- is a little less star-struck that way," said Deb Schilling of Re/Max Classic.
Adding to the intrigue: Swift is reportedly dating 18-year-old Conor Kennedy, grandson of Robert and Ethel, and has been spotted this summer around Hyannis, including at the compound.
The property on Marchant Avenue has seven bedrooms and five full bathrooms plus a half-bath, is 4,440 square feet and is set on 1.11 acres along Nantucket Sound.
It was named to Bloomberg Businessweek's "Most Expensive Summer Homes 2010" list when it was on the market for $13.5 million. At the time the listing was taken off the websites, the listing price had been reduced to $4.9 million.
The property has been owned by one family since 1958, according to deeds on file at the registry.
Cape talk radio station WXTK first reported the rumor Friday, attributing its report to unnamed sources. On Monday, People magazine reported on its website that it had confirmed the sale through "a realtor in Hyannis." It did not name the Realtor.
Other websites and news outlets, including the Boston Herald, reported the rumor without verification. Many of the accounts linked to others online that also categorized the report as a rumor.
