The governor sold his house in Salt Lake City's Federal Heights neighborhood this month to a neighbor, Robert Steiner.

When he first took office, Utah's governor moved his family of eight - and two dogs - into the Governor's Mansion on South Temple.

At the time, Huntsman planned to keep his Federal Heights home to provide his teenagers with a place to let loose - avoiding the embarrassments of previous governors whose children got a bit rambunctious in the official state residence.

But after five months in office, the need for a second house apparently faded. Huntsman's two eldest daughters went away to college this fall. His teenage son found another place for his band to practice. And so, the 73-year-old, red-brick colonial at 1470 E. Military Way sat vacant.

In June, when the first kids signed off on the idea, the governor and first lady Mary Kaye put their home on the market for $3 million. In September, Steiner made an offer. And last week, the deal was closed. The sales price is undisclosed.

The governor now jokes about being homeless. "For at least the next three years, he's going to be living at the governor's mansion," said Tammy Kikuchi, the governor's spokeswoman.

Both former Govs. Mike Leavitt and Olene Walker kept their private homes after taking the helm of the state. Walker lived in the mansion during her one year in office. Leavitt and his young family lived in the state residence until 1993, when a Christmas tree caught fire and gutted the historic home. The mansion reopened three years later, but the Leavitts opted to stay in their east-bench Salt Lake City home.

Huntsman bought his private home in September 2002, when he returned to Utah from a stint as assistant U.S. trade ambassador. The four-bedroom, six-bathroom house is situated on a half-acre, wooded lot. It features plantation shutters, four fireplaces, a master suite with an attached exercise room and a heated garage.

"It's just a lovely home. It had nice spaces for entertaining, a really super outdoor living area with a patio and a pool," said Debra Sjoblom, a realtor with Chapman Richards and president of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors. Sjoblom said it's been several years since she was in the house, and it might have been remodeled since she toured.

"It showed beautifully, but probably was ripe for some updating," Sjoblom said.

Based on descriptions of the house on the Multiple Listing Service, the Huntsmans added a bathroom, laundry room and fireplace. Three years ago, Huntsman paid $1.7 million for the 7,300-square-foot residence. Salt Lake County Recorder's records show he had taken out two separate mortgages. The first, in September 2002, was for $2.7 million. The second, in October 2003, was for $900,000. All debts were cleared with the sale. Property taxes for the home total $17,000.

Chere Romney, the agent for both Steiner and Huntsman, did not return calls for comment.