Want your own MANSION for $1000? Move to Detroit! Bankrupt city auctions off …

Posted on by Listify Me
  • Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced auction website Building Detroit last month to help fill empty properties.
  • Site launched with 15 homes up for auction, but scheme has been expanded to include two more neighbourhoods
  • Five houses were bought in the auction’s first week, mostly for at least $30,000 after being listed for $1,000

By
James Rush


Published:

11:22 GMT, 14 May 2014


|
Updated:

13:41 GMT, 14 May 2014

Featuring seven bedrooms, five bathrooms and hardwood floors, this Tudor-style family home could be expected to cost a packet.

But the property in Detroit is in fact listed for just $1,000 as the city expands its online auction of homes in its efforts to combat the area’s blight.

Mayor Mike Duggan and the Detroit Land Bank Authority announced the auction website Building Detroit last month, which was designed to get homes into the hands of people who will quickly fix them.

This seven bedroom Tudor-style property in Detroit is listed at just $1,000 as the city expands its online auction of homes in its efforts to combat blight

This seven bedroom Tudor-style property in Detroit is listed at just $1,000 as the city expands its online auction of homes in its efforts to combat blight

Among those currently listed for auction on the site is a stunning six bedroom 1914 Georgian Revival property, complete with leaded glass, a tile fireplace, elegant wainscoting and original woodwork

Among those currently listed for auction on the site is a stunning six bedroom 1914 Georgian Revival property, complete with leaded glass, a tile fireplace, elegant wainscoting and original woodwork

This five bedroom brick home features five bathrooms and a three-car garage. The home needs new plumbing along with new front porch steps, electrics and kitchen

This five bedroom brick home features five bathrooms and a three-car garage. The home needs new plumbing along with new front porch steps, electrics and kitchen

The property also needs cosmetic upgrades to the floor and paint for the walls, according to the Building Detroit website

The property also needs cosmetic upgrades to the floor and paint for the walls, according to the Building Detroit website

The site launched with 15 homes up for auction – but the scheme has now been expanded to include two more neighbourhoods, featuring some impressive properties.

A total of 13 listings in Boston Edison, on Detroit’s west side, have been added to the website, along with 10 houses in the eastside Osborn area, according to WILX 10.

Five houses were bought in the auction’s first week, most commanding at least $30,000 after being listed for $1,000.

Among those currently listed for auction on the site is a 1929 East English Village brick home, which has three bedrooms.

Elsewhere, a stunning six bedroom 1914 Georgian Revival property is available, complete with leaded glass, a tile fireplace, elegant wainscoting and original woodwork.

As with many of the properties on the site, the home does require some repair work.

This brick colonial, which features six bedrooms and three bathrooms, sits on a generous lot and has several fireplaces

This brick colonial, which features six bedrooms and three bathrooms, sits on a generous lot and has several fireplaces

Upgrades to the property's electrical system, plumbing and interior waterproofing is recommended however

Upgrades to the property’s electrical system, plumbing and interior waterproofing is recommended however

This three-storey 1920 home features ornate woodwork and historic masonry - although the property does require a number of repairs and updates

This three-storey 1920 home features ornate woodwork and historic masonry – although the property does require a number of repairs and updates

This 1881 historical home, which has been coverted into a two-family property, needs some windows and a few doors, but offers four bedrooms and two bathrooms

This 1881 historical home, which has been coverted into a two-family property, needs some windows and a few doors, but offers four bedrooms and two bathrooms

Detroit has been working for years to deal with vacant and dangerous buildings, often by demolishing them.

Last month, Duggan announced a program for revitalizing neighborhoods by rebuilding and refurbishing homes.

Following the auction website’s launch last month, officials said owners of uninhabited and dilapidated homes will be put on notice that their homes will be seized through legal action unless they begin work to fix them.

Any homes that are salvageable will be auctioned.

‘This is a historic change in Detroit’s strategy in fighting blight,’ Duggan said in April.

This three bedroom brick colonial features a natural fireplace, formal dining room and garage - there are a number of areas however which need attention, including its roof and gutters

This three bedroom brick colonial features a natural fireplace, formal dining room and garage – there are a number of areas however which need attention, including its roof and gutters

Mayor Mike Duggan and the Detroit Land Bank Authority announced the auction website Building Detroit last month which was designed to get homes into the hands of people who will quickly fix them

Mayor Mike Duggan and the Detroit Land Bank Authority announced the auction website Building Detroit last month which was designed to get homes into the hands of people who will quickly fix them

‘We are getting away from this mindless process of demolishing everything that’s vacant. What’s different is we are attacking the entire neighborhood at once.’

The city was planning ‘an extensive marketing campaign’ to drum up interest in the auction.

Duggan’s program is modeled after a similar project he ran as the Wayne County prosecutor from 2001 to 2003, the Detroit News reported.

That initiative saw 1,000 homes fixed up.

 


Comments (161)

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The comments below have not been moderated.

Anticyn,

No Where Zen KY,

8 minutes ago

Sad that most commenters have never been to Detroit in the last five years (or ever). I just moved to downton Detroit and I love it. The demand for apartments is a feeding frenzy right now. That demand is pushing people to buy houses, which is strengthening the neighborhoods. It’s going to be a slow process, but Boston Edison is one of the nicer neighborhoods. The crime rate needs to improve but as more people move in, the crime will go some place else. It’s really sad that people beat up on the city when it’s got a lot of really nice residents. Working class people, wealthier people. A lot of 20 somethings are filling the place up. Yes, we have a long way to go. But we’re getting more retail on a monthly basis. The citizens banded together and got a dog park funded (the first in the city). The housing stock is amazing., And as more people realize they’ll never own a home in Chicago due to student loans, those 30K houses are going to look like amazing deals.

jenpnc,

Denver, United States,

1 hour ago

I used to handle foreclosures in Michigan for a real estate agency, back when the boom was at its peak. People were buying the houses in the Detroit area as fast as we could get them listed. But the problem was that they’d get them fixed and inevitably, the newly refurbished places would be vandalized because the neighborhoods were so bad. One house was actually shot up by machine guns. The houses are fixable. Don’t know if the culture of destruction is.

andtototoo,

over the rainbow cincy,

1 hour ago

I believe that Detroit has to reinvent it’s vibe from manufacturing to entrepreneurship renaissance. I believe that Detroit can be a east /mid west destination place, much like Colorado and Washington State. I can see organic farms on the city’s outskirt, providing jobs and a local food source. Legalization of cannabis will solve a large portion of its crime rate ( research LEAP, LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST PROHIBATION ) for more information of the failed war on drugs. Detroit’s 4 seasons and its great lakes and the craftsmanship of its old homes and buildings could make Detroit a beautiful transformation city. Detroit has so much potential, but as long as it tries to conduct business as usual, there’s no hope.

Gator,

Florida, United States,

1 hour ago

Grades 7 thru 11 I lived in one of those small Mansions in Detroit. The wood work as beautiful. I did not appreciate this as a teenager. Now I wish I could own one of those. Marble stone and turn of the century wood craftsmanship was unbelievable. My father sold the home to a ex – Governor of Michigan who said he was going to keep it preserved. I hope it worked out.

me,

here, United Kingdom,

1 hour ago

Detroit is the showcase for every community who thinks it is cheaper to manufacture offshore.

PrettyKing,

Michigan, United States,

1 hour ago

These were some beautiful mansions back in the day. Some of them even have maid quarters. My mom used to tell me stories about how they used to look and how nice the neigborhoods were when she was growing up. But now the neighborhoods are trash. Who wants a nice house in a terrible neighborhood. There are abandoned houses and buildings. Nah no thanks. Now don’t get me wrong ALL of detroit is not bad. There are still some nice areas in this city but not where these mansions are. And this is a Detroiter saying this.

tdoubleu,

los angeles-ca,

1 hour ago

there’s a reason these houses were deserted. Note the bars on the window.

Observer,

FTL, United States,

1 hour ago

Welcome to Thunderdome.

VeryAmused,

Near You, United States,

1 hour ago

Excellent deals if you have patience and a bulletproof vest.

MarkD,

Syracuse,

1 hour ago

Detroit, alas, is doomed. It doesn’t have the industry or tax base to support itself. People won’t come, because they don’t have the basic services. They can’t afford the basic services, because there aren’t enough people with jobs.

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