Baltimore will put $10 million from a national mortgage settlement toward the Vacants to Value program aimed at bringing more families to the city.
via Baltimore puts $10M toward Vacants to Value program – Baltimore Business Journal.
This is good news. Vacant houses can create the impression that a neighborhood is in decline and/or unsafe; as is often the case, such an impression can soon become a reality.
I have lived in my house for a little more than 24 years. When we bought the place, the house next door had been vacant for several years. We didn’t realize this because 1) we were young, first time home buyers and 2) the neighbors pitched in to keep at least the front of the house from being an eyesore. Not too long ago, new people moved into the house on the other side of the vacant house; they, too, didn’t realize that the house was vacant until after closing. The realtor had entered the house and hung new curtains on the side facing his potential buyers.
When we moved in, the owner of the vacant house showed up rarely — perhaps once a year to mow the lawn. There was also an uncovered in ground pool that was full of mud and muck. I pulled at least three different dogs from the goo after they got stuck in the ooze. Calls to the city didn’t help much. The owner apparently was doing (just) what was necessary to forestall any action on the part of the city government.
Eventually, he put a sturdy cover over the pool and it has been intact for several years now. For whatever reason, he now shows up about twice a month to mow the lawn and perform some level of maintenance. I don’t know what prompted his new found responsibility but I’m happy for what we can get.
It’s a mystery why the house has remained vacant so long. Neighborhood lore has it that he and his wife were rehabbing the house and got into a fight. One thing led to another and . . . well, I’m sure that not all of the stories are true. Even if there was an ongoing dispute with the co-owner, I would think that practicality would demand that differences be set aside and the house sold. However, he’s not only not interested in selling, he’s actually hostile to the idea.
A number of years ago, one of our other neighbors moved from the neighborhood. One of the couple’s parents had died leaving them a house. This couple had a child approaching school age. Baltimore City’s schools, at the time, had a very poor reputation. The inherited house was in a county abutting Baltimore in a good school district. So, the couple moved. Because they wouldn’t have two mortgages to pay, and because the couple had some rehab skills, they decided to put some work into the house before selling, hoping to get top dollar.
Unfortunately, while the house was vacant, an electrical problem caused a fire. The couple was unaware that their homeowners’ insurance was voided because the house was unoccupied (apparently, one can purchase a rider to extend coverage during such periods). Consequently, they negotiated a default with their mortgage holder and the house was empty for some time.
One weekend day, a team of workers showed up at the house. They worked all day, both days, for several weekends in a row and then sold the house to a lovely family that lives there to this day.
I talked to the leader of the work team. He and his crew were skilled rehabbers that took on weekend projects like my former neighbor’s house. They were able to buy the property at a very good price and then, after a furious bout of fix up, sell the house at market value. I was impressed with the work and the speed of the turnaround. I told the man about the property next door to me and gave him the owner’s contact info. The man said that he’d approached owners of vacant properties before, owners who didn’t know they wanted to sell, until someone was putting a check into their hands.
Since I already mentioned that the house next to me is still vacant, this plan didn’t pan out. The rehab man approached the owner and offered him money on the spot. The owner not only refused to discuss a sale at all but was furious that someone had provided his contact information.
So, the house remains vacant. Even though the owner has stepped up a bit and is being responsible to some extent, it would still be better if the house wasn’t empty, if there was a family living there, if there were people there that, like most of my neighbors, feel invested in the neighborhood.
I doubt that the program that prompted me to write this reminiscence can be used to rectify the situation next door. In fact, I’d have serious concerns about government intrusion on property rights. On the other hand, vacant houses are a problem. Owners have a responsibility to their neighbors to maintain properties to the standards (at least) of the neighborhood. I would hope that there could be a process by which the responsibilities of home ownership can be compelled that doesn’t invite abuses or unduly burden property owners.