Dunno - I'd really need to see documentation on that one to believe it. Never seen a title search, and lawyers work that fast. We had an "expedited" closing, which we paid dearly for, and it still took nearly 30 days for everything to click
SCHENECTADY City may fix up vacant houses Buyers would get affordable option BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Instead of building many more environmentally friendly, expensive homes, the city may spend part of its annual federal grant next year on rehabbing the houses it takes through foreclosure. City officials expect to take upward of 100 vacant and blighted houses through foreclosure, and some of them are likely to be in bad shape. With the cost of metal still high, some houses have been stripped of all copper pipes. Others have broken windows. The city could use $445,638 in federal funds to make some of those houses habitable, and then sell them to low- or moderate-income buyers. Mayor Gary McCarthy is also hoping to use some of the money to convert a few two-family houses into one-family homes. Many of the city’s houses are two-family, and those have proved to be the most difficult to sell in recent years. But if they were converted into onefamily houses, they would have the large square footage that’s desired by many buyers today. “You could create a housing product that would be very attractive in this market,” McCarthy said. Conversions are expensive, and Development Director Richard Purga estimated that each one would cost about $180,000 — a price tag that could limit the city to just two conversions. But McCarthy hopes that could “show the potential of what can be done” with the houses, and thus encourage purchase of other two-family homes for private conversion. “It gives you a fairly large footprint. You can be creative, internally, with the houses,” he said. The proposal is part of the $2.5 million Consolidated Plan, a combined group of federal grants to improve the city that includes the often-controversial Community Development Block Grant. The City Council gets the fi nal say on how the money is disbursed. At Monday’s committees meeting, council members got their fi rst look at the proposed spending plan. It called for the council to continue funding most of the agencies and projects it has funded in recent years. But there were two new programs proposed. Northeast Parent & Child’s weatherization and energy efficiency program would get $99,000, in the spending plan. It would be used to pay for improvements to 20 houses throughout the city, with the work performed by youths who have just been certified to do energy-efficiency projects. Northeast has also received grants from NYSERDA for the project. Also, city officials proposed funding the summer lunch program, run by Schenectady Inner City Ministry. The program was ranked as SICM’s highest priority for grant funding, Development Director Richard Purga said. He proposed the council give the program $2,000. SICM provides free lunches to youths in the city parks and other gathering points each summer. Representatives have repeatedly asked for CDBG funding. The other proposed programs were all regulars: programs in Quackenbush, Hillhurst, Steinmetz and Jerry Burrell parks; the Front Street pool; youth programs at Hamilton Hill Arts Center and Carver Community Center; and housing programs through Better Neighborhoods Inc. and Community Land Trust. Both of those agencies received some funding to finish their last four “green” houses, but no additional money for that project. Mc-Carthy has said he does not want to continue it, noting the high cost per house and the low sale price. That discrepancy hurt the buyers, too — the first buyers were stunned to receive tax bills based on the value of their homes, which was much higher than their purchase price. City officials later negotiated a deal that reduced taxes slightly and reduced the value of the next set of houses to be built. Many city employees are also proposed to be funded through the grant, as usual, including 15 code enforcement positions, 10 SNAP positions to clean up blighted properties, seven police offi cers and eight Development Department staff who oversee the grants. .....................>>>>....................>>>>........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00903&AppName=1
Look just past the 10 help wanted ads, 100+ rentals and then you'll see the hundreds of homes for sale. The entire classified section in a daily issue is what, 2 pages at the most?
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
The money would be better spent on a new escavator and dumpster trucks. The city should start taking these houses down themselves. Plain and simple.
Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid - John Wayne
TIP TO NEW VISITORS TO THIS FORUM - To improve your blogging pleasure it is recommended to ignore (Through editing your prefere) the posts of the following bloggers - DemocraticVoiceofReason, Scotsgod08 and Smoking Bananas. They continually go off topic, do not provide facts and make irrational remarks. If you do not believe me, this can be proven by their reputation scores or by a sampling of their posts.
The money would be better spent on a new escavator and dumpster trucks. The city should start taking these houses down themselves. Plain and simple.
Taking them down would cost $$$. And the chance of ever getting them on the tax roll would be lost. Bottom line.........the city is going broke!!!! It won't be able to sustain itself much longer. That is why the push to sell these properties and the push to consolidate with the rest of the county.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Taking them down would cost $$$. And the chance of ever getting them on the tax roll would be lost. Bottom line.........the city is going broke!!!! It won't be able to sustain itself much longer. That is why the push to sell these properties and the push to consolidate with the rest of the county.
Not as much if the took them down in house. Less than $10,000. Many aren't salvageable and no one in their right mind would buy one with the hoops the city will make them jump through. Imagine removing 40 of the worst buildings like the burned out ones mc1 mentioned.
Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid - John Wayne
TIP TO NEW VISITORS TO THIS FORUM - To improve your blogging pleasure it is recommended to ignore (Through editing your prefere) the posts of the following bloggers - DemocraticVoiceofReason, Scotsgod08 and Smoking Bananas. They continually go off topic, do not provide facts and make irrational remarks. If you do not believe me, this can be proven by their reputation scores or by a sampling of their posts.
Not as much if the took them down in house. Less than $10,000. Many aren't salvageable and no one in their right mind would buy one with the hoops the city will make them jump through. Imagine removing 40 of the worst buildings like the burned out ones mc1 mentioned.
There are blighted properties that have been purchased for $10K or less. Some do nothing with it, pay the taxes and use it as a write off. Many are used to collect a guaranteed rent via section 8.
Unfortunately..the city is only interested in TAXES!!!! THEY NEED THE $$$$!
Your idea makes sense....but these clowns don't operate on 'common sense' or what is done for the 'greater good' of the city!! It's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
There are blighted properties that have been purchased for $10K or less. Some do nothing with it, pay the taxes and use it as a write off. Many are used to collect a guaranteed rent via section 8.
Unfortunately..the city is only interested in the demo party!!! THEY NEED THE votes!
Your idea makes sense....but these clowns don't operate on 'common sense' or what is done for the 'greater good' of the city!! It's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Publications of home buyers and sellers used to appear in the newspaper.......
what happened to that ???......
Yep, the gazette still publishes it (until the dems tell them to stop because they don't want people to see how low the house values are going).
This past Saunday, just two weeks' worth of Saratoga Co sales took up a whole page. It's quite obvious people are not moving into Schenectady county because there were so few sales, that one page was six weeks worth of closings.
But anyway, as far as the city, you know you'll see the actual selling prices posted here, along with what the city dems claim the houses were worth a year go. By this weekend it will be ready
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
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