REBUILDING VIBRANT COMMUNITIES, ONE PROPERTY AT A TIME

“I had had my eye on a property for some time. It wasn’t in great shape -- kids had kicked in the doors and 16 windows – but I saw the potential. When I researched it, I found out the Land Bank owned it, and it was on their demolition list. I met with Sue at the Land Bank, and she laid out how we could work together. She said I would need to rehab it to make it 100 percent safe and 100 percent livable before she could give me the deed. It was a little intimidating as I was doing the work and investing in new floors, windows and massive amounts of yard work without owning it. But Sue eased my mind. I ended up with a very nice house. The County is collecting the taxes. No one is dumping trash, and the Township doesn’t have to pay someone to come and mow. It’s a win-win-win all the way around.”

“Four or five years ago, I got interested in a property adjacent to another one I own. The property was abandoned and vacant, and no one was paying the taxes on it... Working with the people at the Land Bank was like working with family. They’re professional, and they’re doing a great service cleaning up neighborhoods. Now I have good tenants in both properties. In the end, I made a 100 percent return on my investment.”