The city of Detroit, pointing to early success in its online auctioning for abandoned homes in East English Village, is expanding the program to two more neighborhoods, including Boston-Edison where some big residence will be up for grabs, Mayor Mike Duggan announced Monday.
“This confirms what we have said all along," Duggan said in a statement. “The demand for living in Detroit is not just in downtown or midtown, it extends into our neighborhoods. The success of this auction and the prices these homes are selling for prove that.”
The auction, which just began last week, will expand to the neighborhoods of Boston-Edison and Osborn. Open houses for those neighborhoods are set for May 17-18. Under the program, 13 homes in Boston-Edison will go up for bid and 10 in the Osborn neighborhood.
Homes can be purchased online at BuildingDetroit.org.
The city says nearly 6,000 people have already registered on the auction website to bid on homes.
The city said two weeks ago more than 1,000 people came out to tour the 12 listed homes in East English Village.
In a press release, the city said:
In the first week of the online auction, five houses – all of which had been abandoned for at least three years – fetched strong winning bids:
- 4184 Bishop - $34,100
- 4335 Bishop - $30,100
- 4356 Harvard - $42,100
- 4811 Harvard - $39,400
- 4145 Cadieux - $30,000
Homes up for auction in Boston-Edison include one at 2224 Boston Blvd. that is 4,200 square feet, seven bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Currently, the city auctions off one home a day. Starting Tuesday, May 27th, the city’s land bank will begin auctioning two of the homes per day – one in each neighborhood – including Saturdays and Sundays.
