  Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 3228 Registered: 04-2006 |
Has this been posted yet? Cities face high costs of foreclosed eyesores quote: It sounds eerily similar to what inner-city neighborhoods have dealt with for decades... | ||
Spacemonkey Member Username: Spacemonkey Post Number: 755 Registered: 03-2006 |
yep. | ||
Gravitymachine Member Username: Gravitymachine Post Number: 2167 Registered: 05-2005 |
won't someone please think about the suburbs! that's about what i get from this. | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 2272 Registered: 08-2007 |
Someone needs to come up with a way to make it win-win for the lenders AND for the homeowners for the sake of the community at large, wherever the community is. And yes, flight blight has happened since the 60s, at least, in neighborhood after neighborhood in Detroit. (Message edited by gazhekwe on June 23, 2008) | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 1685 Registered: 12-2005 |
quote: Not really. At least the suburbs mentioned here aren't leaving it up to the residents of the affected neighborhoods to deal with on their own. The lesson-learned is that if a municipality lets creeping blight go unattended, it quickly gets out of hand and beyond the scope of government to deal with. | ||
Mclark Member Username: Mclark Post Number: 19 Registered: 03-2008 |
When I moved into the Dearborn Heights neighborhood I live in now (about a year and a half ago) I noticed 2 or 3 boarded up houses. They are all occupied now. The lots were being maintained by neighbors while empty and never really got out of hand. Part of me can't help but laugh when someone from West Bloomfield complains about an empty house, but I'm sure wouldn't dare put forth the effort to cut the lawn or maybe even try to clean up the pool. There are bound to be empty houses in every city these days, but a little extra effort can minimize the effect on the rest of the neighborhood... at least in areas that aren't being hit too hard by copper thieves, squatters, etc. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6768 Registered: 11-2003 |
No wonder jjaba can't get his pool guy to come out. They're all doing re-po service work. jjaba, on the Westside. | ||
Diehard Member Username: Diehard Post Number: 545 Registered: 03-2005 |
Those poor, poor Bloomies. | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 1389 Registered: 12-2006 |
My favorite thing in that article is how Dearborn is using a boarding up method that is designed to not look boarded up. Kind of reminds me of the awnings on the abandoned high-rises in downtown Detroit a few years back... | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2570 Registered: 07-2004 |
^^ ... or the "windows" put on vacant buildings in the South Bronx years ago ... | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 5027 Registered: 02-2005 |
Townships like W. Bloomfield are huge, and when more and more of those plain, midcentury homes no longer in demand go vacant, and their pools get dirty and mosquito ridden (so sorry to hear that your neighborhood is not as beautiful as 27 years ago because the pool is dirty), it's gonna be hard for even the most responsible municipality to keep up. Expect suburban blight to become common in undistinctive places that are no longer in demand. | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 368 Registered: 02-2006 |
The Freep forums hate the city, and I'm beginning to think the DetroitYES forums hate the suburbs. What's happening in this article is a problem that nobody is immune from. I don't think anybody was prepared for the foreclosure crisis. At this point it's a lose-lose for everyone, and I just can't understand why more steps haven't been taken to provide assistance to homeowners; nobody wins when a house is foreclosed upon. I am really, really thankful I opted for the fixed rate. I was on the fence and nearly opted for the adjustable rate, which could have very well broken me if the payment doubled. Mackinaw - to each their own; who are you to judge what is and is not in demand? I live in a neighborhood of "those plain, midcentury homes" that somehow or another remain occupied. West Bloomfield remains an attractive community for many reasons beyond the vintage of the brick. | ||
Thames Member Username: Thames Post Number: 175 Registered: 02-2007 |
Large numbers of foreclosed/vacant houses are now showing up everywhere. All the municipalities mentioned in the article seem to be addressing the issue. It's a problem but they are taking care of it. That's what I got out the article. | ||
Miketoronto Member Username: Miketoronto Post Number: 893 Registered: 07-2004 |
These homes in the suburbs are not empty because people are fleeing. It just has to do with economic issues at the moment, and when things get better, they will fill up again. This is totally different from the white flight Detroit had. Wazootyman, one could say that it is fine that more steps have not been taken to provide assistance to homeowners. Should the government be getting people out of a mess they got themselves into knowing they could not afford these homes? | ||
Benfield Member Username: Benfield Post Number: 23 Registered: 06-2008 |
Mackinaw, didn't you hear, mid-century modern is IN! | ||
Gazhekwe Member Username: Gazhekwe Post Number: 2274 Registered: 08-2007 |
People may not be fleeing now, but wait until the neighborhoods really start going down. Move in a few people who don't have the same perception of what looks OK, and who may not have the wherewithal to put as much into upkeep, add in some deteriorating empty houses, and flight could very well happen as the people who equate their status with the condition and stylishness of their neighborhood cut their losses and head for greener pastures. | ||
Mwilbert Member Username: Mwilbert Post Number: 283 Registered: 11-2007 |
Some of the neighborhoods will fill up again, some of them won't--there aren't enough people to fill them all up, and some people will flee what they think is a sinking ship. | ||
Ladia Member Username: Ladia Post Number: 32 Registered: 05-2008 |
mike toronto,how long will it be before things get better again? with alot of job losses,people are moving out of michigan,can't afford their homes.i see homes for sell often in detroit. if the homes empty out fast enough in neighborhoods it may be hard to upkeep all those homes,like what happened during the 'white flight' in detroit.maybe poorer people will rent the homes out,and renters usually aren't long term residents,and don't take as good care of the home as owners do. | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 401 Registered: 08-2007 |
I think i might have driven some folks outta Wayne. well maybe not, Wayne for the most part keeps up on stuff, But everytime i look i seem to find another house that i didn,t know was empty.Jjaba looks like you gotta do what i gotta do clean the pool, gotta find the leak first, but just found out my dog likes the pool. | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 889 Registered: 03-2008 |
A couple of landlords I know in Detroit and elsewhere offer discounts in rent based on the amount of work, upkeep, and money their renters put in. This seems to work pretty well for everyone. Those are some of the best kept rentals I have ever seen. Of course, it means the landlord must be willing to take cuts in rent. It usually seems to pay off once it comes time to find new renters though. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 3229 Registered: 04-2006 |
I know these type of things don't affect Metro Detroit... MSNBC: Foreclosure Fallout ...except maybe for the neighborhood in South Lyon mentioned in the article. | ||
Miketoronto Member Username: Miketoronto Post Number: 896 Registered: 07-2004 |
I still don't think it is that big a deal. When it comes down to it, the majority of Metro Detroit residents still have jobs, and you are not just going to see a million people flee or something. The economy has hit a bump. It will revive, and things will change. But I really don't think Bloomfield Hills will sit empty anytime soon.  | ||
Mwilbert Member Username: Mwilbert Post Number: 285 Registered: 11-2007 |
I would characterize it as more than a bump. The domestic auto industry is imploding and there is a good chance that GM North America and Chrysler will go into bankruptcy within a year. This is not just part of a normal economic cycle. We aren't likely to see a million flee, or see Bloomfield Hills empty either. But there are probably 300,000 unemployed (U-3) and perhaps 500,000 including the underemployed (U-6) in the region and I won't be surprised if eventually a lot of those people leave, and that is going to leave some additional empty housing someplace. Some of it will be in Detroit, and some of it won't. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 3234 Registered: 04-2006 |
quote: Mmkay. I think Metro Detroit will easily have lost a couple hundred thousand by the 2010 census. | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 371 Registered: 02-2006 |
quote: I would normally agree, but it has gotten to the point where the poor decisions of both the lenders and the lendees are severely affecting entire communities, in which majorities did not make such bad choices. It seems like somebody needs to do something - beyond issuing a one-time "stimulus check". Miketoronto - We'd prefer to forecast the doom and gloom scenario in which half of the population leaves, or goes unemployed. Feasible? I wouldn't think so, but this region just might will it into happening if we really try hard. I would place Ford and Chrysler ahead of GM in a worst-case line-up. But, I think ultimately all three will weather the storm. GM in particular has a solid line-up of high fuel economy vehicles that can compete with anyone. Now, if only we could convince the country to stop defaulting to imports. I feel like if we lose the domestic auto industry, the country as a whole is in a hell of a lot more trouble than they realize. A few foreign-based auto plants down south won't even come close to making up for the losses. | ||
Parkguy Member Username: Parkguy Post Number: 292 Registered: 04-2007 |
A new report shows that gas prices have led to problems in distant suburbs. Main points: 1) The exurbs farthest from the city center have shown the biggest drop in property values. This is across the US. 2) Metro regions with the most vital central city have shown a smaller drop in value. 3) The US average is just over a 15% drop over the last year. The charts show that Metro Detroit is just about at average. It IS about gas prices and overall sustainability, not ENTIRELY about the auto industry, although we all know that the industry's decline has had enormous impact here. Here's a link to a video about the main points of the report: http://ceosforcities.blip.tv/f ile/894022/ Here's the full report: http://www.ceosforcities.org/n ewsroom/pr/files/Driven%20to%2 0the%20Brink%20FINAL.pdf | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 372 Registered: 02-2006 |
quote: SEMCOG believes the seven-county regional population will be 4,859,300 by 2010 - a gain of 25,932 since the 2000 census. Estimates for 2005 place the population at 4,891,039 - a gain of 57,671 over 2000, resulting in an estimated drop of 31,739 by 2010. http://library.semcog.org/Inma gicGenie/DocumentFolder/2035SE MCOGForecast.pdf Ultimately, for what you're saying to be correct (assuming you mean loss between official census counts), the SEMCOG estimate would have to be off by almost 226,000 people. I think we'd already notice the trend if the difference were that severe. | ||
Detroitrise Member Username: Detroitrise Post Number: 2580 Registered: 09-2007 |
Wait until the boomers "move on", then you'll notice a slight dip in the population. | ||
Perfectgentleman Member Username: Perfectgentleman Post Number: 7174 Registered: 03-2006 |
Parkguy - basically the report you quoted says that housing prices have held up best in areas with a stronger urban center. Wow, what a revelation! I totally agree the weakness of Detroit is having an effect on the entire Southeastern Michigan area. In regard to falling values, new suburban homes had the furthest to fall, as developers were selling homes in the $400k plus range in many of these areas. A correction was bound to happen. Detroit home values tanked years ago, so they don't have much room to fall, hardly anything to brag about. | ||
Mwilbert Member Username: Mwilbert Post Number: 286 Registered: 11-2007 |
SEMCOG is almost certainly too high--their employment forecast was too high, and that affected their population forecast. In another thread I predicted the 2010 population will show up at less than 4.8 million, but I think 4.6 million is too low for 2010 unless things get a lot worse quickly. Population loss should lag employment loss. |
