  Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 977 Registered: 04-2007 |
Despite what many people consider better judgement, I am still looking to buy property in Detroit. I think there is a chance for continued improvement in the city, and it is still under the radar for the most part. I have come across seemingly incredible deals on vacant lots. Like the old saying goes, if it seems too good to be true it probably is. So, wha tis the catch with vacant land in the D. Does the city charge a special fee or tax? do they fine owners for litter, or maintenance? Is there a development requirement that forces owners to build in a certain period of time? I know there is a motherlode of knowledge about this stuff on this forum, so I am hoping to pick your brains. | ||
Islandman Member Username: Islandman Post Number: 848 Registered: 08-2004 |
I read somewhere that you have to be careful of some demolition that was done on the cheap. They would would just fill in the basements with the rest of the house and fill the lot with dirt. Add to the costs if you plan to build a proper house. Apparently this was done a lot. | ||
Rfban Member Username: Rfban Post Number: 183 Registered: 02-2004 |
"Apparently this was done a lot" Sure it was; you have all kinds of foundation work on most parcels in the city. I think many people, including myself cannot even comprehend that every vacant lot in the city was at one time a structure. Mind-boggling... | ||
Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 979 Registered: 04-2007 |
Good point Island. That is the type of thing I would not have thought of. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 76 Registered: 07-2007 |
Vacant lots are always prime locations for dumping now and in the past. A vacant lot may also hide a past use such that a site that looks "clean" that on further investigation turns out to be contaminated. Checking old aerial photos to see what was on the lot before it became vacant is always a good idea. As for buying lots, what's your intent? Investment? Future development? Own and flip? I'm rooting for a comeback in Detroit but there's a lot of places where that's a long way off and putting money into the property and paying the taxes for years to come is going to look a lot less like a deal if nothing happens in a particular area to justify the costs. | ||
Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 980 Registered: 04-2007 |
Novine- excellent idea about aerial photos. Again something I had not thought of. Buy and flip? no, won't work. But, future development and/or simple investment is a possibility. I'm thinking 10/15 years down stream. I don't think most city areas will begin to improve much earlier than that. Some areas are just SO D-MN CHEAP right now, that it is hard not to consider a few of the choices out there. | ||
Ramcharger Member Username: Ramcharger Post Number: 439 Registered: 05-2006 |
I have heard that the city often tries to collect from the current owner the cost of the demolition that took place before the property was purchased. | ||
Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 981 Registered: 04-2007 |
That is crazy. How would the new owner be responsible. I suspect that the city has quite a few surprises in store for me if I go forward in this. I wonder how you could find out if there are any open liens like that against the property. Would a title search show this? | ||
Ndavies Member Username: Ndavies Post Number: 2751 Registered: 10-2003 |
You also need to beware of the smaller lots in the city. They may no longer be buildable by themselves. The code for separation between houses has changed since they were platted. You may have to buy 2 adjacent lots in order to have enough room for 1 house. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 5227 Registered: 08-2004 |
Michigan, look at how the state is going after whomever purchased Uniroyal company for the long ago contamination that Uniroyal did to the riverfront site next to the Belle Isle Bridge. There are a lot of issues concerning land contamination that would scare off many investors. If you purchased some land that the state deemed contaminated, and the original business owners went bankrupt long ago, then you would be responsible for land cleanup. This is one scenario where "let the buyer beware" really comes into play! | ||
Frumoasa Member Username: Frumoasa Post Number: 44 Registered: 03-2007 |
Buying land that you do not have an immediate use for is quite risky because as another forumer mentioned, some people seem to think that this presently clean lot is just asking to have old tires and other garbage dumped on it by them. The cost to continually clean up the lot will be an added burden for you, and those property owners that do not clean up the lot only prolong the damage. If you are able to find property that you can put to use relatively quickly, than it is worth the shot, but if you are looking at 15 years of clean up and hassle before any prospective development, consider if the presumed benefit at the end is worth all of the money and effort you are investing at the present. | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 2106 Registered: 10-2003 |
Could a real estate agent potentially help Michigan in finding what liens and/or responsibilities may come bundled with a parcel? Michigan, just wrap the parcel with tall cyclone fence with razor wire at the top and fill it with dobermans. Here and there, place some Vietnam-style bamboo spike pits. That should dissuade anyone from dumping. Throw some copper scrap in the middle of the lot for fun. Install cameras. | ||
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100 Post Number: 1447 Registered: 12-2006 |
quote: Brilliant. All that is missing are the snake pits and bungee cord traps into several bee hives. (Too many Calvin and Hobbes comics will do this too you.) | ||
Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 982 Registered: 04-2007 |
I could sell the video on the internets! | ||
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100 Post Number: 1448 Registered: 12-2006 |
Forget that, put it on Youtube. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 77 Registered: 07-2007 |
You can have a baseline environmental assessment done of the property first. That does two things. One, it tells you what the environmental issues are with the property. Two, and more importantly, under Michigan law, it gets you off the hook for any past contamination of the property (assuming you weren't the cause of it in the first place). That won't do you a lot of good if the property is contaminated because it will still need to be cleaned up. But it's a way to separate liability from ownership. See: http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0, 1607,7-135-3311_4109_4212---,0 0.html FYI, BEAs have to be done by qualified environmental consultants and while they may not be particularly expensive, they are an additional cost you have to absorb. Does it make sense if you're buying up a single family lot in a neighborhood? Probably not but if you're looking at anything in a commercial or industrial area, you probably should. Now, if this is news to you, you might want to do more research on the whole topic of buying land for investment or development as this should be something you would already know. | ||
El_jimbo Member Username: El_jimbo Post Number: 285 Registered: 12-2006 |
Could you buy several parcels of land for the purpose of farming? | ||
Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 983 Registered: 04-2007 |
Believe me, I need to do a lot of research. | ||
Dnvn522 Member Username: Dnvn522 Post Number: 272 Registered: 11-2004 |
Sure...if it's zoned agricultural. (in other words: not likely) | ||
Sec106 Member Username: Sec106 Post Number: 6 Registered: 03-2007 |
We had neighbors over in the Michigan and Central area that had huge farm lots and chickens in the vacant lots around their houses. | ||
Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 987 Registered: 04-2007 |
I've read a baout several farms in the city. I don't think they are "legal" though  | ||
Frumoasa Member Username: Frumoasa Post Number: 45 Registered: 03-2007 |
Sec106: I have honestly wondered why more folks have not done that. I know that there are people that keep chickens in my neighborhood, but there are very few empty lots in my vicinity, so nobody has had the chance to really expand. You could also create a beautiful flower (or food if you are comfortable with that) garden and secure play space for your children all for the price of the lot, which tends to be very reasonable in a residential area. And I have never heard one of my neighbors complain about being ticketed for their chickens, I just don't think they have enough enforcement to worry about chickens. It seems like a great idea to me and I would do it myself if there were lots around me. | ||
Sec106 Member Username: Sec106 Post Number: 8 Registered: 03-2007 |
If you drive around you will see where people have made wonderful yards and gardens from the lots adjoining their homes. See a lot of them on the southwest side. | ||
Terryh Member Username: Terryh Post Number: 471 Registered: 11-2006 |
Southwest is booming with revitalization and development. I was on Springwells Sunday was impressed by the nice homes and landscaping. Restaurants were grilling chicken; neighbors were swinging on the porch, leaning against the fence. Vinces Italian restaurant is across the door from Equadorian Dona lonas. Jankowskis bar with the sign that reads 'since 1930' looked to have been refurbished. Vernor was immaculate. There has been a definate improvement in that region of the city. | ||
Sec106 Member Username: Sec106 Post Number: 9 Registered: 03-2007 |
Terryh, Yes that neighborhood of Southwest Detroit is a marvel. It is the closet thing we have to the vitality you see in the neighborhoods of Chicago or NYC. Some darn fine markets too. E & L SuperMercado is a gem. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 354 Registered: 05-2004 |
Your cameras would be stolen as well. | ||
Novine Member Username: Novine Post Number: 79 Registered: 07-2007 |
http://www.modeldmedia.com/fea tures/urbanag.aspx and http://www.detroitagriculture. org/ and a recent thread: https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/5/110694.html?1187459145 | ||
Dfd Member Username: Dfd Post Number: 292 Registered: 09-2004 |
If these properties had potential, it seems like the real estate companies would be snatching them up. | ||
Barnesfoto Member Username: Barnesfoto Post Number: 4073 Registered: 10-2003 |
CofD planning and development dept sells lots of lots, it will take you a long time to get title, but you are buying as a long term investment, yes? I lived next to a vacant lot owned by a speculator for two years..When I contacted the man and asked him to mow the grass or pay me for doing it, he replied that he owned many lots and that he just let the city take care of mowing them" for which they apparently billed him. So, I mowed the guys grass, but used his lot for my garden and dog run.... If you can find some lots in an area where development is coming, you could make a buck or two. | ||
Diehard Member Username: Diehard Post Number: 113 Registered: 03-2005 |
Gotta be careful about the location, indeed. The minute you start building anything on the site, you'll have to use that razor wire/Dobermans/snake pit idea to hold onto your construction materials. Of course, that's true just about anywhere - but thieves in the city seem to be a lot more brazen about it. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 1586 Registered: 10-2006 |
"I wonder how you could find out if there are any open liens like that against the property. Would a title search show this?" It should. |
