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Distressed Detroit houses: prices low, strings attached

Detroit house
Courtesy photo
/
http://auctions.buildingdetroit.org/home

One of the biggest challenges faced by new Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is the poor condition of thousands of houses in the city. People won’t choose to live in a city where they can’t get a decent house. The Detroit Land Bank Authority hopes a new system of auctioning off vacant houses will spur a wave of movement into the city. It’s called “Building Detroit”.Homes can be purchased for as little as a thousand dollars, but the rules require a plan that the house be inhabited, and soon.

Current State talks with Craig Fahle, an old friend of WKAR having worked for the Michigan Public Radio Network out of our studios years ago before ultimately hosting a popular show at Detroit’s public radio station, WDET. Craig left the station a few months ago to become director of Public Affairs with the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

Scott Pohl is a general assignment news reporter and produces news features and interviews. He is also an alternate local host on NPR's "Morning Edition."
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