Hit hard by the foreclosure process and now trying to fight the ensuing blight, not to mention being embroiled in bankruptcy, Detroit is beginning to sell off some of the 16,000 homes it owns due to tax liens, according to cnnmoney.com. The opening bid for each home will be $1,000, but buyers must rehab the home and have someone living there within six months or they will lose the home and the money. An open house will be held April 27 to enable potential buyers to inspect the first 15 homes on the block in advance of the May 5 auction. Rehab must begin within 30 days of taking possession and rebuild plans have to be approved by the Detroit Land Bank Authority, as MHProNews.com has learned. “We are moving aggressively to take these abandoned homes and get families living in them again,” said Detroit’s Mayor Mike Duggan. “Knowing that other people are going to be buying and fixing up the other vacant homes at the same time will make it a lot easier for them to make that commitment.” ##

(Photo credit: dornob.com–abandoned home)