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How easy or hard is it to get rid of a dilapidated house in a dilapidated town? Talking about a house that's sagging in the middle (used to be a two-family but the dividing wall was removed sometime prior to 1972).
One thing it's got going for it is, it's bigger than most houses in the neighborhood.
Zillow puts the value at around $42k which I would take in a heartbeat (I'd take half that in a heartbeat).
I've seen those "I Buy Ugly Houses" ads but I never thought I'd be searching for their phone number!
Depends on market, but if there's investors in your area it will be sold for cash. Try posting it on momswap or facebook marketplace and you'll have folks looking to buy it, even if it's for "land value".
It is amazing to someone in Texas, a state booming in population, that certain areas are depopulating like that.
Pennsylvania has literally thousands of small towns scattered throughout ((it's a well settled area, with more than 400 years of European settlement; it's also the 5th most populous state (soon to be 5th again with Illinois collapsing)) and many of them are losing population. Pittsburgh saw a revival, but that's limited to the city and the suburbs. I don't know what direction Philly will take, some parts are great, others are terrible.
But most of those small towns have run their course. Small family run farms and cottage industries are just no longer economically viable and the extraction economy (logging, mining, etc.) needs far fewer people than it did a century ago, even assuming there are good mines in the area and also assuming that you can pay off whoever you need to pay off to get the permits for mining and logging.
Most of the towns are still beautiful, but they'll continue to decay and houses themselves will sink back into the earth.
Pennsylvania has literally thousands of small towns scattered throughout ((it's a well settled area, with more than 400 years of European settlement; it's also the 5th most populous state (soon to be 5th again with Illinois collapsing)) and many of them are losing population. Pittsburgh saw a revival, but that's limited to the city and the suburbs. I don't know what direction Philly will take, some parts are great, others are terrible.
But most of those small towns have run their course. Small family run farms and cottage industries are just no longer economically viable and the extraction economy (logging, mining, etc.) needs far fewer people than it did a century ago, even assuming there are good mines in the area and also assuming that you can pay off whoever you need to pay off to get the permits for mining and logging.
Most of the towns are still beautiful, but they'll continue to decay and houses themselves will sink back into the earth.
This.
I inherited properties in WVA and Western PA that are much as you describe. Only one was worth renovating and we have recently turned it into an Airbnb as it's reasonably near some regional attractions. We don't live in either state and are hours away should anything happen so we have a management company to look after the place. I literally gave away one property to a relative who is just starting out and has a factory job in the area. The other just sits. There's coal rights to the land and it's a gorgeous lot but the house is a tear down. We pay the taxes. I tried to sell it a few years ago but had no interest. The neighbors can't afford it and they would be the most likely targets for a sale.
This part of the country is an economic black hole at the moment. It could experience a revival but in the meantime taxes are due. If you can get creative with using it it might be worth keeping. If not, best of luck. I feel your pain.
Sounds like free money. Can't go wrong with taking the money and run. Time is money and can't worry about how much you might get one day. Sooner or later owning it cost like home owners, code violations and basic up keeping even if landscaping or snow shoveling start to kick in legally and financially.
Sometimes being an easy 1/2 hour/hour drive a way from near an economic center/ good job area a house like that could be attractive to someone. Do near by roads have enough traffic that someday someone driving by might notice a for sale sign?
Even if you could get 30K I'm sure there are plenty of bills you could pay and there would numerous investments that could generate an 2-5K a year.
I live in Florida and many are looking for a cheap or affordable home out of this heat which gets worse believe me every year. I believe in climate change and global warming If scientist are correct Florida will be underwater in 10 years. Were will they all move to especially the retired. Well I am looking to to this area I think it will be a gold mine.
Scientists are not projecting that Florida will be underwater in 10 years. Although the rate of sea level rise is increasing due to human contributions to greenhouse gases, it is still a longer-term process...for which we still should be taking actions today. Those who are dismissive of the scientific evidence about climate change are pretty much the same as those who were dismissive of the threats posed by global pandemics. They generally don't believe in science, nor in our responsibility to be concerned about future generations. They're the "flat-Earthers" of today--their "beliefs" don't change the facts.
The house is in Coal Twp, PA on the border and indistinguishable from the city of Shamokin. A downtrodden coal-belt Appalachian town that saw its heyday in the 1930's and has been depopulating ever since. Taxes around $600 a year.
PA is filled with these tiny little 1-horse towns. Values for a nice home doesn't rise much above 50-75K. A dilapidated one is probably land value only because it would cost more to fix it up than what you'd get back marketing it in the middle of nowhere. What are the property taxes? You may be in the same fix as those poor souls in the worse parts of Detroit where homes go for 5K-10K. Don't drain your savings on property taxes because these townships are in desperate need of cash and will bleed you dry. Good luck.
Maybe you could sell it to a hunter, fisherman, outdoors man.. If it has a stream running through sell it as "trout access", if it's big enough sell it as hunting land. Or just sell it as a place to hookup a camper or something... There would have to be some type of value, though I wouldn't put any money into it.
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