Why Don't We Blog This?

A blog to accompany whydontweownthis.com, authored by members of the LOVELAND Technology team and friends of the show. Posts here are most likely about Detroit land use issues and ideas, the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction, the WDWOT website and service, and etc. Get in touch at [email protected]. You can also catch us at facebook.com/makeloveland & twitter.com/makeloveland.

[wdwot]

Blexting, from Loveland -- Total Blight Identification

At LOVELAND Technologies, we just released a free mobile application -- “Blexting” -- designed to help Detroiters photograph, survey, and map the condition of every property in Detroit. It’s in beta so please break it and let us know how to improve it!

Blexting (derived from blight + texting) is a mobile, web-based application that works in concert with Loveland's service Why Don't We Own This? Users photograph a property, then answer a series of questions related to a property's condition and occupancy. Results of the survey are posted to a public map on Why Don't We Own This?, accessible via the Blexting header at the top of Why Don’t We Own This?, or at whydontweownthis.com/blexts

Blexting data can be shared with government agencies, neighborhood organizations, contractors, and more who seek to address issues such as blight and illegal dumping, as well as to help people in difficult situations, identify community assets, and investment opportunities.

Anyone who wants to start Blexting can do so by going to blext.wdwot.com on their mobile device and logging in with their Why Don't We Own This? credentials. You can also create a free account from your mobile device at blext.wdwot.com. Blexting works best with mobile browsers like Chrome and Firefox.

Our first mission for Detroit is to survey the 16,000 properties headed to the second round of the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction. Many of these properties are blighted, and many still have people living in them. We want to help focus resources on occupied properties, starting by determining where exactly they are.

Many speak of the tens of thousands of structures that sit vacant and blighted across Detroit, yet there is limited understanding of where these structures are, who owns them, and what their condition is. With community action and tools like Blexting, this can change.

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Get in touch with questions or comments at [email protected]

LOVELAND Technologies: www.makeloveland.com - LOVELAND is based in Detroit, Michigan and the San Francisco Bay Area with a growing team dedicated to putting America online parcel by parcel. We work with governments, neighborhood groups, development, and conservation projects to gather and present public information about properties (the physical space and legal subdivisions that define the world) in clearer, more actionable ways

[wdwot]

Your 2013 Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction

18,910 Detroit properties owing more than $265 million in unpaid property taxes are careering towards this year’s Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction.

At Loveland Technologies, we are geared up to keep you informed on everything auction. You can connect with resources on foreclosure prevention, research properties, and talk to the Detroit and auction community on Why Don’t We Own This? at: www.WDWOT.com.

If you'd like to ask us questions about the auction, e-mail [email protected] and we'll do what we can to provide an answer.

A brief introduction for newcomers:

Every year, the Wayne County Treasurer forecloses on properties in Wayne County that have not paid property taxes in three years. In an effort to recoup unpaid taxes, a foreclosure auction is held where these properties are auctioned off in two rounds. In the first round, properties are auctioned for the total amount of back taxes owed. In the second round, the opening bid on all properties is $500.

Last year, 20,041 Detroit properties went to auction. 703 properties sold in the first round, and 11,831 sold in the second (county wide). 7,920 Detroit properties did not sell even for a minimum bid of $500.

The numbers:

18,910: Properties foreclosed in Detroit and headed to foreclosure

11,502: Properties conditionally withheld from foreclosure so long as they continue to make payments towards their payment plan.

3,524: Properties redeemed and no longer at risk of foreclosure.

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33,936: Total properties affected.

Auction Dates:

Dates are still preliminary, but they should look something like this:

For the first round of the auction, property information is released, and registration begins, August 20th and runs through September 13th. Bidding begins September 4th and bids close from September 23rd - 26th. So, yes, registration will still be open as the auction begins.

Second round registration runs September 30th - October 11th, with bidding open from October 8th - October 21st to the 25th. Final property information should be available October 3rd.

What’s happening right now:

We are currently in the “right of refusal” phase for cities in Wayne County. This is when cities have the opportunity to buy properties that are headed to auction for the amount owed in back taxes. Given the bankruptcy, I don’t think we should expect Detroit to buy anything.

Who’s handling the auction:

Realauction.com will service this year’s foreclosure auction. In solidarity with Detroit, Realauction filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 31st (kidding about the solidarity part, serious about the bankruptcy part...).

Realauction was entangled in a patent infringement lawsuit by online government auction behemoth, Grant Street Group, earlier this year. The court found that Realauction had willfully infringed on Grant Street Group’s patent and awarded Grant Street Group $8.1 million in damages. On July 31st, instead of paying a court-ordered first payment of $4.3 million, Realauction filed for bankruptcy protection.

This shouldn’t affect Realauction’s ability to service the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction.

Preventing Foreclosure:

Until right of refusal for cities concludes, preventing foreclosure for properties at risk this year is on hold. There will be another window of opportunity after the right of refusal period.

Registration and Bidding:

The deposit to bid is the same as last year: $535 for one property, $5,035 for multiple properties. One significant difference in bidding is that there will be no jump bidding this year. This means that you cannot bid beyond the $100 bid increment (i.e., see a property at $5,000 and “jump bid” to $15,000). You can still set your maximum bid, which will be moved to incrementally.

Public Service Announcement:

We do our best to keep information like this fresh and up to date, but there are still things that are missed, old, or just plain wrong. If you see any of that, let us know. We will change it! You can contact us at [email protected].

The ultimate authority in all matters tax and tax foreclosure is the Wayne County Treasurer's Office.

[wdwot]

At Loveland Technologies, we picked up our Google Glass yesterday! Soon, Why Don’t We Own This? will be accessible via Glass, allowing users to survey Detroit property through an interface something like this!

[wdwot]

LOVETAX: A Modest Detroit Property Tax Proposal

Draft version of a proposal in process. Please send thoughts and feedback to [email protected].

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LOVETAX: Making Detroit’s Property Taxes Easy A Simple Proposal by Jerry Paffendorf & LOVELAND Technologies Please note all numbers used in this report are recent data snapshots that may have changed slightly in the last couple months. You can see the shape of the problem as well as the statistics we’ve gathered at http://whydontweownthis.com.

--- Summary: Detroit, which is undergoing a financial emergency, has a humungous, outsized, world-record-setting problem collecting property taxes, with nearly half-a-billion dollars outstanding and approximately 70,000 properties facing tax foreclosure. A lot of people don't pay their taxes because they find the whole process scary, intimidating, and confusing. We can change this in 30 days using the twin super powers of the internet and simple design, if given the chance. --- The Problem: Detroit currently has $443,818,881 owed in overdue property taxes & penalties. Of Detroit’s 316,120 taxable properties, 133,359 (42%) are currently behind on taxes. 74,319 properties are 3 years or more behind on their taxes, which under state law means they should be foreclosed and auctioned by Wayne County. The County doesn’t have the capacity to manage that many properties and its likely that 25,000 will be the number auctioned this fall. As a property owner, when you look at the options for understanding what you owe and where you can pay, it’s simply not a clear and straightforward process. Here is where we can make a massive improvement to the system and increase city revenues while giving a better experience to property owners. Let me keep the current description of how it currently works short: As a property owner, you’re supposed to receive letters from the city when it’s tax time. These letters don’t always reach owners (lost in the mail, sent to the wrong address, etc). People can pay by check, pay at City Hall or the County Treasurer’s Office, or pay online on the county and city website. At first glance, it sounds like all the bases are covered: You can pay by mail, you can pay in person, and you can pay online. Check, check, and check. What else do you want? This is where examining the actual experience of understanding what you owe and how to make payments comes into play. Because right now it is not a good experience. It is wordy and scary and leaky and slow and confusing, and it costs the city millions upon millions of dollars while pushing out Detroiters who don't understand what's happening. This short document outlines in brief a dramatically better option for understanding what taxes are owed on a property, along with how to pay and get on a sustainable payment plan, and a few helpful channels for owners to seek help if they can’t pay, request that their taxes be re-assessed, and a breakdown of where the money is going. As you read it please understand that this system could be implemented and begin increasing revenue collection within 30 days if permission is given to build it. Creation of the system we call LOVETAX wouldn’t even have to replace the existing online payment systems, it would simply be another information and payment channel, and therefore carry very little risk as an informed experiment in collecting missing revenue. --- How LOVETAX Works As A Solution: Preliminary mockups:

• People use a computer or smartphone to go to www.lovetax.us. There they are greeted with a simple search bar and a prompt to search for the address of a property they own. • Their search brings them to a clean page focused only that property’s annual tax dues and what, if anything, is owed in back taxes and penalties. • There is a payment button that lets people make a one-time payment or sign up to automatically make monthly payments from their credit or debit cards (as well as where to go to pay in person). • There is an email and text message box that lets people sign up to receive alerts when it’s time to pay taxes on the property. • There is a succinct breakdown of where their tax money is going. • There are options for finding help if they can’t pay and requesting that their taxes be re-assessed. LOVETAX benefits both the financial situation of the city through increased property tax revenue collection and the residents through better, clearer information, help, and options.

---

Compare To Current Online Property Tax Information & Payment Portals:

Go ahead and try to click through the whole thing:

Wayne County: http://www.co.wayne.mi.us/treasurer_payonline.htm

City of Detroit: https://www.detroitmi.gov/DepartmentsandAgencies/Finance/PropertyTax.aspx

Note that in addition to the general complexity and confusion, the very structure and length of the URL/web addresses assure that no one will reach them easily.

--- What Needs To Happen To Do LOVETAX: The code for LOVETAX is basically already written so the challenge is not primarily technical. What needs to happen is that the appropriate city and county bank accounts and databases must open up to receive the money that comes through the site, provide the latest tax data and make a note of payments in their records. The project needs a green light. --- Interesting Notes: While, as you can see, the shape of the service is incredibly simple with an intentional saber rattle against complexity, it does also allow for some interesting new tax paying behaviors and the collection of data about how tax policy should be updated. For starters, the system is so open that anybody can see and pay the taxes for any property in the city. It doesn’t have to be the owner or record. This means that multiple people with interest in a property have an easier time collaborating on payments, and, crucially in a city with so many people who are struggling, it allows people to much more easily help keep someone in their home. On the same note, it also allows renters to easily see if the house they’re living in about to be foreclosed and auctioned (you might not believe how many times this seems to happen). Frankly, a truly simple way to pay property taxes online might be the most effective tool to reduce Detroit’s world-record-setting tax foreclosure problem. By allowing people to subscribe to make automatic monthly payments, the concept of property taxes can become more like predictable rent that pays for city services, rather than a twice a year money dump that people try to avoid for obvious reasons. By showing where the money’s going, and getting better at where it goes over time, it might sound crazy, but the city could get to a place where people *enjoy* paying taxes the same way they enjoy funding projects they like and improving the city. This service can also be of critical importance in collecting the true scale and stories for why people want their taxes re-assessed. We know Detroit has outsized taxes to try and compensate for decreased population. It likely makes sense to be helpful in lowering people’s taxes to reasonable levels in order to predictably collect them rather than having so many people walk away. This system could first be implemented in Detroit and then easily scaled to the County, Metro Region, and the entire State of Michigan. A corresponding data dashboard for the city would help in identifying neighborhoods that need special assistance and community engagement. --- About LOVELAND Technologies LOVELAND has deep experience in mapping Detroit’s tax foreclosure crisis and communicating with city residents about the variety of problems they face because of it. A parcel-by-parcel map of Detroit’s Tax Distress is currently up on http://whydontweownthis.com. We would like to help improve Detroit’s property tax and revenue situation as well as help prevent tax foreclosures through tools like WDWOT and LOVETAX.

Please send ideas and feedback on this draft proposal to [email protected].

[wdwot]

LOVELAND/WDWOT March Update: Meetup, Site Control, Membership, Meetings, Knight

Sent to the mailing lists (you can sign up for these newsletters at the bottom of whydontweownthis.com, or follow updates on Facebook and Twitter):

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Dear WDWOT Members, LOVELAND friends, and assorted creatures at the tippy top of the animal kingdom,

A quick update on some things happening over here as we prepare to tip over the icy precipice into spring and, apparently, the unknown waters of emergency financial management. 

First, if you think it's been too long since we've met face to face, there will be a fun, informal "Map The Crap Out of Detroit" meetup at our downtown office at the Department of Alternatives (1514 Washington Blvd) next Wednesday the 13th from 6 - 8 PM, with wine, beer, pop, and a few awesome short presentations. Details and RSVP are at https://www.facebook.com/events/166046586878619 . 

We've been continuing to incrementally improve the WDWOT service (check your neighborhoods!) while working to get our new Site Control packages in order. The idea behind Site Control is that yes, important public information should be made free and public, but different neighborhood groups, businesses, and government departments often want to plan and have conversations around it that at first only include their neighbors, friends, and colleagues, and then share what they want to with the world. So Site Control will basically be a private, customizable version of WDWOT that you can invite people of your choosing into, just like you invite someone to a mailing list, google docs, etc.

If you think (or know) that your neighborhood group, project, businesses, department, etc etc, would be interested in something like that, let us know: [email protected].

On the individual Membership front we're creeeeeeping up towards 100 Members. We want to thank all of you early members again, and if you want to support the service and unlock a few extra features (with more to come) the $25 annual membership page (plus totally optional tip) is at: http://whydontweownthis.com/membership . 

All Membership support really helps the team. The size of the numbers on our bank statements have been looking like a kindergarten math problem for some time now. We're working really hard to crack open the smart revenue for sustainable growth nut, but all fan and appreciative user support really helps right now.

On that note I am happy to report that we have signed on to apply WDWOT skillz to a couple of really interesting new projects that are right in alignment with what we're already doing and will help improve the public service. We'll happily share more about that as the shoots grow a little taller.

We've also been having meetings, meetings, meetings, meetings with with everyone we can in the city who's involved with data, land use, public property, foreclosure, auctions, and the whole of it. We hope all of the relationships we're building, things we're learning, and information we're sharing will A.) help how the city operates in certain areas, B.) improve our services, and C.) help our services improve how the city operates.

Last thing for now, we just applied for the Knight Foundation's News Challenge, which this year has the theme of Open Government, so it's just perfect for what we're working on. If you feel the spirit, give some feedback and press the Applause button on the page, though if you do I ask that actually clap out loud: https://www.newschallenge.org/open/open-government/submission/why-don-t-we-own-this-detroit/ .

Chin up, to the ever imminent future,

Jerry & Team LOVELAND Facebook: http://facebook.com/makeloveland.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/makeloveland

[wdwot]

WDWOT Member Update 1

Dear WDWOT Members,

Thanks for taking the red pill and becoming the very first paid members of the service! You can see the little Pet Blocks starting to fill in at http://whydontweownthis.com/membership :-)

We'll try to refrain from over-communicating via email but you can always follow what we're up to and reach out to us any time through http://facebook.com/makeloveland and http://twitter.com/makeloveland .

Still, we wanted to let you know about some things going on one week out from the first update of 2013 and stay in the habit of updating everyone through one channel or another:

Visit Us:

Thursday, February 7th from 7 - 10 PM there's an open house with food and drinks at the downtown Detroit office space we share with some other great projects called the Department of Alternatives. Info and RSVP if you want to come by and meet: http://www.facebook.com/events/395934023833651/?fref=ts .

Feedback:

Please let us know at [email protected] or the feedback forum if there's anything at all we can do to improve your experience using the service. Right now we have lots of different kinds of general users and are trying to better define and serve different use-cases. Some of you are actively making maps and surveying properties, some of you are going over foreclosure risks in your neighborhood, some of you are looking up property owners, and others (most) just check in periodically when something in the world piques your interest. Maybe one of the biggest things we've noticed is that we should do a better job letting you know when you're making notes completely privately for your own record, so when you do check in you can easily scribble a note just for yourself without talking to the world. 

Meetings, meetings, meetings...

Earlier this week we met with the Wayne County Deputy Treasurer to continue our conversation about keeping our data fresh and helping prevent foreclosures. Next week we meet with the head of Detroit's Planning & Development Department to see about updating our list of city-owned properties, and after that we meet with the Director of the Detroit Land Bank who will likely be taking ownership of the nearly 9,000 unsold 2012 tax foreclosure properties. You should know that part of our job is developing these relationships to help deliver you more and better information and utility. 

Features & Data Updates:

We're working to get our first mobile photo app up on the Members-Only Labs section of the site. The project code name is "Blexting" and is being developed for the purpose of quickly taking and posting pictures of extremely blighted things to the map. We're also working on a few new data layers for you to view the city through, likely city-owned, land bank-owned, and bank-owned next.

Business & Block Club Packages:

Alongside individual site memberships, we've been developing private, customized, multi-user WDWOT packages for businesses, large projects, neighborhood groups and block clubs, and government departments. We just signed up a large custom project we'll be working on and are meeting with more businesses and block clubs who are interested in having a version of the service focused on their jobs and communities. If that sounds like something you're interested in, please let us know.

WDWOT In The News:

We've been excited by the number of people talking about the site, particularly the tax status view, which is something no one's really seen before. A couple of neat articles in particular:

Huffington Post Detroit: "'Why Don't We Own This' Site Maps Detroit's Housing Crisis With New Tools To Battle Back" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/why-dont-we-own-this-detroit_n_2550299.html

The Atlantic Cities: "Detroit's Property Tax Black Hole, in Map Form" http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2013/01/detroits-property-tax-black-hole/4517/

Thanks:

Thanks again. We're looking forward to continuing to develop the service beyond your expectations in 2013. Reach out anytime and share http://whydontweownthis.com with your networks when you see a need,

The LOVELAND & WDWOT Team

(Jerry, Mary, Larry, & Alex)

[wdwot]

Off To See The Auction Wizards! Part 1

Posted by Jerry:

Alex and Mary from the WDWOT team hang out in the Wayne County Treasurer's Office conference room before our meeting:

Yesterday Mary and Alex and I from the WDWOT team sat down with the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction team for a wide-ranging 2-hour discussion. Among those present were County Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz, Chief Deputy Treasurer David Szymanski, Deputy Eric Sabree, and 1/2 a dozen others from the county team.

David's been reading all your comments on WDWOT and reached out a couple weeks ago asking if we'd like to meet. It was really great to sit down and share like that. Thanks to David and everyone in that department. I'll say up front, again, these guys have an insane job trying to deal effectively with this sort of problem at this sort of unprecedented scale, and they really do think through the game theory and trade-offs of different approaches, but things get...complicated. 

We talked about a lllooottt of stuff, so I'm going to try and be succinct and action-oriented here with just a couple big things it sounds like we should be working on:

What's going to happen to the 8,000 properties that didn't sell?

Cities and towns in Wayne County have until January to decide if they want to take ownership of properties that didn't sell. It sounds like the county will send the leftovers straight to the Michigan Land Bank, which is, we learned, also what happened to the 5,000+ leftover properties from the 2011 auction. 

Note: After last year's auction Detroit chose not to take ownership of the 7,000+ leftover properties (out of 13,000+ auctioned for $500), at which point the county made an effort to knock on doors and find local buyers, and then tried auctioning the leftovers again for $500 per structure and $200 per vacant lot. Still 5,000 remained, so this year they just want to try to get things to the land bank. 

That's a lot of new properties headed to the state land bank -- approximately 13,000 just out of the last 2 auctions -- which currently has no effective way for visualizing and communicating around their holdings...essentially the same situation as the county auction but under state control, so WDWOT can be easily pointed in this direction.

*An Additional Note written by Alex Alsup: An interesting point on the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority, which I believe is the entity that will handle these properties -- the Michigan Land Bank captures 50% of taxes for five years on any properties transferred out of the Land Bank. Source linked to here, in PDF form. Certainly a necessity for the function of the land bank, just a point worth noting.

We gotta check again, but I see the land bank owning 7,000+ Detroit properties prior to this, so that would put the Michigan Land Bank's Detroit holdings at up to 20,000 which was the size of the auction that just happened.

Our homework: Go have a beer with the Michigan Land Bank and see what the plan is! Well, that and do some more surveying and conversating around the leftover properties from the last couple auctions. We want to help you and the land bank help each other get a grip on this inventory, maybe especially calling out things that need to be cleaned up or torn down and be helpful in crowdsourcing solutions.

This house that I randomly drove up to playing auction-leftover-roulette the other day is the story of many of these places, and needs dealing with now:

What's going to happen at next year's auction? 

Big question. One of the things we discussed is how the auction happens once a year, mandated by state law, but the systemic things around it happen every day and can be helped through better early awareness, foreclosure prevention, and preparation strategies.

It sounds like there are 43,000-some properties currently moving into 2013 tax foreclosure and bound for the auction if owners don't get on a tax plan (which is what happens after 3 years of no property tax payments) . The vast lion's share is in Detroit which has around 380,000 total properties, so that's basically 1 in 10 of every lot, house, and building you see in the D.

That number is similar to 2012 year and it's hoped that roughly 1/2 of those properties get on a tax payment plan and avoid the auction. 

To that end, as soon as we can we're going to map and show this list, and link to an easier way for people to get on a tax payment plan. That way owners and renters alike will have a clear channel for checking the status of where they live and make arrangements if all isn't right. Hopefully this will also help housing and neighborhood groups in identifying and reaching out to people who may be at risk of tax foreclosure. You'll be able to just type in your address or cross-streets and see what's about to fall off the edge of the tax map.

That's a lot of writing, so I'll be quiet for a minute.

Don't forget, at 6 PM on Wednesday, November 28th, LOVELAND is doing a big Model D and UIX event on the auction and Detroit land called "No Property Left Behind" (details and Facebook RSVP are here). Looks like more than 100 people are RSVP'd so far, and David said he or Eric from the auction team will try to make it, too, which is great. 

As always, to be continued...

[wdwot]

Quick Auction Recap Stats

Posted by Jerry:

As we digest the data, stories, and ideas from the auction, here's the raw financial big picture, excerpted from a Q&A thread on WDWOT called "How would you redesign the auction?"

image of Detroit made out of numbers by Alex B Hill:

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

...Also think about the financial collection gap in the current approach, where the unprecedented scale of Detroit's tax foreclosures really throws off the curve. This year's auction generated approximately $50,000,000 in bids, which appears to leave an approximately *Quarter Billion Dollar* deficit in tax revenue the county says it's owed. Since 2,000 tax foreclosed properties were withdrawn from the auction after starting with 22,500 -- presumably because the owners got on some sort of tax plan -- the totals originally owed may have changed somewhat, but there will also be some bids where the money doesn't actually come in: ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ • Sum of all back taxes originally owed on all 2012's tax foreclosures in all Wayne County: $275,521,615  • All back taxes owed just Detroit: $239,845,800  • All back taxes owed everywhere else: $35,675,815 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ • Total money bid at auction in all Wayne County (Round 1 & 2): $49,975,566  • Total money bid in just Detroit: $32,525,044  • Total money bid elsewhere: $17,450,522 ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ***Countywide collection gap: $225,546,049*** ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ You can see some county stats including the number of properties sold (11,972) and unsold (8,686) athttp://whydontweownthis.com/us/mi/wayne And Detroit stats (10,570 sold and 7,907 unsold) athttp://whydontweownthis.com/us/mi/wayne/detroit ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ We should add the total back taxes owed to the dashboard, too, for easier comparison -- had to add up totals from individual cities. I remember when Macomb County decided to sell all its 627 tax foreclosure auction properties to one bidder without competition for $4.8 million a little bit back, the reason given was that the county just needed to cover back taxes owed, and since the buyer was willing to pay, their duty was done without needing an auction. (Map and link to news story athttp://whydontweownthis.com/us/mi/macomb ). If raw financials are the driving duty, and if the gap is really is in the neighborhood of $225,546,049, we gotta get Wayne County on kickstarter.com. Jeepers.

[wdwot]

Second Day Bid Update & Left Behind Status + Michigan Ave Action

48 hours after the start of the auction there are 8,027 bids on 3,921 properties totaling $3,245,376 across all Wayne County. You can follow the live bid feed at whydontweownthis.com/bids. The first properties start ending tomorrow morning, with properties ending in waves through Friday, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of spikes that causes.

For those playing the No Property Left Behind home game, there are currently 14,561 Detroit properties without a bid.

Among those currently left behind is this building at 3551 Michigan Avenue that caught my eye because I pass it pretty frequently and wonder what the heck is going to happen to it, and when. Bill's Blue Star Disco Lounge, west of Corktown not too far from downtown:

And from above:

Aaand from behind: 

This would be a pretty straight-forward example of a problem property that needs to be dealt with like I wrote about the in the Deal With It, Detroit article on Huffington Post.

Interestingly, just next door the 3461 Michigan Avenue property has a $500 bid (the green and brick one):

And from above. Anybody know a roofer?:

A WDWOT commenter says about the property:

Spiffy Mcspoonful: This building was broken into a day before the auction started. Previously it's been secure for 15 years. Windows are now missing from upstairs, you can hear water flooding the basement. Both side doors are wide open. Assume this building has been completed stripped! If you want it first thing to do is shut off what at the street, secure the doors.

15 years. And someone breaks in today? Very curious to see what, if anything, happens to the block. If you know anything more about the area please post. It maaay be time to deal with it.

[wdwot]

"Deal With It, Detroit" Published On Huffington Post

Posted by Jerry:

Published on the Huffington Post: Deal With It, Detroit.

Deal With It, Detroit: Five percent of the city's properties are for sale at $500 auction right now, with 1/2 not expected to sell. So what happens next?

...

With new web-based tools for managing the process alongside hardworking organizations who've been doing work like this for a long time, we can now efficiently match the people with resources with the people in the neighborhood who have the local knowledge of the big, hard problems that need solving.

[wdwot]

The Detroit News Covers WDWOT & The Auction

Posted by Jerry:

Hey! Who you calling an online tool? Oh, right, the website. :-)

The Detroit News ran an article about WDWOT and the auction called "Online tool helps buyers navigate auction."

I get quoted as saying: 

"We are trying to build a better Detroit through transparency," he said. "The city is just so bad at that. There is an uninformed people and an uninformed marketplace, which makes it somewhat impossible for a democracy and a market to function properly."

Alex says:

"What guides us here is the radical position that public information should be taken to the public."

Alex needs to get his head checked if that's really his attitude. Take it to North Korea, bub. 

Oop, wrong script.

The sharing will continue until the public is informed.

[wdwot]

Tax Payer Money Promoting Tax Foreclosure Auction ++

Post and pic by Jerry:

Today the Free Press has an article titled "Taxpayers, nonprofit foot bill for ads supporting incumbents in metro Detroit." Turns out this also involves the Wayne County tax auction. Here's an excerpt, emphasis added:

Advertisements or flyers from political candidates in the month before elections generally are paid for with money from the candidates' supporters.

But taxpayers and a nonprofit group are helping carry positive messages from three incumbent county officials in Oakland and one in Wayne County. And it's perfectly legal -- at least for now.

...

Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner, a Democrat, has spent $60,000 on TV ads over the last three years that tell homeowners about the tax foreclosure auction and how to avoid foreclosure.

Wayne County Treasurer Raymond Wotjowicz, also a Democrat, has a similar program and has an advertising budget of $300,000 to try to publicize the auctions to get rid of homes that are now owned by the county because property taxes hadn't been paid.

Both men are prominently featured in TV commercials. Each said the ads more than paid for themselves through increased sales of tax-foreclosed homes.

"For years, we lost money in our auctions. Last year, when we started advertising, we went up to $33.5 million in sales and paid taxes," said David Szymanski, Wayne County's chief deputy treasurer. "That's a pretty good return on investment."

Meisner noted that the $60,000 ad buy brought in more than $22.6 million in auction sales and homeowners paying their delinquent taxes.

"The return on investment speaks for itself," he said. "We took a very difficult time, when the county stood to lose a great deal of money and we've made lemonade from lemons."

Last year was the second year that the tax auction happened online via Bid4Assets, and the first year that Why Don't We Own This? mapped and tracked it.

We did it for free as a public service, and I remember after the auction someone calling and saying, "So when are you getting your check from the county, you must have made them $20 million."

Well, we don't know about that, but it is interesting.

Mary and I listen to WDET radio everyday, and they've been running the commercials saying that "in an effort to stabilize neighborhoods" they're having the tax auction so please visit treasurer.waynecounty.com to see what's going on. But no matter how many people follow an ad to the site, they won't be able to see what's going on. You go from here with the one tiny link to auction info:

To a page where you have to scroll way down to open up a 1,684 page PDF and spreadsheet that provides a text link of properties sorted by auction ID.

Similar story from the Bid4Assets site.

And to step back:

The total back taxes the county is trying to make up for at this year's auction is roughly $250,000,000, or a quarter-billion dollars in Detroit alone. At last year's auction they got $20-and-a-half million back from Detroit, which came from 1,133 people buying 5,815 out of 13,050 Detroit auction properties we tracked on WDWOT.

That's a huge gap, both in money and in people not understanding what's going on and in properties left behind. Just thought it was interesting that advertising is where the return on investment focus was, and how big the revenue gap is. I gotta go have a beer with the county auction guys. If anyone can hook that up please let me know.

[wdwot]

@WDWOT Is On Twitter

Twitter.com/WDWOT now tweets public posts and bids from whydontweownthis.com/feed. 

[wdwot]

Please Forward To The Media

Posted by Jerry with some writing by Alex:

At LOVELAND and WDWOT our usual style is to just keep working and let things be as interesting as they want to be -- AKA we don't normally reach out to press, we just let our works float through the webs and words of mouth at their own speed -- but with the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction starting this Friday and being so damn significant but so under-discussed, it's probably time to beat the drum a bit.

Alex wrote up this short press release which I tweaked the knobs on just a bit. If you know anyone in the media who might want to do a story, please see and pass along the text below, or say "Check this out: http://whydontweownthis.com. It's like a social network for $500 auction properties in Detroit or something."

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Subject: Why Don't We Own This? Maps 20K $500 Detroit Auction Properties, Helps Plan Future

This Friday, the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction will open with nearly 20,000 Detroit properties on sale for minimum opening bids of $500. The parcels for sale amount to roughly 5% of all parcels in the City of Detroit and, if history is any indication, likely half will go unsold. This is the largest auction of its kind in the country, and the largest in Detroit’s history.

I am writing to you from Loveland Technologies in Detroit, where we have developed a website called Why Don't We Own This? that maps the land available in the auction. We offer a platform where people can discuss Detroit land use and collaborate on projects and solutions that address Detroit's considerable challenges including disinvestment, depopulation, blight, and vacant land. 

We work to present critical data to Detroit and the world in a coherent and readable form, filling a gap that the City of Detroit - despite its $115 million IT budget - has yet to address. We also aim to make the auction process transparent, and both better support and hold accountable those who purchase land in the auction, when the city is most vulnerable to speculation and absentee ownership.

We would be grateful if you took the time to look into the auction and Why Don't We Own This?, and considered informing your readers of what's happening in Detroit.

Many thanks.

_______________________________

313-649-LAND

LOVELAND Technologies: http://makeloveland.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/makeloveland

Twitter: http://twitter.com/makeloveland

[wdwot]

Squat or Die

A post by System D

An only-in-Detroit news item buzzed about the internet today: Fox reported that a woman is being forced to live alongside a squatter in her own home, the squatter is refusing to leave, and cannot be evicted by force.

Oh, also the squatter is a write-in candidate for president because Detroit.

There are a lot of ins, a lot of outs, a lot of interested parties in this story, of course, and I don't care to rehash everything here -- or speculate on which parts of the Fox story are worded weasel-ey to get a rise out of readers, and which are just poorly written.

I thought it might be good, though, to provide some useful information on squatter's rights. Here is a link (WARNING: It is a link to a PDF!) to a document titled "'Squatter's' Rights in Detroit: A Legal Analysis." It includes such useful tidbits as this:

"Generally, “squatters” fall into two (2) categories. “Squatters” are considered: (1) people who occupy what would otherwise be vacant or abandoned homes without the permission of the owner and (2) people who once had a legal right to occupy a home, but subsequently lost that right by defaulting on their mortgage or lease."

Distinction! Good to know.

Hopefully it provides some helpful information and, should you find yourself in a similar situation to the aforementioned lady, you know you have an alternative to the most popular suggestion in the news story's comment section:

"Squatters? Walk in, shoot them, call the police and say that someone broke into your house. You walked in during a home invasion. Problem solved!"

[wdwot]

73 Former Detroit Celebrity Homes & The $500 Auction Properties Who Love Them

Posted by Jerry:

This post lists numbers and links to maps of 2,200-some $500 Detroit auction properties within a quarter mile of 73 different celebrities' former homes in the city. From Rosa Parks (102 properties) to Tom Selleck (104 properties), from James Lipton (21) to Malcolm X (59), from Berry Gordy (23) to Ted Nugent (62) to Jack White (12) to Eminem (134) to Henry Ford (12) to [...drum roll...] beyond.

The addresses are taken in chronological order from a picture book called "Home in Detroit: Where They Lived... in the Motor City" by T Burton, with a forward by John George from Blight Busters (thanks to Jen Ruud for letting me borrow her copy). Here's Mary from LOVELAND modeling it on her head. It's great. You should buy it. Doubles as a hat:

Long story short, over the weekend I had this song by Detroit rapper Danny Brown stuck in my head (yes that is a dude breaking up scrapped metal piping in the kitchen -- good to see for those looking to move into empty auction houses):

In the song he shouts out Linwood, so I googled and saw on Wikipedia that Danny's from the Dexter-Linwood area of Detroit. I typed that into the map search engine on whydontweownthis.com and saw that within one quarter mile section of that area there are 57 properties coming up for auction for $500 at the 20,000 property city- and county-wide Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction running October 19 - 26.

I thought it was an interesting view alongside the scenes in the video, and it struck me I wanted to see more of what's going on around Detroit locations with significance and story. We've been trying to get more people tuned into the fact that the world's largest property auction is about to go down in Detroit and no one's talking about it, so maybe looking up what's going on around some famous houses would wake people up to it a bit.

Here's what you need to know before scanning the list:

The Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction happens in 2 rounds. During round 1, which happened a couple weeks ago, properties that had fallen 3 years behind in property taxes were foreclosed on by the county and auctioned with the opening bid equal to the taxes owed. What didn't sell or get withdrawn is now about to be auctioned in round 2 for an opening bid of $500. Round 2 starts on October 19th and runs through the 26th. 

Fewer than 800 properties sold in round 1, and of the nearly 20,000 Detroit properties left at round 2 (just about 5% of the total number of properties in the city), half are expected not to sell -- meaning there will likely be 10,000 properties left behind, which account for 2.5% of all properties in Detroit, which could have been purchased for $5,000,000. Something to consider as you browse the list.

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1. Rosa Parks: 3201 Virginia Park (view microhood map) -- 102 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $50,500 to bid on all 101 remaining $500 properties in round 2

2. Malcolm X: 18827 Keystone (view microhood map) -- 59 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $28,500 to bid on all 57 remaining $500 properties in round 2

3. Betty Shabazz: 313 Hague (view microhood map) -- 48 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 3 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $22,000 to bid on all 44 remaining $500 properties in round 2

4. Elijah Mohammad: 3059 Yemans (view microhood map) -- 18 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 7 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $4,000 to bid on all 8 remaining $500 properties in round 2

5. Henry Ford: 140 Edison (view microhood map) -- 12 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $4,500 to bid on all 9 remaining $500 properties in round 2

6. John Dodge: 75 East Boston (view microhood map) -- 15 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $7,000 to bid on all 14 remaining $500 properties in round 2

7. John DeLorean: 17199 Marx (view microhood map) -- 36 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $18,000 to bid on all 36 remaining $500 properties in round 2

8. Walther P. Reuther: 3240 W Philadelphia (view microhood map) -- 98 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $48,000 to bid on all 96 remaining $500 properties in round 2

9. Jimmy Hoffa: 4742 Toledo (view microhood map) -- 11 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $4,000 to bid on all 8 remaining $500 properties in round 2

10. Dennis Archer: 1642 Lincolnshire (view microhood map) - 2 at auction, 0 withdrawn, 2 sold // -- 2 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 2 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $0 to bid on all 0 remaining $500 properties in round 2

11. Carl Levin: 8931 La Salle (view microhood map) -- 56 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $26,500 to bid on all 53 remaining $500 properties in round 2

12. Mike and Marion Illitch: 7321 Chalfonte (view microhood map) -- 30 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $13,500 to bid on all 27 remaining $500 properties in round 2

13. Peter Karmanos: 16161 Asbury Park (view microhood map) -- 61 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 9 withdrawn -- $25,500 to bid on all 51 remaining $500 properties in round 2

14. Charles Lindbergh: 1120 W Forest (view microhood map) -- 1 property at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $0 to bid on all 0 remaining $500 properties in round 2

15. Sebastian Kresge: 70 W Boston (view microhood map) -- 14 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $6,500 to bid on all 13 remaining $500 properties in round 2

16. Sonny Eliot: 3242 Calvert (view microhood map) -- 52 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $25,500 to bid on all 51 remaining $500 properties in round 2

17. Casey Casem: 454 Alexandrine (view microhood map) -- 1 property at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $0 to bid on all 0 remaining $500 properties in round 2

18. Marvin Mitchelson: 2037 West Grand (view microhood map) -- 23 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $11,000 to bid on all 22 remaining $500 properties in round 2

19. Ivan Boesky: 17405 Fairfield (view microhood map) -- 9 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 2 sold in round 1 -- 4 withdrawn -- $1,500 to bid on all 3 remaining $500 properties in round 2

20. Philip Levine: 19360 Santa Rosa (view microhood map) -- 21 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 6 sold in round 1 -- 5 withdrawn -- $5,000 to bid on all 10 remaining $500 properties in round 2

21. James Lipton: 280 Hague (view microhood map) -- 21 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 6 sold in round 1 -- 5 withdrawn -- $5,000 to bid on all 10 remaining $500 properties in round 2

22. Dr Wayne Dyer: 20217 Moross (view microhood map) -- 49 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 2 sold in round 1 -- 4 withdrawn -- $21,500 to bid on all 43 remaining $500 properties in round 2

23. Francis Ford Coppola: 17540 Kentucky (view microhood map) -- note: house next door was bought by largest buyer in round 1 -- 29 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 9 sold in round 1 -- 5 withdrawn -- $7,500 to bid on all 15 remaining $500 properties in round 2

24. Jerry Bruckheimer: 19784 Ardmore (view microhood map) - 47 at auction, 8 sold, 6 withdrawn, $20,500 for remaining 33 // -- 47 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 8 sold in round 1 -- 6 withdrawn -- $16,500 to bid on all 33 remaining $500 properties in round 2

25. Lynn Goldsmith: 19172 Steel (view microhood map) -- 26 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 9 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $7,000 to bid on all 14 remaining $500 properties in round 2

26. Jackie Kallen: 18468 Hartwell (view microhood map) -- 29 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 9 sold in round 1 -- 5 withdrawn -- $7,500 to bid on all 15 remaining $500 properties in round 2

27. Mike Wallace: 4863 Second Blvd (view microhood map) -- 1 property at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $0 to bid on all 0 remaining $500 properties in round 2

28. Sonny Bono: 5380 Holcomb (view microhood map) -- 43 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $21,000 to bid on all 42 remaining $500 properties in round 2

29. Ellen Burstyn: 3721 Hazelwood (view microhood map) -- 77 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $38,500 to bid on all 77 remaining $500 properties in round 2

30. David Allen Grier: 2200 West Boston (view microhood map) -- 48 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 4 withdrawn -- $22,000 to bid on all 44 remaining $500 properties in round 2

31. Marla Gibbs: 4003 Clements (view microhood map) -- 49 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $22,500 to bid on all 45 remaining $500 properties in round 2

32. George Peppard: 99 Burlingame (view microhood map) -- 29 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $12,500 to bid on all 25 remaining $500 properties in round 2

33. Gilda Radner: 17330 Wildemere (view microhood map) -- 5 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $1,500 to bid on all 3 remaining $500 properties in round 2

34. George C. Scott: 18981 Pennington (view microhood map) -- 34 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 9 sold in round 1 -- 10 withdrawn -- $7,500 to bid on all 15 remaining $500 properties in round 2

35. Veronica Webb: 4187 Burns (view microhood map) -- Note: neighboring house is at auction -- 25 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 2 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $12,500 to bid on all 23 remaining $500 properties in round 2

36. Tom Selleck: 10530 Lakepointe (view microhood map) -- Note: 3 houses in a row on his street -- 104 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $50,500 to bid on all 101 remaining $500 properties in round 2

37. Lily Tomlin: 223 Louise (view microhood map) -- Note: in Highland Park (a small, independent city within Detroit) -- 64 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $30,500 to bid on all 61 remaining $500 properties in round 2

38. Robert Wagner: 17410 Fairway (view microhood map) -- 5 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 2 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $1,000 to bid on all 2 remaining $500 properties in round 2

39. Tom Skerritt: 12003 Cheyenne (view microhood map) -- Note: neighboring house is at auction -- 54 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $26,000 to bid on all 52 remaining $500 properties in round 2

40. Danny Thomas: 93 Adelaide (view microhood map) -- 1 property at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $0 to bid on all 0 remaining $500 properties in round 2

41. Harry Morgan: 198 Rhode Island (view microhood map) -- 34 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 4 withdrawn -- $15,000 to bid on all 30 remaining $500 properties in round 2

42. Berry Gordy: 918 Boston (view microhood map) -- 23 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $11,000 to bid on all 22 remaining $500 properties in round 2

43. Diana Ross: 3762 W Buena Vista (view microhood map) -- 54 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 4 withdrawn -- $24,500 to bid on all 49 remaining $500 properties in round 2

44. Florence Ballard: 3767 W Buena Vista (view microhood map) -- 55 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 4 withdrawn -- $25,000 to bid on all 50 remaining $500 properties in round 2

45. Mary Wilson: 4099 W Buena Vista (view microhood map) -- 41 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $18,500 to bid on all 37 remaining $500 properties in round 2

46. Temptations 1: 1160 Clairmount (view microhood map) -- 28 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $12,500 to bid on all 25 remaining $500 properties in round 2

47. Temptations 2: 19734 Appoline (view microhood map) -- 26 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 5 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $9,500 to bid on all 19 remaining $500 properties in round 2

48. Temptations 3: 16531 Baylis (view microhood map) -- 45 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 3 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $21,000 to bid on all 42 remaining $500 properties in round 2

49. Temptations 4: 2211 Pingree (view microhood map) -- 60 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 4 withdrawn -- $28,000 to bid on all 56 remaining $500 properties in round 2

50. Temptations 5: 1979 Seward (view microhood map) -- 35 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 5 withdrawn -- $15,000 to bid on all 30 remaining $500 properties in round 2

51. Aretha Franklin: 649 E Boston (view microhood map) -- 28 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $13,000 to bid on all 26 remaining $500 properties in round 2

52. Smokey Robinson: 581 Belmont (view microhood map) -- Note: Neighboring houses at auction -- 38 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $17,500 to bid on all 35 remaining $500 properties in round 2

53. Martha Reeves: 2409 Townsend (view microhood map) -- 30 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 5 withdrawn -- $12,500 to bid on all 25 remaining $500 properties in round 2

54. Marvin Gaye: 19315 Appoline (view microhood map) -- 26 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 8 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $8,000 to bid on all 16 remaining $500 properties in round 2

55. Gladys Knight: 16860 La Salle (view microhood map) -- 22 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 2 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $9,500 to bid on all 19 remaining $500 properties in round 2

56. Stevie Wonder: 18074 Greenlawn (view microhood map) -- 23 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 3 sold in round 1 -- 6 withdrawn -- $7,000 to bid on all 14 remaining $500 properties in round 2

57. Edwin Starr: 20511 Ardmore (view microhood map) -- 22 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 4 sold in round 1 -- 6 withdrawn -- $6,000 to bid on all 12 remaining $500 properties in round 2

58. Jackie Wilson: 16522 La Salle (view microhood map) -- Note: House across the street at auction -- 44 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 4 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $20,000 to bid on all 40 remaining $500 properties in round 2

59. Ray Parker Jr: 3780 Virginia Park (view microhood map) -- 79 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $38,500 to bid on all 77 remaining $500 properties in round 2

60. Jack White: 1203 Ferdinand (view microhood map) -- 13 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $6,000 to bid on all 12 remaining $500 properties in round 2

61. Ted Nugent: 23251 Florence (view microhood map) -- Note: Lots of contiguous properties -- 62 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $29,500 to bid on all 59 remaining $500 properties in round 2

62. Eminem: 19946 Dresden (view microhood map) - Note: Lots of contiguous properties -- 137 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $67,000 to bid on all 134 remaining $500 properties in round 2

63. Ty Cobb: 800 Atkinson (view microhood map) -- 20 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $8,500 to bid on all 17 remaining $500 properties in round 2

64. Spencer Haywood: 18421 Sunset (view microhood map) -- 42 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $21,000 to bid on all 42 remaining $500 properties in round 2

65. Dave DeBusschere: 16011 Evanston (view microhood map) -- 103 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 4 withdrawn -- $49,500 to bid on all 99 remaining $500 properties in round 2

66. Ron LeFlore: 3454 Van Dyke (view microhood map) -- 25 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 2 withdrawn -- $11,500 to bid on all 23 remaining $500 properties in round 2

67. Rudy Tomjanovich: 11428 Nagel (view microhood map) -- 25 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 4 sold in round 1 -- 0 withdrawn -- $10,500 to bid on all 21 remaining $500 properties in round 2

68. Jerome Bettis: 10384 Aurora (view microhood map) -- 81 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $40,000 to bid on all 80 remaining $500 properties in round 2

69. Frank Tanana: 7751 Dayton (view microhood map) -- 65 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 4 withdrawn -- $30,500 to bid on all 61 remaining $500 properties in round 2

70. Greg Kelser: 20161 Cooley (view microhood map) -- 32 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 3 withdrawn -- $14,500 to bid on all 29 remaining $500 properties in round 2

71. Jerry Glanville: 16648 Edmore (view microhood map) -- 23 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 1 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $10,500 to bid on all 21 remaining $500 properties in round 2

72. Chris Webber: 16725 Biltmore (view microhood map) -- 60 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 5 withdrawn -- $27,500 to bid on all 55 remaining $500 properties in round 2

73. Benny Parsons: 64 E Montana (view microhood map) -- 47 properties at auction within a quarter mile -- 0 sold in round 1 -- 1 withdrawn -- $23,000 to bid on all 46 remaining $500 properties in round 2

[wdwot]

*Every* Property Left Behind

Posted by Jerry:

With round 2 of the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction just 2 weeks away, and not toooo many people seeming to be seriously interested in the fact that 5% of Detroit's properties (20,000) are about to be auctioned for an opening bid of $500 each, and that 1/2 are unlikely to receive any bids at all (meaning someone could buy 10,000 properties -- 2.5% of all Detroit's properties -- for $5,000,000 and use the opportunity to do something tremendous), maybe it's time to consider some other approaches to messaging this issue.

We've written about this "No Property Left Behind" idea, and will more, but it's at least interesting to consider what an "Every Property Left Behind" campaign with tongue firmly in cheek would look like, since we may well see more than 1/2 of these properties left behind again.

As a precedent, here's what happened in Troy, Michigan earlier this year when a campaign used reverse-psychology to get more people excited about saving the city's library:

The city of Troy, Michigan was facing a budget shortfall, and was considering closing the Troy Public Library for lack of funds. Even though the necessary revenues could be raised through a miniscule tax increase, powerful anti-tax groups in the area were organized against it. A vote was scheduled amongst the city's residents, to shut the library or accept the tax increase, and Leo Burnett Detroit decided to support the library by creating a reverse psychology campaign. Yard signs began appearing that read: "Vote to Close Troy Library on August 2nd - Book Burning Party on August 5th." No one wants to be a part of a town that burns books, and the outraged citizens of Troy pushed back against the "idiotic book burners" and ultimately supported the tax increase, thus ensuring the library's survival.

Along these lines, in an alternate reality:

Every Property Left Behind celebrates Detroit's continued disinvestment and vacancy. It agrees that the city is too bombed out and cancerous to live in, and too full of self-defeating politics and spite to care about. For decades people have been saying Detroit is at rock bottom, but we say if we continue to not work together, to not try new ideas, and to rely on the inertial establishment we can still reach deeper depths previously thought unimaginable. This October, EPLB will celebrate another unsuccessful auction with a good old fashioned abandoned house burning party, and would like to thank the world for passing over another unmatched triple-bottom-line investment opportunity to bolster a great American city on an international border. Because, really, how could there ever be any value there in the 21st century?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯