DeKalb County Demolishes Vacant Home

3573 Orchard Circle in Decatur was torn down Tuesday, December 7, 2016. According to one of the neighbors the demolition crew showed up and within two hours had the house torn down. According to a July 13, 2016 Champion Newspaper article  “Blighted houses like this one are being targeted by DeKalb County officials who are working to rid the county of uninhabitable homes.

So far this year the county has demolished three homes and more demolitions are being scheduled.

“The county is currently utilizing the in-rem program to move through the legal process as it pertains to demolition of properties that are no longer suited for habitation,” said Tonza Clark, the county’s foreclosure registry manager and vacant property manager.

The in-rem process is the legal proceeding during which “the county goes before the state court to request of the court the authority to go onto the property to either abate the issues that are…there because they qualify as uninhabitable or dangerous properties, or to demolish it,” Markus Kellum, the county’s code enforcement administrator, said.

During the in-rem proceeding, the owner retains ownership of the property; the cost of the demolition is placed as a lien on the property.

The main source of funding for the demolition program is the federal Community Development Block Grant. The average cost per demolition is $16,000. The county has identified additional funding sources in the sanitation department for demolition and the fire rescue department for controlled burns.

“If a property is already engulfed, and it’s not salvageable, instead of leaving the structure halfway burned, the [fire] department will control that burn so that the property will become completely demolished with the fire and then the only thing that we have to do as a county is remove the debris, rather than go back and have to remove a half-burned structure,” Clark said.”

BEFORE PHOTOS

DeKalb County Vacant Property Before Photo

DeKalb County Vacant Property Before Demolition

AFTER PHOTOS

DeKalb Vacant Property After Demolition

DeKalb Vacant Property After Demolition

This home was located in 30032 in Decatur and vacant homes like this are becoming less common. In fact, according to Zillow homes prices increased 20% in 2016 are forecast to rise another 10% in 2017. So now is the time to sell or buy. Call me for a consultation.

Kevin Polite
404-299-7100
HausZwei Homes
www.hauszweihomes.com