NYC fixing up and selling "zombie homes"

From abandoned to affordable, thousands of homes creating eyesores in city neighborhoods could soon be a beacon of hope in a tight real estate market. CBS2's Lisa Rozner has more on "zombie homes" in this exclusive report.

[@theotheleo6830]

Abandoned homes have issues such as mold due to leaky roofs, so I suggest extreme caution when purchasing. It may look decent after the rehab, but the owners rehabbed them to sell, not live in. Banks are notorious penny pinchers; they'll cut corners whenever they can get away with it.

[@fuvjvjchxhc7063]

Yes some of these contractors are terrible. I watched them renovate and it's just sad how they covered the flaws

[@ayshafareed4935]

👌

[@thatgirlPAIGE94]

Great point!

[@shapienails3067]

For sure your so right , Landlords are another type that love to cover stuff up or micky mouse shabby work. SMH

[@shapienails3067]

@John Jones I've heard of sellers paying off inspection people or finding ones that will turn their heads at shabby work.

[@arain764niara]

How is $600k affordable?! That's mansion in other places

[@thelotto1262]

600k and you have rats running around everywhere, eating through your garbage. God forbid you do a little planting in the backyard, the possums, raccoons and rats will have a field day.

[@tehjkhruighreuig]

No lie they charging a million per house where I live in Brooklyn and that shit in the middle of the ghetto garbage rats and addicts everywhere

[@Mary-io1mb]

I said the same thing. And the interesting part is the neighbor where these homes are located. These homes are not in upscale neighborhoods.

[@Mr_blue_7777]

I think its disgusting they are practically milking machines

[@JustAnotherConspiracyTheorist]

I feel for the neighbors when their property taxes go through the roof.

[@Mary-io1mb]

Great idea but 600+K homes are not really “affordable “.

[@patricialavallee8286]

AMEN .sell for over 1 million I bet

[@johnbonora7]

In ny it is

[@terryowen6759]

I think they should be cheaper, it's OK to make some money but under a government loan program, they should be affordable

[@phantomjosh2148]

It is. What are you gonna get a cheap 200k home or something

[@nittygrittywithcarlton2203]

​@@phantomjosh2148outta state.for sure

[@yellowrice1453]

$600k affordable housing? I’m poorer then I thought😂.

[@greenbyrd3665]

Me too! Work every day and no way would I be able to afford a $600K house, but at least I do live in beautiful, and more affordable Ohio! 🤣🤣

[@greenbyrd3665]

@Natural_Born_Writer Yes, that is indeed sad.

[@yellowrice1453]

When I finally had enough to possibly buy a house or a condo is when the market spiked up and basically could no longer afford to. I’m sure by the time I have saved more. It will increase again…. At least I no longer have high hopes and I’m just accepting it for what it is.

[@truthhurts...6574]

@@yellowrice1453 keep saving and be patient. It's going to come down one way or another. Just be ready to pounce on the opportunity when it comes.

[@carnage50x]

@@yellowrice1453 I'm exactly in the same position. I've been camping on my parents good will for longer than I'd like. But it's given me the opportunity to save up even more. Hopefully by next year the market crashes and houses atleast go back to normal.

[@purplepeoplesparty2368]

"Fix'in" them up so the city can get tax revenue and investors can buy and rent out at unaffordable rates. Nothing to do with helping "po fok" housing.

[@joseywales148]

Gotcha- damn right

[@SIC-SEMPER-TYRANNIS]

Exactly, and expensive lead and asbestos abatement, and renovation permits!

[@ennz2798]

Affordable lol it's almost $500K in a crappy neighborhood....

[@391zuma]

Exactly with small property size we left to jersey 50 minutes from work in manhattan and we got 100x100 3 bedroom 1 family home for 350k with 20/30 feet between our neighbors on both sides

[@jlozano180]

Bingo

[@moemoe-jb2fw]

Sadly 500000 is cheap in nyc

[@ShadesOfIvory]

@@moemoe-jb2fw Same in the California for the same neighborhood.

[@FaridaDawkinsYY]

@@391zumawhich part of NJ if you don’t mind me asking?

[@seanlanglois8620]

When they say there's a housing crisis no it's greed

[@mojojojo01.]

When people think of housing as an investment, they do everything they can to limit the supply of housing. When no new dense housing is built, the price of the available units goes up. When zoning and building height restrictions disappear, and more housing can be built, housing will be affordable.

[@TucoJames]

638,000 affordable? ...n less than 200,000 in the area? The ppl trying to sell their homes fair market are going to get screwed!!

[@fp5495]

If they say zombie home one more time......

[@drinkwatereatmelons7048]

L🤣L

[@bennybutler6137]

SHOT!!! 🍺

[@carpelunam]

they should just call it what it is the dilapidated piece of s***

[@daviddinkins7009]

600K USD plus, affordable to who?

[@sallymoore6920]

The big question if you buy a home in that area could it turn you into a zombie?

[@EricK-tb2dn]

No it clearly means it's a home that was previously occupied by a zombie. Duh. 😉

[@jl-dc6dt]

Yes, guy will be stressed out of the payments and working 2jobs like zombie

[@terrilove3300]

Good morning....I just needed that laugh today 😂😂😂😂. Thank you ❤️.

[@andrewholloway517]

You never been to Philly at one time we had 52,000 abandoned home.

[@el_deplorablede_tejas1394]

$600K That is NOT AFFORDABLE. Let's Go Brandon.

[@barbarasamuel2546]

For $600,000 you can go upstate and get a four or five bedroom house for $250k or less

[@kathleengoldsbury95]

The problem is that salary matched that 250k

[@teebone2157]

Many of those homes have been abandoned after people lost their jobs and basically gave up ownership. Banks should have took them over a long time ago

[@phantomjosh2148]

And they go homeless

[@bevybee2012]

It's about time but 600000 is not affordable though

[@tya4662]

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were programs to help home owners address those fines so that they aren’t fined into homelessness?

[@terryowen6759]

Excellent idea, prevent Homelessness instead of trying to fix it after they have become homeless

[@erikafirst817]

Banks are too greedy.our veterans need help first I believe

[@ARTOFPATIENCE]

Zombie home once renovated $600,000 thats outrageous.

[@trashcan7380]

Don’t you think the next people who they let purchase the house are going to get it foreclosed as well …obviously these people can’t pay that much …this is a sick cycle

[@AdelTheForsaken]

There's a reason why those houses are dilapidated. The communities that they're in. I don't care how cheap the cost of living there . I think I'm going to catch a bullet by simply sitting in my living room I'll pass. Location, location, location!

[@biancamarchand399]

HPD should be ashamed of itself. $638K+ is NOT AFFORDABLE for us AA here in NYC. That 1 B/R co-op in BedStuy is better than dealing with a house pushing into $700K & the upkeep.

[@Fuzzyvision777]

It's abandoned EVERYTHING (empty lots, warehouses, old businesses and homes) in the city & the owners of these properties don't sell they just sit on it.

[@maroon9273]

Pure urban decay and the 70s and 80s repeating itself.

[@sandravega6645]

Why does it have to be a lottery system for those applicants wanting to buy a home? Why can't they process applications based on income levels, family size and credit worthiness?

[@shaneelhinds9084]

Can't have your cake and eat it in this crazy city

[@mysharona6754]

Because that's "not fair"

[@amaznngrace]

Not even that's where discrimination comes I'm then it will be just Certain ppl moving in.

[@jusliving7977]

All those factors are part of the lottery. There a lot of working class NYC residents that have excellent credit,but moderate income. Yet,they have strong, steady employment history. The lottery is a fair way to award the home to one of the many low income residents in the city.

[@alyssarivera2166]

That is what they are doing… but there’s are more applicants than homes so they do it on a lottery system

[@patricialavallee8286]

WOW what a bargain!! 2 by 4 backyard $600,000

[@mstann8153]

Where are the people who use to own these houses find them and give their homes back to them and STOP stealing these POOR people homes

[@warrentoles3127]

It wouldn't come without fines and penalties for leaving it in that condition ...it'd supercede the value of the home

[@UhuruSasa85]

"The long term goal is to acquire and bring the zombies to life" - All I needed to hear.

[@madagraydaughter1016]

this is wickedness with what going on in Queens, me and my husband have to live separately because we cannot find a home, we have to go on a 10 years waiting list while these homes are going to waste. I NEED A HOME

[@joseywales148]

Why exactly…enlighten us

[@SIC-SEMPER-TYRANNIS]

Sad, here in Virginia I'm a divorced middle aged man now living in my late father's 6 bedroom home alone, on a 2 acre lot.

[@madagraydaughter1016]

Thank you

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

Damn woman MOVE ALREADY. Either move or rent an apartment together or move to another state/country. Stop just expecting welfare from the government to solve your problems. My family had to move off LI because we couldn’t afford a home there. We didn’t just sit around winging that the government needed to make us a house. FIX YA OWN PROBLEMS 👏

[@icalotdonthide2646]

@@LucasFernandez-fk8se THANK You. Some people just rather dwell in unhappiness instead of looking for solutions.

[@Bham205northside]

Dam! Glad I live down south. Why would anyone want to live in NYC? I can get three houses with acres of land for those prices down south.

[@PelosiStockPortfolio]

What do you do with acres of land? Shoot things for meat and start a small farm for self sustaining life style is the only thing I can think of, but that is a lot of work. I suppose with the extra money I have from moving to a very cheap area I could quit my job and do the hunting/farming full time. But that feels like moving backwards about 150 years in the course of human civilization

[@icalotdonthide2646]

@@PelosiStockPortfolio Not really. My hubby and I left for down south. We're 30 mins from ATL and he works in Tech. You can find some nice homes with Land and still have essential amenities. We paid under 200k for a 4 bedroom with 6 acres.

[@LunaBobbi]

Shit I’ll take a zombie home. Wait do they mean 60k? Not 600k no wayyyy

[@aussiekingofmongrels]

Zombie home aka the “Trap house” do they have to disclose how many fentanyl bodies they found?

[@ayebing]

“Unintended entryway” ….that’s a new one

[@Sardonic-Angel]

'ghost guns' and 'zombie homes' Ghoul shame inanimate objects much 😄 Only in New York

[@391zuma]

😂😂😂 AFFORDABLE? i think not thank god we left to jersey got 100x100 3 bed room single family for 350,000 50 minutes from downtown manhattan

[@moemoe-jb2fw]

Which neighborhood? Can we still get this price? NYC so expensive

[@patricialavallee8286]

Archie bunker type homes in queens NY. Archie and George Jefferson bought them for 7 grand. AND Edith didn't HAVE TO WORK GREED, gentrification ruined all of that. As Archie would say, "those were the days!" Rest of the lyrics very apt, today!

[@LivingLifeOutWest]

Well said 💯

[@greenbyrd3665]

Yes, those were the days indeed. Don't think they will ever be back. It is now very, very difficult for a person with a modest income to buy a home in a decent neighborhood. Many would be first time buyers are completely shut out of the market. Damn shame.

[@itsdebbiecakeyoubigdummy828]

Well wait for the royal bm to build up the neighborhoods they destroyed. It'll happen soon, just wait for it. 🙄🙄🙄😅😉

[@samcriston4256]

Mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover againnnnnn

[@greenbyrd3665]

@@samcriston4256 "And you knew who you were then. Girls were girls and men were men." Not anymore!! 🤣🤣

[@illuminati_Bal]

In Pennsylvania we have alot more

[@savvyroca]

Unfortunately no jobs to support new residents

[@tamarathejudeochristianmedium]

They’re expensive homes but people can’t afford them. If they just give them to the homeless randomly, they could become a trap house if that homeless person is an active addict.

[@thegreat9481]

Nobody is just giving anyone a home lmaooo

[@tamarathejudeochristianmedium]

@@thegreat9481 Right, but other commentators are suggesting they do that.

[@thegreat9481]

@@tamarathejudeochristianmedium They’re crazy

[@neoxyte]

What are you on about? No one suggests that.

[@tamarathejudeochristianmedium]

@@neoxyte many suggest that

[@ryandarko2115]

Abandon to affordable? Nobody wants to live in New York City anymore

[@Fuzzyvision777]

So why is it so hard to find housing and why is the rent so high & also why it is so difficult to find a job ?

[@peterchoi3382]

They couldn’t get a better name than zombie home?😂

[@deedeeb9980]

Why don't they fix NYCHA first?

[@TommyTombs]

That makes too much sense

[@ennz2798]

Lol

[@drinkwatereatmelons7048]

NYCHA is operating exactly how it was meant to operate..... Everybody knows when NYCHA does the right thing......something is wrong 🤨

[@ReturnJaguar]

Have surplus of decent SECT8 HOUSING

[@gwendolyn7462]

That is not a zombie home

[@doragemz]

Just fix these homes & stop playing. Always the excuses here in NYC. So many abandoned places here, no one should be homeless.

[@tamarathejudeochristianmedium]

They’re expensive homes but people can’t afford them. If they just give them to the homeless randomly, they could become a trap house if that homeless person is an active addict.

[@patricialavallee8286]

AMEN

[@thekingsdaughter7888]

Opps! Wait a minute...we can gentrify this area now....what a thought.

[@arain764niara]

A beacon of hope for who? They'll probably list them for upper 6 digits to a million dollars

[@richardsearfoss5962]

For plenty a middle class family whos paying near market rent can buy and lock in a lower mortgage and fix up the place

[@richardsearfoss5962]

600k house is affordable for a family each spouse making 70k which is very modest for nyc

[@richardwalker6004]

@@richardsearfoss5962 70k per person is way above the average mean of salary . I can see a 2 family household making over 100k but 140k might be a little much for the majority .

[@stephensaltau6481]

And what exactly is the city doing with the $1,000,000.00 in penalty payments?

[@maroon9273]

Sharing it among themselves

[@queenofgrails1]

This is not affordable! I work two jobs and make about $45k a year most years. I just went on the website and the MINIMUM income to purchase one of these is in the $90k range. If my household were bringing in close to six figures, I wouldn’t need this program. How are they helping LOW-Income families?

[@ms.sunshine2u635]

Those homes are only worth 225,000.

[@SisyphusJP]

Not even lol that house they showed is in the hood. Like why would you dump 600k into a run down hood house vs in the hood 700k and buy you a normal house? What is this??? I mean bruh

[@jeanmalone1500]

We need this in Baltimore.

[@rags-fv6ko]

Those older houses are the best to restore… house I had was 1902

[@richardwalker6004]

Yea but they cost more to repair due to being so old and out dated.

[@TheDonnyOne]

Good job on that padlock

[@tropfusion]

That house would go for like 8 grand in detroit 🤣

[@lolol7110]

Aww I wanna give her a house . I wanna fix that house and let her have it.

[@rebeccasantos1161]

May you fix it and give to me also ?

[@BigBBigTrees]

@@rebeccasantos1161 go homeless, in LA if you’re willing to wait 6 months on the streets I can get you into a tiny home.

[@rebeccasantos1161]

@@BigBBigTrees i wish I can do that.

[@filiajean2487]

If you could pay rent it should be where you could buy a house, no taxes no property taxes, bad credit good credit they old house. credit score is a form to keep people down it should be a better way than lottery for someone to get a house it’s a necessity

[@commentandlikedistributor]

Obviously.. NY is the most densely populated city in the country.

[@tallglasscocoa6105]

Take a sip every time they say Zombie home. So they want you to fix up the home, but keep you running to the court to own it.

[@truthhurts...6574]

With those prices in NY the south isn't looking so bad after all. You can get a brand new home for a fraction of that price in the south. For the prices up there you can also have a home built from the ground up on a couple of acres of land.

[@richardwalker6004]

Yea but you going to be living in the outskirts of the city and having a 30 minute drive if not more.

[@truthhurts...6574]

@@richardwalker6004 nope, not all. I live in the south in a city where I work (within minutes of my job)and have a home

[@richardwalker6004]

@@truthhurts...6574 what state if you don’t mind me asking ?

[@maroon9273]

@@richardwalker6004 with heavy traffic during rush and peak hours.

[@mariew4422]

The reason alot of us stay is the never ending potential, ability to attain more income. If you go to school & work decently hard you can make it. Maybe not become a millionaire persay lol but live comfortable. There's always a new buisness to be made that no one's thought of, or a job to fill 🤷

[@BuySellTrade-g7i]

The Chinese and Indian people will buy these up in a heartbeat

[@anlu3365]

$600 and $400 thousand dollars affordable home?? Affordable to whom?

[@laurarr11711]

People are out in the street with no homes and they can fix these home and give one to homeless people instead of the street .

[@warrentoles3127]

We were doing it ourselves back in 2018 but there was too much jealousy and oppression

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

Homeless people are homeless because of drugs and mental health issues. Also this just encourages people to be homeless. I’d 100% be homeless for 3 months to win a free 700k house if that was the reward for being homeless. We need to fix the causes of homelessness not just award free houses

[@warrentoles3127]

@@LucasFernandez-fk8se homeless people are also homeless because of other reasons too 😂😂😭😭 you'd be surprised at some of the backgrounds these people have. It don't matter the cause.. the system completely failed lol they couldn't even service the internally displaced professionals changing careers because of a market reset. Y'all in for a surprise lmaoooo

[@Kudos2Kawaii]

We did that during Covid for over TWO years and guess what? They’re still homeless and didn’t fix themselves or get JOBS

[@terryowen6759]

These homes should be for families, they need to fix up apartments for individual homeless people

[@dinatodorova4593]

The neighborhood is not safe...Jamaica, Queens? No, thNk you

[@rachest]

Who has money to buy anything? Then as soon as you get it. Here comes rates going up. Back empty

[@daviidoninfernoking5284]

600k affordable 😂 gotta be a joke

[@Obi-JuanJacoby]

Good take all these people who are ruining Idaho, New York is all ready ruined.

[@TRIPLEDIGITS]

Jamaica queens also

[@angc.8810]

They're ridiculous too expensive these homes. Be careful with all that black mold because if they cut corners with I'm sure they are as usual get a thorough inspection. They really need to lower the prices of these homes. Lets see how many squatters will take them over again lol. Even if I could afford that and get loan for that much I wouldn't buy in NY I would go out of state and get so much more for that money

[@AlvaroMorilloLuis]

Where can i apply?

[@TommyTombs]

Migrants only

[@AlvaroMorilloLuis]

@@TommyTombs ???

[@TommyTombs]

@@AlvaroMorilloLuis 🤡

[@UseYourVoices]

They are being bought up by big companies, fixed up, and sold for way more than they are worth.

[@LI-fh1it]

Does that make the owners of the homes, the walking dead?

[@AlexRocks24-7]

You need to also fix the crime, gangs, drugs and guns outside

[@TheGamiingNetWork]

$600K in the middle of Jamaica. That’s the hood. I would rather buy a home in Long Island. Sure the property taxes are higher but homes are a bit cheaper and neighborhoods are much quieter.

[@bred.9410]

How can low-income families afford to a $640,000 home??? Especially in NYC.

[@gwendolyn7462]

TEAR DOWN

[@Chicago48]

imminent domain. Simple. $638K is STILL too high.

[@Zero11_ss]

They only made $1mil in fees since 2017 so over 7 years, almost 8 years now. They probably have way more than 2 employees working on this program getting paid at least 50k each, so they have actually lost money.

[@normanalvarez5751]

Perfect name for New York zombies

[@mscherbeare]

what ... NYC has vacant Homes😟🙁😡

[@maroon9273]

On going problems since the 20th century. Recession caused those vacant houses.

[@jannyzhingaz9562]

600k is considered affordable? ok, i guess

[@mypeeps333]

At today's interest rates it obviously won't work ! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@PandaBeafr]

Makes sense. Use what you have.

[@josegarrido8650]

Cut the time of bankruptcy to home to be sell again problem solve

[@vitorino3street517]

Nice good idea

[@bryans4891]

No way.. philly, Detroit, Chicago def have more then 2000 "zombie homes"

[@user-ze2mw6nh4y]

The sound goes out

[@BossMan-kv4dh]

A near $700k price tag is considered affordable to low income families in New York? Good joke.

[@debradevonne3225]

Vacant abandoned zombie homes and homeless people sleeping in the streets!! Please GOD help us 🙏😫

[@mccoyReturned]

600K is to Keep it Out of Reach of Certain Income Brackets. This is Nothing New.

[@m_ianO]

Mess. A simple mess with no one in need can get the needs met. These non profits pay themselves first.

[@amilllion1]

How much 600,000 ?

[@globalrei]

These bumssssssss are getting these homes for wayyyyyyyyyyyy cheaper

[@uncal-paulie]

The city should give the home's to people that are in a lottery not based on color so everyone has a chance within income levels that can have them 😀

[@fp5495]

It's tough, because there are a lot of slicksters run amok in that there, NYC. There are rich folk who send their kids to NYC Universities that take advantage of low-income subsidies because they know all the loopholes that allow them to. I could only imagine how they'd slime their way into these houses and flip them for more.

[@patricialavallee8286]

YEP! The way queens, NY USED to be Blue collar, all races, religions living affordability. George Jefferson and Archie bunker would FLIP, that generation, if alive today Those were the days! Archie was right! WW2 generation, NORMAL people Ethical, work ethic, believed in God, Sunday worship, or Saturday for Jewish people, family meant something, holidays weren't all about GREED. No gentrification BS Home owners associations. The old Normal, which was NORMAL The lyrics to, "those were the days," Archie sang, more apt than ever now! When America was America the great NOT 💰🤡😷👺👹🎭more 💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲

[@SunlightsHorizon]

That’s a weird statement. Nothing is based on color

[@uncal-paulie]

@@SunlightsHorizon no it was not just make it fair for everyone that falls within the income limits no matter who they are

[@joanlevy5404]

@@fp5495 I

[@globalrei]

Getting these shits for cheap

[@marjoriereyes3254]

They selling them for 2 much money it’s a rip off the these gone should b more affordable

[@smile_2909]

Come to Uzbekistan 🇺🇿

[@el-Cu9432]

Truly low income will still not be able to afford these homes. Even after "winning" this lottery you still have to meet certain income and credit parameters.

[@wot1fan885]

Maybe try to keep people in their homes . Before they become homeless.

[@erich84502a]

What if you open them and the zombies come out

[@Militantreturns]

Anybody can get. One these houses. There called tax lien houses. You pay. Taxes. You get the deed ( also. Have. Good. To excellent credit)

[@simonsimon6490]

I will not move to Jamaica, Queens even if it for a half cost or a property. It is too dangerous there and everywhere in New York City

[@chocolateurfav4035]

Lissen If u can live in NY Chile u can live anywhere. #goodluckyall

[@KB-si5fx]

$600k for a shitty house in Jamaica, Queens? Yeah.... That'll be a hard pass for me. 🤣🤣

[@gorgeouslady5612]

I think there should be laws that prohibit a person or company from Renovating houses in poor neighborhoods and push out the people that live there! They should fix up the current tenants house and keep the rent the same!. New Stove Fridge washer and dryer!. Pimp my Crib!.