Abandoned “zombie homes” are a problem in many communities, driving down property values, attracting crime, and often creating safety risks such as fire hazards. Communities battle zombie homes and related urban blight in a variety of ways, ranging from fast-track ...
Read More »Ohio Governor Signs Plywood Ban Into Law
History was made for the property preservation industry when Ohio Governor John Kasich signed H.B. 463 into law for the state.
Read More »Laws Combating Blight May Present Challenges to Servicers
Some states have issued laws to combat urban blight but these laws may present new and different challenges to servicers.
Read More »Watchdog Calls on Treasury to Fix Blight Elimination Program
The Hardest Hit Fund was initiated in 2010 to help fund the states that suffered the most from the aftermath of the housing crisis. What recommendations did a government watchdog make to improve the program?
Read More »Re-Introduced Ohio Foreclosure Expedition Bill Passes House, Heads for Senate Vote
A bill to expedite the lengthy foreclosure process and eliminate blight in Ohio neighborhoods that has national implications has been re-introduced and has passed by a unanimous vote in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Read More »Legislation in New Jersey, Ohio Aimed at Expediting Lengthy Foreclosure Process
A similar bill was re-introduced in the Ohio State House of Representatives last month by Cheryl Grossman, a Republican, and Michael Curtin, a Democrat. Among other provisions, Ohio HB 134 allows the mortgagee to bring a summary foreclosure action against a vacant and abandoned residential property.
Read More »Blight Elimination Program Gets Underway in Indiana
The BEP has made about $75 million (approved by the U.S. Department of Treasury) available to the state of Indiana to eliminate blight by reducing foreclosures and stabilizing neighborhoods, and about $1.5 million of that money was allocated to East Chicago.
Read More »Ohio Lawmakers Plan to Re-Introduce Foreclosure Expedition Bill
Ohio state lawmakers plan to re-introduce a bill that would expedite the foreclosure process on residential homes and reduce the amount of time properties sit vacant, according to Ohio State Representative Cheryl Grossman. The bill, known as Ohio HB 223, was originally introduced into the Ohio House by Grossman, a Republican (the bill's primary sponsor), and Representative Michael Curtin, a Democrat, in June 2013.
Read More »Michigan Senate Passes Foreclosure Bill Aimed At Eliminating Blight
The Michigan State Senate passed a bill on Friday to prevent those with delinquent property tax payments to bid in foreclosure auctions and prevent homeowners from intentionally allowing their homes to go to foreclosure and buy them back in an auction for a lower price.
Read More »Two Indiana Municipalities Receive Funds to Eliminate Blighted Properties
Indiana Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann announced on Friday that two of the state's municipalities were recipients of a combined total of approximately $2.9 million in awards from the Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program (BEP).
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