Alan stated that a house domolition could cost between $2,000 and $6,000. If you have owned rental properties, have you ever had a house demolished and what did it cost?
Our block watch is considering holding some fundraisers to acquire the money to pay the city or a private contractor to demolish a house near us.
From the Youngstown Vindicator : estimated average cost of demolition,
per Michael Damiano (building and demolitions department).
http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/feb/12/getting-rid-urban-blight/
If you have posession of the house, instead of paying to demolish it, why not advertise it nationally to sell for $1 to someone who will fix it up and live in it for a pre-determined period of time? Maybe even spend the proposed demolition money to make some initial repairs, like patching a leaking roof? (assuming the house isn't completely unsalvageable to begin with)
I wish the city would target some neighborhoods (neighborhoods that are still mostly intact, or neighborhoods with remaining higher-quality housing) to operate a program like this, instead of demolishing more of their houses. In these kinds of neighborhoods, houses can still assets instead of liabilities.
The block watch just wants to make sure the house is demolished in a timely manor. We don't want the house to be placed on a demolition list that will take years to complete.