FLINT -- One look at the craftsman-style mantle and the rich hardwood floors, it's hard to believe the home at 841 E. Ninth St. as once a neighborhood eyesore.
"It was in really bad shape a couple of years ago,” Genesee County Treasure Deb Cherry said.
But federal dollars transformed the foreclosed house into a desirable family home.
“They did an absolutely marvelous job here,” said Theresa Allen of Royal Realty.
It's one of the last homes completed with Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds, a program that's helped the city of Flint demolish more than 1,000 blighted properties and build or renovate more than 130 homes.
"The cooperation between the city and the [Genesee County Land Bank] has been great, and the results are very, very good,” Doug Weiland, executive director of the land bank, said.
Neighbors say block by block the housing landscape in the city is changing.
“It’s the most economical place to live in the nation,” Claude Miller, vice president of the Fairfield Village Neighborhood Association, said.
As the city transitions from being an auto industry hub, neighbors say, the relatively cheap housing is a great opportunity to draw people in.
“It just strengthens the neighborhood even more,” Cherry said.
To see a list of available properties, visit www.thelandbank.org. To see photos of 841 E. Ninth St. and other NSP homes, visit the Genesee County Land Bank Facebook page.
