What would happen if the govt bought foreclosed homes and hired nonprofits to retrofit

[dkf]

them as the ultimate renewable energy green homes and resold them on the market?

We could convert this country house by house block by block. Turn these houses into the future.

It would increase the value of the surrounding properties instead of depressing it further.

[leftstreet]

1. Resell them to....??

Uh, there's a reason the homes are in foreclosure

[dkf]

2. It's more of a pilot project to capture the imagination.

And there are people with money who may appreciate a chance like this.

We need to show what the possibilities are.

Where are the ideas that excite anyway? It's all so gloomy.

[WCGreen]

3. The best idea I have heard about lately dealing with the Rust Belt foreclosure epidemic...

Is to buy up all the vacant land and try to relocate individuals stuck in these bleak areas to parts of the city where an social and economic infrastructure still exists. Reclaim the land back to it's pre-industrial days and make it park, land people can have co-op farms and such.

I think its a real hands on bubble up type of approach to a situation that is only going to get worse.

[dkf]

4. Well what can you do.

I guess people on the mainland are sick of real estate problems.

[Bitwit1234]

5. And how about this

there are a lot of abandoned homes - apartment size - across the country. Let the homeless be hired to fix them up, and give them a place to stay. They could be fixed like the old time boarding houses. The people stay there, while fixing up more of these types of homes, and they would be making a living and having a place to stay at the same time.

[Mopar151]

6. I've met a lot of clever old drunks, not conventionally employable

Combined with the post about consolidating residential areas, mix in some young folks for strong backs and skill training, and some mental health support - and a fair dose of tolerance - and yoou could really have something.

[dkf]

7. It sounds good at first glance.

What happens long term?

[brer cat]

9. Long term---trickle up economics

Hire the workers at a living wage so they can consider buying the houses; increase their tax contributions to city, county and state so that IDEALLY they now has better schools, roads, municipal services; so they can spend more at the grocery store, departments stores; generate more income for local real estate offices and insurance offices; buy a new car or pay to have their old car serviced at the local auto shop instead of doing it themselves. If the dudes at the top of the ladder weren't skimming all the profits, this is how true capitalism would work.

[Liberty Belle]

8. They already are...more or less.

A local outfit here is getting a big federal grant to retrofit foreclosed and low-income houses with green energy-saving stuff. Banks donate foreclosed houses that are too trashed to sell to the nonprofit, which fixes them up and makes them green to boot. your stimulus bucks in action.

[fugggg-it]

10. Name of company

Liberty Belle could you please give me the name of the company that is doing teh work? I have some questions i would like to call and ask them.

Thanks
JMC

[jasi2006]

11. Sounds like a great idea to me.

Let's go!!!