Buffalo Abandoned Homes Selling For $1

Like many cities, Buffalo, New York, is facing a glut of abandoned homes and lots. There are roughly 16,000 vacant lots and 4,500 vacant homes throughout the city.

Instead of tearing the homes down, city officials are selling them for $1. They’re calling it the Urban Homestead Program. The program requires that residents have the ability to make necessary repairs, and commit to living in the home for at least three years.

Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson speaks to Mike Puma, who bought one of the homes and is fixing it up.

• See Mike Puma’s blog about rehabbing Buffalo houses
• Another blog about fixing up Buffalo, “fixBuffalo”

Guest

• Mike Puma, Buffalo resident who bought one of the $1 houses. He’s also a project manager for Preservation Studios, a historic preservation consulting firm.

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