71 Missed Opportunity for a New Land Bank????

Here is an opportunity for a new Land bank to start to be a catalyst for revitalization.

Suppose a entry street to a town's downtown was lined with abandoned and blighted houses or houses that were blighted or unkempt vacant lots. Along the street were in a random way well maintained owner occupied houses.

The downtown has a struggling, continuing and upward resurgence with an attractive streetscape, unique retail stores, examples of historic and appealing commercial structures, a scenic river, community murals and sculpture and the site of regional events both public and private. (A private restaurant has annual events that attract participants in the low thousands. A community nonprofit has events two or three times a year that involve the river and dramatic displays of controlled fire along it at  nightfall that attracts numbers in the tens of thousands.)

The County Tax Claim Bureau has published properties along the entry street that are eligible for private tax sale. There are 22 properties in number.

The properties can be acquired for a Tax Claim Bureau fee of about $200 for each and a bid of $1.00.
For a total of $4422.00 a land bank could begin the mission of revitalization,

A private tax sale results in all tax liens on each parcel being expunged, gone, nada.

However, private tax liens remain. However, they can be dealt with petitions to the County Court to "quiet title." Should a private lien holder step forward, a land bank could create as a condition for a lien holder to have a viable claim they could have a policy of requiring the lien holder to pay all back taxes and to be in compliance with the building and maintenance code. Their having cleared tax liens does not give license to the private lien holder to that benefit. That will likely have the private lien holder release all rights. Now then as a land bank can act to quiet title to a bundle of properties, that provision of the land bank law means a cost savings in legal fees going forward with a bundled action to quiet titles.

Here is the LIST of properties:

Here is an aerial map:
 

70. Suggestion for the February 21, 2019 Mercer County Judicial Sale - RIGHTS / RESPONSIBILLITIES

The suggestion is to survey each property to see what its status is before the February 21st judicial sale.

The winning bidder should be queried by a City of Sharon employee or official in attendance as to their intention for the property.

If it is abandoned, is it blighted? Unstructured paint is enough to be out of code and blighted.

If not abandoned, how is the new owner going to address the property’s occupancy? If there is an intention to end

the current occupancy, does the new owner have a grasp of the law affecting the current renter / occupants?

If the building is not code compliant, my suggestion is to immediately inform the new buyer that the building is not 

code compliant and serve the new owner citations for correction.

Ask the new owner if they are current with all real estate taxes for all other properties they might own. Ask them if they

are current with sewage fees and waste refuse fees for other properties they might own.

The rationale is this. The winning buyer has a right to buy. But rights require responsibilities.  In the past many properties

are acquired and their new owner has no intention to refurbish or rehabilitate. Instead, the property enters the ranks

of zombie properties. Bidders at the judicial sale should be reminded at the sale of their right to buy carries responsibilities.

If an immediate citation action is made for code enforcement, the buyer is forced into a responsible position of knowledge that the as the owner they are responsible to bring a property into code compliance.

If the new owner is queried in the other areas mentioned, and found not to be tax or fee current, or not code compliant;it is my

understanding is that such noncompliance is a basis to have a sale voided by the City of Sharon in accordance with Pennsylvania Code, at Purdons Statutes, 72, Taxation and Fiscal Affairs.

This next sale on February 21, 2019, could be an opportunity to end the cycle of rights without responsibilities.

69. Navigating webpage: "Properties Available for Private or Judicial Sale" Mercer County, PA - A Roadmap

Here’s the roadmap:

I. Go to Mercer County Government URL - https://www.mcc.co.mercer.pa.us/

     A. Click on departments tab

  1. Menu Click :Tax Claim Bureau

                 a. Links: "Properties Available for Private or  Judicial Sale"

                   In gray of middle of page: "Click Here to View List of Properties for Sale"

  (1) Search on key word Sharon or just go to page 105 on the 12/27/18 posting.

II. "Properties Listed for Private or Tax Sale" Document explained:

      A. The CLM BAL (tax claim balance) column to the right is the cumulative unpaid tax. To the right is the        

             month and year the tax calim balance started.

      B.  Note that to the right of the street address is the Parcel ID code. 

          1. Using Parcel ID codes go to Parcel Viewer using URL: 
                    https://www.mcc.co.mercer.pa.us/GIS/TaxparcelViewer.htm

                

                  a. Search using magnifying glass symbol upper right corner of page.

                      (1)  Enter ID Number as follows:  Number - space -  letter(s) - space - number.  
                              or alternatively enter the owner's last name:  A FLAG comes  up on a map

                              for the property.       

 

                    (2.)  Example ID: "1 P 25".  The parcel is shown on a map with a flag that gives the Parcel       

                                       Owner name and parcel owner's address first.

                                       Below the owner name and address in the information flag there is a  "Situs description.” 

                                       "Situs description" is the address for the property. If the owner address and the situs

   address are the same, the assumption is that the owner is the occupant.