During the real estate crisis that plagued much of the nation, many homeowners have suffered the loss of their homes. Most have fought to stay and pay their mortgages. However, there are also select property owners that have purposely let their investments fall to the wayside while the market has dipped. The property owners discussed in this article have avoided the upkeep of their homes while in the process of foreclosure or bankruptcy. This lack of maintenance or the reasons behind it are not news, however, a new tactic to handle these “blighted properties”, pioneered by Mayor Tom McMahon of Reading, PA, has made headlines.
Enforcing Property Maintenance
Until now, it has been a difficult task to enforce property owners to maintain their dwellings. Once the property is back into the hands of the lender the maintenance or tearing down of the property can resume, but that often takes months. Property owners in the neighboring area will see their homes depreciate in value during the interim.
Reading, PA Mayor Tom McMahon has come up with a unique strategy to handle this issue. In “Owners of Blighted Property Shamed Online”, McMahon discusses his idea. Rather than continue hitting a wall trying to work with irresponsible property owners, McMahon has turned to publicly shaming them by posting these decrepit houses on a new web site deemed the Reading, PA Wall of Shame. Complete with the name and address of the owner, this site contains photos of these properties, some even have cartoon bubbles mocking how damaged they are. To a few, this may seem to be an extreme approach; however, what is the best way to enforce property maintenance in a shaky market?
Many certainly understand and condone his position. A rundown property can affect an entire neighborhood’s resale value. For homeowners who have managed to pay their mortgages and maintain their homes, this can be an extremely frustrating scenario.
Neglected Properties Depreciate Neighborhoods Nationwide
“We are ramping up our focus on irresponsible property owners that are bringing blight into our city neighborhoods,” McMahon said in a statement Monday after touring one property. This one town has around 60 properties McMahon terms as “blighted” and he would like to see the number brought down. 10 of these properties are currently in court proceedings. The other 50 will simply continue to sit in their devalued state until a settlement has been made in the courts.
Most of us know that pushing paperwork in the courts takes a long time, and the more depleted a property becomes, the more a neighborhood will suffer. McMahon’s approach is unique, and definitely brings attention to these blighted properties, though residents have yet to see the results.
Keith Munsell 
