Hennepin County turns tax forfeited properties into fixer-uppers

A pilot program to provide contracting opportunities for women and minority-owned small businesses turned tax forfeited properties or “fixer-uppers” into homes ready to go up for auction in late June.

“About two and a half years ago, Hennepin County was looking at an innovative way to address vacant boarded often condemned housing,” said Jeffrey Strand, Administrative Manager of the Property Tax Division of Hennepin County.

Hennepin County has been working to flip a home on Culver Road in Golden Valley.

Crew rehabilitates Golden Valley home

Manager of  the project Gilbert Odonkor said crews met objectives on a Golden Valley home on Culver Road. It took 18 months to renovate a 1000 square foot home.

 “Our intention with this program was to get as many small businesses as possible included in the rehabilitation of these projects,” says Odonkor. “Our focus was to get contractors that lived within these communities where these homes had been forfeited.”

Strand said they had a budget of $1.7 million to renovate nine houses in this pilot project. 

 “We have identified up to eight homes for a phase two. We’ve initiated work on four of those eight,” said Strand.

Three of the original nine homes from the pilot project are up for auction now through June 29th. To see which homes are up for sale, you can check out a website of the rehabilitated homes.