Portland holds foreclosure sale to combat vacant homes issue

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - The City Treasurer held a foreclosure sale of six empty and neglected properties in Portland, all with code violations and liens. One property was an empty waterfront lot and the other five were distressed homes.

"We have a lot of vacant homes because no one was able to come forward and take over that estate. We have squatters going in, people vandalizing everywhere," said Kelsey Cooper, City of Portland. "Additionally, a lot of these properties, we have property owners that are not in the state of Oregon. They are out of state. They have no connection to the community, and they are not concerned with correcting these violations."

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It's the first sale since Portland City Council changed the foreclosure process. They've shortened the window period from one year to 90 days, allowing a property owner to pay off liens and penalties to redeem ownership of the property after its auction.

The six properties for sale are as follows:

The former Gordon's Fireplace Shop on NE Broadway was initially on the auction list. However, the lien on the property of $102,661.88, was paid by the lender and taken off the sale list Monday morning.

The city said concerns of fallen bricks, broken windows, and unsecured entry need to be addressed, and neighbors and business owners in the area call it an eyesore.

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Samantha Ginsberg has worked at the Blind Onion for eight years and says the empty building has impacted business.

"It's less the way it looks than it is the fact that it just attracts anybody doing whatever over there," says Ginsberg. "It brings around some sketchy characters. We've definitely had more break-ins in the last couple of years than we've had prior to."

The city said the homes that didn't sell today will be on the next foreclosure list auction at a later time.

To sign up for upcoming foreclosure sales go to this link.