Sussex Habitat seeks properties in Laurel and Seaford

Sussex County Habitat for Humanity would like to hear from anyone who owns a vacant building lot, an abandoned house, or a rehab-worthy home in the Laurel or Seaford Downtown Development District.

Executive Director Kevin Gilmore said, “We are facing unexpected challenges in securing properties in the Downtown Development Districts of Laurel and Seaford – the current focus of our affordable home building program. They are just too few and far between to meet our neighborhood improvement and home construction goals.”

The DDDs, for those unfamiliar with them, are demarcated city neighborhoods that have been targeted for renewal and redevelopment through state and county grant assistance. Both Laurel and Seaford, along with other Delaware cities and towns, have DDDs that are seeing active renewal efforts and ongoing improvements.

Gilmore said the lack of lower-priced lots and homes is making it very difficult for Sussex Habitat to serve the affordable housing needs of families in the western portion of the county, where property values have been steadily climbing.

“I’m having a heck of a time finding suitable, well-priced properties,” said Jack Moore, Sussex Habitat’s property acquisition coordinator. “Not that many properties in the DDDs come up for sale, and when they do, they are almost always too expensive for us. It’s really just a matter of simple math. We typically offer homes that appraise for something in the neighborhood of $150,000. So that very much limits how much we can pay for the property at the front end.”

Moore is hoping to hear from Laurel and Seaford property owners who might consider selling Sussex Habitat a vacant lot, an abandoned house, or a rehab-worthy home in the DDDs at below-market pricing – or better yet, would consider a donation to Habitat.

As Moore notes, a donated property will mean so much to a family in need, and there are considerable benefits to property donors come tax time. He advises potential donors to review their options with a tax professional.

To see firsthand how Habitat’s efforts can improve a neighborhood, Gilmore directs people to North Conwell Street in Seaford, where two new Habitat homes are currently under construction.

“We worked with two supportive sellers to acquire a couple of empty, dilapidated houses that weren’t serving the neighborhood,” said Gilmore. “We tore those structures down, and we’re replacing them with two new, attractive homes that will soon be home to two hardworking families – putting both the families and the neighborhood on an upward trajectory.”

For more information, go to www.reimaginelaurel.net/downtown-development-district/ and www.seafordde.com/library/DDD_City_Seaford_Pamphlet.pdf.

For more information regarding a property donation or sale, contact Jack Moore at 240-278-0430 or jack@sussexcountyhabitat.org.