Roughly 400 properties will be auctioned by Berrien County later this month. County Treasurer Bret Witkowski’s office has released the full list on the county’s website. He says properties are available all over the county.
“We have worked extensively with people to keep them in their properties,” Witkowski tells WSJM News. “These are the ones where they’ve chosen to walk away or were unable to manage it.”
He says last year was the first time every house up for auction in the city of Benton Harbor sold in the first auction in July.
“This year, we’re hoping for more of the same because it indicates how the market in Benton Harbor is starting to pick up.”
Witkowski says the 400 properties includes 88 from last year that were demolished. He says they didn’t auction those last year for a reason.
“We held off one year because we had somebody buy three properties that were to be demolished, put For Sale signs up that afternoon, sold them to unsuspecting young families thinking they were buying a house. Instead, they bought an empty lot.”
The auction will be Tuesday, July 19 at the DANK in Benton Harbor, with the gavel dropping at 9:30 a.m. A $500 deposit is required to bid, and that is put toward what you purchase if you win. If you don’t win any bids, the money is refunded. The list of properties and minimum bids can be found at berriencounty.org.
