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Vacant, Abandoned & Problem Properties- A Training Academy for NAR & GNIAR
Date and time
Location
White Hawk Country Club
1001 White Hawk Drive Crown Point, IN 46307 United StatesDescription
*THIS COURSE HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR 6 HOURS OF REAL ESTATE BROKER CE!
9:00 - 9:15 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:15 - 9:30 AM Welcome and Introductions
9:30 -10:30 AM The Fundamentals of Property Market Dynamics 101
How real estate markets work, and the flow of demand and supply for a neighborhood's land and buildings, determines many aspects of a neighborhood's trajectory. This includes house prices, whether buyers are homebuyers or investors, and whether owners are improving their properties or allowing them to deteriorate. When trying to address issues of vacancy and abandonment, it is crucial to understand the role markets and demand play in creating and perpetuating problem properties, including abandonment, tax delinquency, and the activities of predatory landlords. Understanding the neighborhood's market fundamentals can enable one to understand what strategies are most likely to be effective, and affect one's ability to successfully implement an equitable revitalization strategy. This module explores how markets work, the relationship between markets, vacant properties, and owner behavior, and how those three factors combined impact neighborhood outcomes.
10:30 - 10:45 AM Break
10:45 -12:00 PM Land Banking 101
In the last decade, the number of land banks in the United States has increased exponentially, to nearly 170 across at least a dozen states. Land banks are public entities, typically authorized and created pursuant to state law, that have the potential to nimbly acquire vacant, abandoned, and/or tax-delinquent properties and return them to productive use more easily than would otherwise be possible. As a result, understandably, interest in land banking remains high. At the same time, land banks are not a silver bullet, and it's not always clear if or why a land bank could be a good addition to a community's existing toolbox. This module will share the history of land banking and help participants understand the powers and functions of land banks. Participants will learn when and how land banks can be most effective, with real- world examples of how land banks of varying sizes have been adapted to different local contexts. They'll also develop a clearer sense of what land banks can and cannot be expected to accomplish, and how a land bank can round out other revitalization efforts.
12:00 - 1:30 PM Lunch & Keynote Speaker
Russell Rydin, South Suburban Land Bank
1:30 - 2:30 PM Strategic Code Enforcement 101
A successful strategic code enforcement program moves beyond inspections and notices. It thoughtfully weaves together regulation, policy, cost recovery, and "carrots and sticks" into a comprehensive strategy to benefit community residents. It can help to eliminate backlogs of complaints through the sophisticated monitoring of warning signs and use of early interventions. Other elements include clear and effective enforcement mechanisms; working with other city departments and nonprofits to create programs for vulnerable owner-occupants or seniors who simply do not have the resources to bring the property up to code; providing "good landlord' incentives; connecting to other city programs, like nuisance abatement and demolition; and more. In this module, practitioners will be invited to look beyond the traditional and toward the potentially transformative role of code enforcement. They will explore a systemic, proactive approach that, when put into action, can make code enforcement more effective and, ultimately, much more efficient. Using real-world examples from around the country, this module will equip participants with an overview of the pros and cons of various code enforcement strategies and how to implement a more strategic approach.
2:30 -3:15 PM Code Enforcement Strategies to Motivate Responsible Rental Property Ownership
Rental housing is a critical part of every community's housing stock, yet it usually accounts for a disproportionate share of code enforcement challenges. While most communities have some irresponsible landlords who "milk" their properties for a few years of rental income and then walk away, communities also have many responsible landlords who intend to hold and maintain their properties. A strategic code enforcement program should not only crack down on irresponsible landlords, but instead develop a mix of strategies that reward responsible landlords and discourage bad ones. This module will provide practitioners with instruction on how to identify responsible and irresponsible landlords and apply code enforcement tools accordingly. It will address not just the "sticks" to compel compliance, but also "carrots," to resolve challenges faced by well-intentioned landlords, who lack training or skills, have limited resources, or are impacted by adverse economic conditions in the neighborhoods where they own properties.
3:15 -3:30 PM Break
3:30 -4:45 PM Using Data & Metrics in Gary, Indiana
Joseph Van Dyke; Director of Planning and Redevelpment, City of Gary, Indiana
4:45 - 5:00 PM Wrap Up and Adjourn