A long-abandoned house on Signal Mountain is about to become a home again.
According to Cleveland realtor Hank Wilson, Deutsch Bank accepted a bid on the 4-bedroom house at 17 Middle Creek in Signal Mountain earlier this month. The offer was slightly higher than the $167,000 bid on the online auction site Hubzu that the bank rejected this summer, he said, declining to give the exact figure.
Mr. Wilson said the buyers told him they “had had their eye on the house for a couple of years” and plan to live in it with their children once repairs have been made.
According to the real estate site Zillow, the house had been listed for sale for more than 3,200 days.
The realtor, noting that the house deteriorated badly during the years it sat empty, said estimates indicate it will take about $150,000 to restore it. “It’s in terrible shape,” he noted.
As the house languished after it was abandoned, the impressive wraparound porches rotted, according to Signal Mountain officials. Further, rain leaked through the roof into the 3,409 square-foot structure, damaging its eight rooms.
Outside, the grass grew taller and taller, mowed only when somebody who lived nearby couldn’t stand to look at it anymore.
Things got so bad, and Middle Creek residents so angry, that the town reluctantly held a demolition hearing this summer to see whether the best thing to do was bulldoze the structure.
The proposed demolition was put on hold, however, after town manager Boyd Veal got in touch with Mr. Wilson about the situation.
“Shortly thereafter we were informed that a potential sale was taking shape and that the interested buyer planned to begin work on the property right away,” Mr. Veal said at that time. “Obviously, that is the best scenario for everyone.
“We have suspended any further action (on condemning the property) pending the outcome of this transaction,” he continued. “As (town attorney) Phil (Noblett) indicated, we will give the new owner a reasonable period of time to restore this property. We should know shortly if the sale goes through or if additional action on the part of the Condemnation Board will need to be considered.”