Property Donations -- Where Generosity Meets Creativity

What do the situations listed below have in common?

• A crack house next door
• Depreciated rental properties to dispose of
• An ugly vacant lot owned by the city
• The desire to memorialize loved ones

Chris and Tricia had lived in their South Minneapolis home for many years. After learning drugs were being used and sold in the house next door, they called Twin Cities Habitat. They asked Mike Nelson, TCHFH’s Director of Land Development, if Habitat would buy the house. Mike told them the $60,000 price tag was not in the budget. “What if our family gives you the $60,000?” Chris and Tricia asked. “Would you buy it then?” Mike said yes. Chris, Tricia, and their kids, gathered the funds quickly. Today a Habitat family owns a new home on the site. Chris and Tricia are happy to have the drug house gone. They’re even happier to have made it possible for a mother and her two young sons to buy a safe, affordable home.

Kevin and Colleen didn’t want the expense and headache of selling three depreciated rental properties. Instead they decided to donate them to Habitat. They had two condos, both too small to be suitable for Habitat homebuyers. Kevin gave his approval for Habitat to sell the units and use the funds to build other homes. The third building was a twin-home on a large lot in Champlin. Twin Cities Habitat is currently assessing whether to rehab or sell the property. Either way, Kevin and Colleen are happy with the arrangement. “Habitat for Humanity does good things,” Kevin said. “And they made the transaction simple.”

Audrey is not your typical nonagenarian. She got tired of looking at the unkempt 40’ x 300’ vacant lot behind her house. She learned the City of St. Paul owned the lot and convinced them to sell it to her for $15,000. She took 40’ of the lot and expanded her own back yard. She offered chunks of the lot for sale to two neighbor families. They bought them for $7,000 each, giving their children more room to play. That left a 40’ x 150’ vacant lot. She called Mike Nelson and asked, “How would you like to have the lot?” TCHFH is building a new home on the lot this summer. Audrey is excited to have new neighbors.

Dave’s mother Beverly took care of her disabled daughter in the family home. Beverly passed away just four months after her daughter. “Mom’s house was small and not in good shape,” Dave said. “The house wasn’t worth much, but the lot was. I asked Habitat if they could build two houses, one in memory of my mother, and one in memory of Jeannie, my sister.” A beautiful new twin-home was built on the property.

When you gift a property to Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, you are changing lives. Your gift can address a problem or build a legacy. It can take advantage of an opportunity or create a memorial. Most importantly, your gift is a blessing for a family. It helps make it possible for them to buy a stable home with an affordable mortgage.

A creative donation of your property might be the answer you’ve been seeking. TCHFH knows how to ease the process. Contact Mike Nelson at mike.nelson@tchabitat.org to learn more.