LANSING — Nine homes acquired years ago by the former Sparrow Health System near its Lansing hospital are expected to soon have families living in them.
University of Michigan Health – Sparrow in 2024 donated the homes on Jerome and Ferguson streets, east of the hospital, to the county’s land bank and a nonprofit to renovate them back into livable housing. Some are already in the process of being sold and the others up for grabs are listed for up to $190,000.
Five of the nine homes, most of which date to the 1910s, were renovated by the Ingham County Land Bank and are being sold by Rooted Real Estate of Greater Lansing, from $180,000 to $190,000.
The other four were renovated, or are being renovated, by Habitat for Humanity Capital Region, with some of those homes already being sold. A two-unit house is being reserved for a developmental disability home, a partnership with Habitat, The People’s Church and Lansing Intentional Communities.
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The homes and two vacant lots with a total value of up to $2 million are in the Eastfield neighborhood and mostly within sight of the Sparrow hospital. Prior to the donation, they frequently experienced vandalism or squatters, officials said previously.
The homes look great, are in like-new condition and priced well, said Sandra Archer, a prospective homebuyer who walked out of one of the homes on Aug. 7, with flyers from all of the for-sale homes in her hands and serious plans to buy.
She said she has a decent paying job but the housing market in Lansing is “horrendous for a single person.”
“It’s so hard to find a home at these prices and in these conditions,” she said, “when we have a massive housing shortage.”
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The homes don’t have the typical income limits that a Land Bank home would have, but buyers would be required to take a state housing course, said Rayce O’Connell, a real estate agent with Rooted Real Estate. And there is still time to get in an offer, O’Connell said.
The homes were renovated with many of the old features and character remaining.
The donation of the homes, which were owned by the health care organization for several years before being given away in 2024, will help to lead to a better neighborhood, right beside the hospital, said Ann Marie Creed, president of UM Health-Sparrow.
Alan Fox, chair of the Land Bank, said that these homes are about neighborhoods.
“This is not a tower in downtown, it’s important to do that, but this is how we build strong neighborhoods: With partnerships,” Fox said. He pointed to Habitat, the donation of the homes by the hospital system as well as the construction crews.
These homes are affordable for Lansing, said Roxanne Case, executive director of the Land Bank, noting “$180,000 to $190,000, that’s affordable for Lansing because we offer down payment assistance,” Case said.
Brent Taylor, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Capitol Region, said finishing homes like these and getting people moved in helps to build momentum for the next projects.
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Nine Lansing homes once acquired by UM-Sparrow have been remodeled and are on the market
Reporting by Mike Ellis, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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