Open houses let older neighborhoods shine

Organized open houses in four of those neighborhoods – Grant Beach, Midtown, West Central and Woodland Heights – are the latest tools added to his arsenal.

Though UNA also serves the Sherman Avenue PAC neighborhood, no open houses are planned there.

The open houses highlight homes for sale in the featured neighborhood, and the events are publicized by UNA. Horton said inclusion is free to the homeowners and their Realtors, if they have them.

“We ask the neighborhoods to identify homes they would like to see in our open house,” Horton said. “We look for diversity, both in the style of these homes as well as location. We go to the Realtors to explain what we are doing. The homeowners pay nothing for this.”

The most recent open house was held July 15 featuring homes in the Midtown neighborhood. Horton said UNA plans to hold three a year in each neighborhood, for a total of 12 annually.

Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realtor Linda Kensinger said the turnout to UNA’s June open house was “a big plus.”

“There were people who already live in the area,” she said. “There were people who saw the flyer and were curious about the homes, and I had some people who were actual home shoppers from out of state.”

Homeowner Brian Powell said the June event generated a lot of interest in his Grant Beach home, 1215 N. Broadway.

“We had it listed with a Realtor for a while, and we had more traffic that day than in six months with a Realtor,” Powell said. “Bob provided great information – cost data sheets and a breakdown of similar priced houses in the area and amenities close by and price per square foot as well. He advertised it real well.”

Growing interest

Horton said that the open houses have piqued interest in the neighborhoods served by UNA.

“We had one in the Woodland Heights neighborhood that had a direct sale because of (the June) open house,” said Horton, though he didn’t provide specifics.

Horton said average selling prices in the UNA neighborhoods have increased by 41 percent.

“In Delaware, Rountree, Sunshine Elementary school area, they have only increased 23 percent,” he said. “In the Weller, Robberson area, they have only increased 24 percent.”

Powell has seen his home’s value jump from a purchase price of $79,000 three years ago to an appraised value of $199,500 today with the improvements he has made. That added value, he said, is not unusual for UNA neighborhood homes.

“It is a great bang for the buck in terms of the square footage and the character that you get,” Powell said.

On a mission

Horton said UNA pursues its mission of revitalizing the neighborhoods it serves in two ways.

“We try to improve the housing stock through the various loan programs available through us or lending institutions,” he said. “We also encourage homeownership, making sure new homeowners are ready.”

Among UNA’s other programs are a low-interest loan program for remodeling, offered in partnership with UMB Bank, and the Teacher on the Block program, launched in March and aimed at encouraging teachers to buy homes in the middle school zones that serve the schools where they teach.

The organization also works to make sure that once people buy their homes, they are able to keep them. In June, UNA, the city of Springfield and Consumer Credit Counseling Service launched Neighborworks America’s campaign to prevent foreclosures.

Springfield was one of 16 national markets to launch the campaign, which encourages struggling homeowners to ask for help. Counselors with CCCS, an agency certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to counsel homeowners, serve as mediators between borrowers and lenders and can help homeowners develop a plan of action to save their homes.

That’s important, given the fact that the national foreclosure rate on mortgage loans has grown by more than 50 percent since 2000, and they have grown more than 78 percent in Greene County during the same time, according to UNA.

As for the impetus behind the open houses, Horton is quick to give credit where it’s due.

“I’m big on not reinventing the wheel,” he said. “A Realtor in Knoxville, Tenn., told me about a program she had done. We tweaked it so that it was better for the Urban Neighborhoods Alliance.”

Realtor Kensinger said the open houses are doing a good job of raising the neighborhoods’ profiles.

“I think it was great. … I’d be more than happy to participate (again),” she said.