Real estate firm to sell home for city
The Uniontown Redevelopment Authority on Wednesday selected SWC Properties of Uniontown to market a house on Lemon Street.
Mark Rafail, executive director of the redevelopment authority, said he put out requests for proposals for the contract, emailing information packets to five area real estate firms, then following up with a telephone call. Rafail said two bids were received: from Coldwell Banker Real Estate and from SWC Properties. Both agencies offered to sell the property for a four percent fee. Coldwell Banker proposed a 90-day contract and also added a $150 broker’s fee, which it would split if another agency sold the property. SWC’s proposal did not include a broker’s fee but extended the contract to six to 12 months.
In selecting SWC, the authority members said the contract would be for no more than six months, noting that the money from the sale will be used to construct the next new house on Lemon Street as part of the neighborhood rehabilitation.
To date, the city has built nine houses on Maple Street, replacing vacant, dilapidated houses. The house for sale on Lemon Street is the 10th constructed using a Housing and Redevelopment Assistance program grant from the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development.
Under the terms of the grant, buyers must meet financial guidelines, including having a household income no greater than 120 percent of the median income for the area. The first nine houses were sold almost as soon as construction was completed, Rafail said.
According to Rafail, an additional house is slated for construction on Lemon Street, with Threshold Housing serving as the general contractor for the job.