HOMES

It was to my understanding that people work hard in order to make a living for themselves. If I had to save and save for a house, I would like a nice house in a pretty good neighborhood. There is a house in Frayser on Mount Terrace that just makes you sick to your stomach. How can the city allow a house that has been vacant for about a year to look so rundown and unsafe? When you house hunting you not only look at the potential house you might purchase but also at your neighbor's home to see how well they maintain their home. The house is really hard to look at because it just doesn't make sense. Memphis is need of jobs and that definitely will open some up if they don't already have people for the job. The house needs the front and backyard mowed, painted inside and outside, windows fixed, floors redone and the pool drained and bought up to code. After the family moved out why wasn't the house boarded up so that squatters couldn't get inside. It might be some illegal activity going on inside in the early morning hours and we wouldn't even know it. The city should want everyone one day to own a home and not a death trap. Here is the thing though there are several more houses in Memphis in the same condition or worse and nobody knows what to do about these abandoned homes yet. I have some suggestions on the matter. First and foremost get the health department in there and look around and see what all needs to be bought up to code to make it safe. Next, have contractors come in and upgrade and fix all electrical and other problems. Now we need a fresh coat of paint, new blinds and soft lighting. After we have done everything we can think of to the house. It is now time to sell it. Houses range from low to high but if there are so many like the same. The city can just make them more affordable. Come up with a plan for working single parents or working class couples who are trying to have a foundation.