Ruin Porn Comes Home - Cheap Chicago Structures, Just In Time For Xmas
By Karl Klockars in News on Dec 15, 2010 8:00PM
Earlier this week, Business Insider posted another in the internet's long line of "Hey, doesn't Detroit really suck" articles, in which they list a number of properties going for dirt cheap in the Motor City. Surprise! An economically depressed area with a withering population has damaged properties that are bank-owned that are basically worthless! Vice coined the phrase "ruin porn" last August. But is Detroit the only place where people can gawk at blight? Isn't there something closer to home?
We've scoured some real estate sites for a few of the dirt cheap structures within a couple hours drive that you can pick up for stocking stuffer prices, thus proving that yes, Virginia, there is an ongoing real estate crisis right here at home. Some of these places are going for (gasp) more than triple digits, but remember - you generally have to provide the windows, the copper piping, the new drywall, the rest of the wiring, all the appliances, and...yeah, pretty much everything but the four walls and the roof.
Apologies in advance for some of these photos - many of these properties are located in places where Google Street View fears to tread. These are just a few we've stumbled across - if you want to do your own digging, check out the Trulia, Redfin, and Realtor sites, as we've certainly missed some gems out there.
Hey, TLC: Flip these.