Find Available Housing
The Ingham County Land bank often has affordable houses for sale and special programs to help interested home buyers. Click here to see homes currently for sale. You can also explore this GIS map to see all of the Land Bank’s properties! (Note: You will need to install the free Microsoft Silverlight program to see the GIS map. Follow the instructions on the page.)
Restoration Works in Lansing!
Click to visit the Restoration Works website. Restoration Works in Lansing is a joint project of Lansing Community College, the Ingham County Land Bank, and Allen Neighborhood Center to restore two vacant properties along East Kalamazoo Street. The quality of housing stock in our neighborhoods is a major factor in their long-term viability, and we hope that this project will encourage you to take an active role in improving housing in the neighborhood.
Energy Preservation District
ANC is launching a new Energy Preservation Initiative, with a focus on making homes healthier and more energy efficient. We’re also studying energy use and community response in a pilot Study District on Shepard, Leslie and Regent Streets, between Michigan Avenue and I-496. Throughout the Eastside, we’re linking homeowners with local community resources to restore and improve their homes to a higher level of efficiency, safety, and beauty. Learn more on our Energy Preservation page.
Tenant/Landlord Resources
It is important that both tenants and landlords understand their rights. Clear communication, expectations, and accountability are paramount in the relationship between landlords and tenants. We are compiling answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we encounter. Our Tenant/Landlord Resources Page will be coming soon.
Counseling Programs
Allen Neighborhood Center no longer offers a housing counseling program due to shifts in available staff and funding. If you need foreclosure prevention assistance, please call MSHDA’s Save the Dream hotline at 1-866-946-7432. You can also visit Hold On To Your Home, a website sponsored by the City of Lansing and the Ingham County Treasurer’s Office, or contact one of the following groups in Ingham County for counseling or LINKS to Homeownership:
Center for Financial Health
(800) 262-6286 ext. 426
Capital Area Community Services
(517) 393-1722
Franklin Street Community Housing Corporation
618 Seymour Street
Lansing, Michigan 48933
(517) 482-8708
Women’s Center of Greater Lansing
(517) 372-9163
Beware of Predatory Lending
You don’t have to have good credit to be flooded with offers for new credit cards, loan consolidations, and other financial schemes on a daily basis. Sometimes these offers are for real, but other offers are scams used by predatory lenders. Michigan, like many other states, does not have any state laws to either regulate or define predatory lending.
Talking about the problem can be confusing because it comes in many forms. Here are some of the most common predatory lending scenarios that we see on the Eastside:
Payday loans: There are a large number of payday loan businesses in Lansing. These businesses advance, or loan, money to families struggling to pay the bills until the next paycheck. However, the terms of the loans can include very large fees to extend the loan, and interest rates between 391-443%! According to the Center for Responsible Lending, if a borrower gets a loan for $325 they can expect to pay back $793. Every year, these businesses cost American families $4.2 billion in excess fees and high interest rates.
Mortgages: Adjustable Rate Mortgages, or ARMS, are largely to blame for the skyrocketing number of people losing their homes. These can be dangerous mortgages. With an ARM loan, borrowers start with a very low monthly payment that will increase significantly after a set period of time (typically 2 to 3 years). In many instances, lenders don’t explain what the terms of the loan really mean, and people are surprised when their interest rates increase and their monthly payments become unpayable.
What can you do to avoid losing your home or savings to a predatory lender?
- If you are thinking about buying a house, or refinancing, talk to a certified housing counselor.
- Ask questions and don’t sign anything you don’t understand.
- If you don’t have a bank account, visit your local bank or credit union.
- Contact your state legislator and encourage them to support an anti-predatory lending law. A recent study has found that states with anti-predatory legislation have reduced these types of loans by almost 33%.
Remember that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is!
If you think you are being targeted by predatory lenders, you can contact your local office of consumer affairs, or an approved credit counseling agency.
