At least 73 people packed into the City Council Chambers for the public auction of three city-owned, tax possessed properties in Westfield. (Photo by Peter Currier)
WESTFIELD- Three Westfield properties were sold Wednesday afternoon in a public auction run by Sullivan and Sullivan Auctioneers LLC in City Council Chambers.
The properties at 60 Lewis Road, 27 Malone Ave., and 3 Dubois St. were bid on by dozens of people in the packed Chambers. The three properties were auctioned because the previous owners failed to pay their property taxes.
Sullivan and Sullivan President Marianne Sullivan said the only house of the three that may be suitable to live in would be the Malone Avenue house. The other two, she said, would be better fit for a total rehabilitation. There were open houses in the weeks leading up to the auction at the Malone Avenue and Dubois Street properties, but only the Malone Avenue house was available for people to see inside.
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for an investor, developer, or builder to come in and rehabilitate and fix the properties,” said Sullivan in an earlier interview.
The duplex at 27 Malone Ave. Sullivan said that of the three homes, this was the one in the best shape. (Photo by Peter Currier)
The house at Dubois Street had an exterior-only open house. The Lewis Street property is run-down house in a heavily wooded area and requires extensive rehabilitation.
Before the auction began, Sullivan went through the lengthy rules and regulations of the auction process. She announced that the highest bidder would not be responsible for any outstanding real estate taxes on the property.
The first house to go to bid was 27 Malone Ave., a 1,232 square-foot duplex with 10 total rooms, including six bedrooms and two bathrooms. The total size of the lot is 6,969 square-feet. The windows in the front of the property on the bottom floor are boarded up. The assessed value of the property was $154,000. After a back-and-forth bidding process, the property was sold for $175,000.
The property of 60 Lewis Road. Sullivan said the house may not be fit for living, but the highest bidder may choose to tear it down to make other use of the land. (Photo by Peter Currier)
The wooded Lewis Road property had an assessed value of $161,000 and was sold for $110,000. The existing home on the property is the smallest of the three at just 480 square-feet. Due to the size of the structure and its current state, Sullivan suggested that the person who bought it may tear it down and make other use of the 14,374 square-foot property that sits on Buck Pond.
One bidder asked prior to the auction what would happen with the abandoned car that currently sits on the property. Sullivan said that anything that is found on the property at the time of sale, including any abandoned cars, become the property and responsibility of the highest bidder.
The Dubois Street property is a 1,704 square foot, two-story house with eight rooms, including four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The total size of the lot is 6,098 square-feet. Like the
The property of 3 Dubois St. Although the building could remain, it may require extensive renovations before the building is usable. (Photo by Peter Currier)
Malone Avenue house, the bottom floor windows of this property are boarded up, and the house may not be suitable for living, although not to the same extent as Lewis Road. The property was assessed at $149,000, and the highest bidder purchased it for$75,000.
Sullivan noted after the auction concluded that the names of the three highest bidders for the properties cannot be disclosed until the sales are final.
