(Washington, DC) –The Department of Housing and Community Development’s Property Acquisition and Disposition Division (PADD) has contracted with Alex Cooper Real Estate Services to serve as the listing agent for four government-owned, vacant properties.

One of PADD’s main objectives is to stabilize the District’s neighborhoods by eliminating slum and blight and returning vacant properties to productive use. In January, PADD contracted with Alex Cooper to auction almost 30 vacant single- and multi-family properties owned by the District of Columbia. It was a new strategy for DHCD’s smallest division to help the city reduce blight and raise money for affordable housing.

Nearly all of the properties auctioned were bid upon however, several did not reach settlement. The unsold properties remained in PADD’s vacant property inventory. PADD selected four of the unsold auction properties to test another new strategy – use realtors to list some of the government-owned vacant properties in the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS) multiple listings real estate service. To make an offer on a property, potential buyers will simply contact the listing agent, in this instance, Alex Cooper.

Baltimore, Philadelphia and St. Louis have also used the multiple listings service to dispose of select city-owned property. It is anticipated that the endeavor will be successful here and could attract economic development into underserved communities and help transform neighborhoods. 

The four properties are 475 Florida Avenue, NW (Ward 1); 3620 Rock Creek Church Road, NW (Ward 1), 805 7th Street, NE (Ward 6), and 627 Keefer Place, NW (Ward 1). Details about the properties, full offer instructions and a summary of the sale process are available on the Alex Cooper website at dhcd.alexcooper.com. Interested buyers must follow the required format in the offer instructions in order to submit an offer.