Bidders get area land on the cheap

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By Deirdre Cox Baker | Wednesday, February 21, 2007 1:12 AM CST | () comments

James Perez took $10 out of his wallet and paid for 2,176 square feet of land in Davenport on Tuesday morning. He plans to build a garage.

Tim Atkins won a bidding war with his neighbor and got a large lot in western Davenport for $10,000. He will clean it up to improve the appearance of his Fairview Addition property.

These bidders participated with 35 others in the first Scott County public tax deed auction to be held during the daytime hours. County officials were happy with the turnout. Victorious bidders were delighted at the low-cost land.

This type of auction occurs when a property owner does not pay taxes properly, according to Ted Priester of the Scott County Attorney’s office.

“Eventually, the county steps in,” he said, noting the 30 properties in Tuesday’s auction had clear titles with no assessments or liens. Successful bidders got quit-claim deeds and were told their actual title will arrive in about eight weeks.

Jackie Atkins, wife of Tim Atkins, jumped up and pumped her arm in the air when a hot bidding battle ended as her husband outlasted two other hopefuls. The spacious piece acquired is adjacent to the Atkins home and was the former site of an auto repair operation.

The couple had tried for years to get the repair business closed for zoning irregularities. Half of the new acquisition, listed as 5212 32nd St. SW, Davenport, will be greenspace, and Tim Atkins plans to use part of an existing structure as well.

Perez lives adjacent to 818 LeClaire St., Davenport, and currently has no suitable place to park his vehicle. “I was worried someone else might want it,” he said, adding that he’ll construct the double garage as soon as the weather improves.

Dudley Priester paid $10 for property at 629 E. 6th St., which is adjacent to rental property he owns in Davenport. “No one seemed to care about it,” he said. “I want to clean it up and improve it.”

Jack Haberman has a different idea for two $10 plots of land he bought at 424 and 416 W. 8th St., Davenport. A resident of the Gold Coast neighborhood, Haberman hopes to build an appropriate new home, one that would be styled like others in the area.

This is a practice called “in-filling” that’s done very well in the Broadway District of Rock Island, Haberman pointed out.

The event served its purpose of promoting responsible new property ownership in Davenport.

“Folks who were next-door neighbors to the lots got a good deal by increasing their lot size for just $10,” said Tim Huey, while others got a inexpensive lot on which to build an affordable home. “All of this is good for city of Davenport, and good for Scott County,” added Huey, the county’s director of planning and development.

Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com.