Update: This house was “flipped” and sold for $200,000; it is now a two family flat with ridiculously high rents. The house still leans and the plywood has been painted forest green.

My dearly departed neighbors in this long suffering house left behind quite the mess. It seems they didn’t like getting evicted, and trashed the place on their way out.

Why can’t the slumlord who owns this place realize he’s in the wrong line of business, and sell this poor house to someone who cares? Even in this economy, I know someone who wants to buy it who is also a responsible owner. Instead, our neighborhood is dragged down by a slumlord who has made such wonderful cosmetic changes as ripping out the stone lintels above the second floor windows, and placing a too small window in what was once a larger one.

The greatest threat to the future and well-being of the City of St. Louis comes not from drug dealers or criminals, but from the “investors” who sweep into our city to make a quick buck and then hit the road, leaving a damaged neighborhood in its wake.

Update: The house in the above photo is complete and owned by a great couple.

Conversely, this last house, the first house’s neighbor, is in the process of being converted into a single family house, waiting for a responsible, caring homeowner. The current owner, the rehabber, is putting hundreds of hours of work and tens of thousands of dollars into this house. Thanks for improving the neighborhood.