STATEN ISLAND — The state sold off 61 homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy for $9.9 million during an auction on Staten Island this week.
The properties — mostly one to two family homes in Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn — were bought by the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) through their NY Rising Acquisition for Re-Development Program for $18.1 million from homeowners after the storm with the goal of selling them to developers to repair them.
"Building on the success of the NY Rising Acquisition Program, today’s auction in Staten Island is a significant step forward in the State’s recovery and growth, expanding this avenue for resilient redevelopment to New York City," said Lisa Bova-Hiatt, executive director of GOSR, in a statement.
"Paired with our Long Island auction, the completion of our first-ever New York City event marks another critical milestone in the state’s steadfast efforts to build back better and stronger than before."
The auction included 56 homes on Staten Island with pre-storm values ranging from $136,000 to $565,000, according the GOSR.
The cheapest home in the borough sold on the auction-block for $35,000 and the most-expensive fetched $380,000, according to GOSR.
The homes, some stripped down to their wood beams, incurred at least 50 percent damage during the storm.
They need to be elevated to flood standards and new owners need to obtain a certificate of occupancy within three-years or lose it back to the state, which made some who toured the homes last month wary of investing.
"They're drawing you in with a low opening bid," said Steven Williams, a contractor who was looking for a home to fix up for his son and visited open houses for some in Great Kills.
"For the most part I don't think it's going to be worthwhile."
