A barbershop in Leslie, a 116-year-old historic home in downtown Lansing and vacant land in Meridian Township's Whitehills Lakes subdivision are among about 80 foreclosed properties in Ingham and Eaton counties set to be sold to the highest bidders.

The two upcoming tax foreclosure auctions, scheduled for late August and September, include a variety of homes, vacant land and commercial property.

They were foreclosed on by county treasurers for delinquent property taxes dating back three years, rather than by banks or mortgage companies. The starting bids for each begin with the back taxes owed on the property.

There are more properties going up for auction in Ingham County, about 65, than in Eaton, which offers just 15, but Ingham County Treasurer Alan Fox said property foreclosures have been declining since before the pandemic.

"The peak of foreclosures was the great recession era when people lost their homes because their credit was overextended because lenders had lent out too much money," Fox said.

County officials work with homeowners to avoid foreclosure, he said, assisting them in applying for federal funds to help them keep their property. If they apply, Ingham County officials won't foreclose on a home, Fox said.

Because tax foreclosure is a three-year process, it takes time before a bad economic year will impact property auctions, Eaton County Treasurer Bob Robertson said.

"The economy three years ago was not doing too bad, so I think that's what we're getting now is good foreclosure numbers that relate back to how well the economy was doing three years ago," he said.

Here's a look at a few of the homes and properties scheduled to be auctioned, what you need to know if you're thinking about bidding on one and where the money will go.

About half the properties headed for Ingham County's auction, set for Aug. 25, are homes, Fox said.

Most will be auctioned off one by one beginning at 10 a.m. at the Lansing Center. 

Of note, Fox said, is a century-old home at 921 N. Capitol Ave. It was built in 1906 and still maintains much of its original flooring and woodwork.

"It's a beautiful, old Victorian house; very solid, with a lot of architectural qualities to it," Fox said, though it has sustained some damage from a water leak. "It hasn't been occupied in a couple of years."

The starting bid for the house, which will be sold with a Historical Preservation Covenant attached aimed at maintaining the home's character and history, is $40,490.49.

A few of the properties in Ingham County will be auctioned off on-site the same day as the scheduled auction.

Included is a two-story home "in a desirable neighborhood" at 2225 Pamela Place in Lansing, Fox said, with a starting bid is $28,557.73.

"It hasn't been occupied for a couple of years so some of the exteriors are run down but it's in good enough shape," he said.

Vacant land in Meridian Township's Whitehills Lakes subdivision will be auctioned off on-site. The starting bid is $17,466.30.

Of the 15 Eaton County properties up for auction on Sept. 15, fewer than a dozen are homes and only a few of those are in "reasonably good shape," Robinson said. The rest are vacant land, he said.

"But these are properties that people will come in and buy," Robinson said.

That auction will take place at 6 p.m. at the Eaton County Government Complex in Charlotte.

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"The first priority of the auctions is to pay the taxes that were not paid by the property owners," Fox said. A property's minimum bid covers those, he said.

If a property sells at auction for more, those with a "legal interest" in each can file to receive "proceeds from the auction that are greater than what was needed to cover the taxes," Fox said. "Some of these claimants include the IRS, some of them are mortgage holders."

Both treasurers urge individuals to do their own research on a property before coming to an auction.

"The properties are sold as is," Fox said. "We know some things about them, but we can't guarantee much about them."

"The best way, I think, to do that is to call the local unit of government," Robinson said. "They will have more information about the property than probably anybody because they are the ones that had it on the tax roll."

Open houses will be scheduled at some of the properties the week before the auction, Fox said. If you're thinking about bidding on a home, it's a good idea to go, he added.

It's also wise to decide how high you're willing to bid on a property before the auction starts and stick to that bid, Fox said.

"People need to be careful about how far they're able to go to make something work," he said.

To view Ingham County's auction catalog visit https://online.flippingbook.com/view/851441034/ .

View Eaton County's auction catalog at https://online.flippingbook.com/view/829488756/ .

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .