I suspected the smoky wood burners whose home was recently put up for sale were forced out as the result of foreclosure. It turns out I was right. They didn't even bother to clean out their firepit before they left. While I am glad they are gone, I was disappointed to see so many foreclosures in the area. I had been looking for a list of area foreclosures for a while, but did not find anything. I found something today. I admit I am taken aback by how many foreclosures there have been.
There is a house on 19th Ave. near the lake that was torn down within the past few days. That house or the one next to it is in foreclosure. I cannot be certain because the government property map website is not working at the moment and I do not trust Bing Maps to be completely accurate with its address placement.
It turns out that our former mayor was foreclosed on, too. This is of note because the late Mayor Bill Sandberg lived in this city his whole life. He ran the local funeral home. He had to have paid that house off or made enough money to pay it off years ago. His estate must not have found enough equity in the home to pay off the debt. I have found no sale information on the county website and nothing indicating the home is for sale. But somebody is paying the property taxes.
Mayor Sandberg Foreclosure
Mortgage Foreclosure Sale
BAC v Sandberg, William T. & Delores L.;
2825 Division St. N., North St. Paul 55109
In addition to the smoky burners mentioned earlier who were foreclosed and have vacated their home, another burner in the area is in foreclosure.
Foreclosures may be a blessing in disguise for those of us who enjoy unpolluted air. If it takes a foreclosure to get rid of an air polluter, I will not complain. I would rather have a few vacant, rundown homes in the area than breathe smoky air every day.