How much do Genesee County Land Bank properties cost?

Most Genesee inventory is priced by application rather than a sticker — you propose a use and price and staff review it. The featured homes and development lots that do carry asking prices start around $5,000 with a median near $15,000. Vacant side lots for adjacent neighbors are the cheapest path, often nominal.

Does the Genesee County Land Bank sell houses?

Yes — and it's one of the biggest sources of them. Our data flags roughly 3,500 of its ~14,000 active properties as having a structure, a far higher share than land banks like Cleveland or St. Louis that are almost entirely vacant land. Most need renovation and sell with a rehab expectation.

How do I buy a house from the Flint land bank?

Start from the property on the map, then apply through thelandbank.org. Featured homes have asking prices; everything else runs through an application where you show proof of funds and a plan. Owner-occupants and adjacent owners get priority on many parcels, and deeds can carry renovation conditions.

Is the Genesee County Land Bank the same as the city of Flint?

No. The Genesee County Land Bank Authority is a county agency that holds and resells tax-foreclosed property across Genesee County, including most of Flint. It's the model much of the country copied — Flint's land bank pioneered the modern county land-bank structure in the mid-2000s.

Buying From the Genesee County Land Bank (Flint): The Playbook

Flint is where the modern land bank was effectively invented, and the Genesee County Land Bank still runs one of the largest inventories in the country: roughly 14,000 active properties, about 3,500 of them with a structure — an actual-houses share that dwarfs the vacant-lot giants like Cleveland and St. Louis.

Why Genesee matters

Most land banks are lot machines. Genesee is different: after the foreclosure wave hit Flint, the county land bank ended up holding thousands of homes, not just empty parcels. That makes it one of the best places in America to buy a cheap house rather than a cheap yard — if you go in understanding the condition and the process.

~14,000 active listings countywide, concentrated in Flint.
~3,500 flagged with a structure — rehab candidates, not just land.
Mostly application-priced. Only the featured homes and development lots carry public asking prices; the rest you buy by proposing a use and price.

What the prices mean

The featured, sticker-priced homes start around $5,000 with a median near $15,000 — the number to anchor on for a buyable house that needs work. Everything without a price is an invitation to apply, not a mystery: you tell the land bank what you'll do with the property and what you'll pay, and staff review it. The cheapest deals of all are side lots — vacant parcels sold to the neighbor next door, often for a nominal amount (how side lots work).

Sort the live Genesee inventory by price to see the featured homes; filter to structures to see the rehab stock.

The buying process

Genesee follows the standard land-bank playbook (step by step) with local specifics:

Find the property on the map and note whether it has a posted price or is application-only.
Check adjacency. Own the lot next door? The side-lot path is the fastest, cheapest transaction the land bank offers.
Apply through thelandbank.org with proof of funds and a plan. Owner-occupants and community-serving uses get priority on many parcels.
Budget the renovation, not the sticker. A $12,000 Flint house is a $40k–$100k project — price it from an inspection, and check it against the neighborhood's value with the deal-check tool on every listing.

Is it worth it?

For an owner-occupant or an investor who can fund a rehab honestly, Flint is one of the highest-opportunity markets in the country precisely because it has houses, not just lots — see our worth-it verdict by buyer type. The catch is always condition and the county's process, which favors people with a real plan.