Portland Tried to Auction Off Abandoned Rat-Infested Property for $200K, But Nobody Wanted It

The city of Portland attempted to auction off a rat-infested property starting at more than $200,000, however nobody expressed interest in buying it, according to a report.

Six foreclosed properties were part of the auction Monday afternoon. In total, the property owners owed millions of dollars in code violation fees, nuisance complaints and other fees, as reported by KGW-TV.

One of the properties at the auction was a decaying home on 87th Avenue. The property has caught fire three times, and the remaining structure has become filled with trash.

"I've been here 43 years, and I've had to look at that for at least ten years," Sharon, who lives nearby one of the auctioned properties, told KGW-TV. "I mean, one year I killed over 100 rats."

However, the property received no bids at the city's auction. The city had set the minimum bid at $206,010. It also failed to sell at a previous auction in April.

"Cause nobody wants to buy it. Look at it ... it makes me extremely angry," Sharon told the station. The city told KGW-TV that minimum bids are determined by the county assessor based on a variety of factors such as interest, penalties and foreclosure sale costs.

Two of the homes at the auction did sell though, including a boarded up home on North Detroit Avenue. That home sold for $200,000 after bidding started at $105,682.

"These homes are there vacant, becoming distressed, we have squatters going in, we have people vandalizing everywhere," Kelsey Cooper, a spokesperson for Portland's liens department, told KGW-TV. Another round of homes will be going to the city council next month to be approved for another auction.