WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The City of Wichita is selling 13 public housing units and is giving potential buyers a chance to tour the homes this week.

City Councilman Brandon Johnson says many of them require fixing up.

“You’ll have to put some work into a lot of those but finding an ability to get in there and get that renovated gives you a house going forward,” said Johnson.

The city is starting to reposition the Wichita Housing Authority’s single-family public housing portfolio. The city says the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved selling 37 homes. People still live in 24 of the homes. Those residents are getting notice and will get relocation counseling before the homes are marketed.

Some tenants living in approved homes told KSN they are unsure where they will go once vacating the properties. One said he will be left homeless.

“Our staff is talking to them now kind of walking them through the process and trying to help them find some housing as those go out to market,” explained Johnson.

But 13 of the homes are vacant and ready now. Interested buyers can look at the houses on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And the city will accept offers for at least two weeks. The timeframe may be extended if necessary.

“I was thinking this would be the perfect opportunity for first-time homebuyers like myself to find an affordable home,” said potential homebuyer Zachary Seckman. However, he is concerned about the open house hours, which are during working hours for many.

“That kind of gives me the taste that these are only going to be available for investors and not working class here in Wichita,” he explained.

Open Houses:

9:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27

1-3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28

1 -3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29

The city says anyone can bid on the properties.

“A person can bid on one or all, but we have to evaluate your ability to rehab those. The goal is to get families in those houses, especially the ones that are boarded up right now,” said Johnson.

The selling of the properties is part of an effort to get rid of the abundance of public housing stock. The 37 houses approved for sale are the first of 352 that the city wants to sell.

Many of the remaining housing stock is vacant. Neighbors living near some of those houses told KSN they don’t want to see them vacant any longer. Some safe it is unsafe for children walking by, and they want the houses to be taken care of by homeowners.

“No one wants to see those boarded up houses, and if we can get those out there and get families back in there and kids running around the neighborhood, that’s what we all want to see. So I’m excited we’re finally getting that first step,” said Johnson.

For details about submitting a written offer on a property, click here or visit Wichita.gov/Economic/Pages/RealEstate.aspx.

Offers on the homes should include the name(s) of the individual(s) or entity making the offer, a description of intended use for the property (owner occupied, investment property, etc.) and proposed terms (cash purchase, financing, etc.).

You can email questions to city staff at HousingDevelopment@wichita.gov.