Right here in River City.  When I played the role of Winthrop in The Music Man many, many years ago the Wells Fargo Wagon comin’ down the track brought all kinds of goodies to Gary, Indiana. Except, no offerings of $1.00 homes – until now, that is (see full story here). Efforts aimed at restoring livability conditions in that city include $1.00 homes. Certain conditions apply.  The benefit for the city is that the new homeowners would pay taxes, remove the homes from the city’s list of derelict buildings, and improve the character of the neighborhoods.

While it sounds like a no-brainer for buyers, many of the estimated 10,000 unoccupied homes in the city have been hit by vandals and arson – so you might have to buy your own truckload of SPF studs to make that fixer-upper livable.