They may not be much to look at - but these scraps of land and tumbledown shacks could prove a bargain for buyers in New Orleans . The city government is selling some 1,700 vacant lots and ruined properties which have gone unclaimed for years - many since the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 . Tens of thousands fled the city , never to return , in the wake of the devastating storm , leaving many homes to crumble into ruin , and patches of land to grow wild . Past its best : This property , 1904 Frenchmen Street , is one of the homes for sale . The vast majority of the lots are empty plots . Typical : More than 1,000 empty spaces like these will be sold - after the city has given up any realistic hope of finding previous owners . Pictured is 838 Bellville Street . And after years of taxes and charges on the land piling up , city authorities have decided to cut their losses by putting them all up for auction . There is no minimum bid , but every property comes with at least $ 3,000 of fees - meaning nothing will go for less than that . The properties were only put forward after city tax collectors tried to find the rightful owners and failed , the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported . Many have so many charges stacked up that paying them off would cost more than the plot is worth . Nonetheless , anybody interested must put down a $ 650 deposit , to cover the cost of trying again to track down the owners and giving them one last chance to square their debts . Anomaly ? Apartment # 10 inside this building , 627 Ursuline Avenue in the French Quarter , is also listed for auction , despite its much smarter appearance than most lots for sale . However , there is no word on what it is like inside . Tempting : This patch overgrown weeds - also known as 3050 North Miro Street - is one of the almost 1,800 lots for sale . Some of the lots are empty patches of ground , others are overgrown with weeds or piled with trash . Many are barely a mile from the historic French Quarter , and not far from parks or the shores of Lake Pontchartrain . One property , on the city 's Ursuline Avenue , appears to be within a still-standing and well-appointed apartment building - but there was no word on its condition inside . Other complete properties , largely wooden shacks , are so dilapidated they can hardly stay upright . They are being listed online by Civic Source , a company holding the auction on the city 's behalf . Buyers are being encouraged to cross-references the addresses with online street view services to get a look at what they are bidding on . Empty : The unused land around this university building is another one of the lots - listed under 131 South Liberty Street . All-natural : 1925 Felician Street is another of the chunks of land which has gone unclaimed and unmaintained . Trash-heap : 3039 Pauger Street was another of the vacant lots up for sale in the huge auction . City authorities have also said that all the sales are conditional on the auctioneers being able to get title insurance for the homes . However , unlike similar schemes in other cities , there is no provision that owners have to develop or repairs the plots - or even live there . This has raised fears that professional investors and would-be landlords will take advantage of the low prices to turn large profits after improving the properties , especially as prices and the reputation of New Orleans as a city recover . However , the prospect seems not to worry the administration of mayor Mitch Landrieu , which could earn millions of dollars from the sale .
New Orleans city authorities are organizing huge auction of vacant homes . Mixture of tumbledown shacks , empty lots - and at least one apartment . Buyers have to contribute $ 650 deposit and $ 3,000 in transaction fees . But there is no minimum price at the auction itself . All homes have been unclaimed for 1904 and have huge tax bills . City will wipe debts for new buyers - and use sale price to swell coffers .