MIHA Housing to go up for sale

The MIHA Housing in Garapan, which consists of several freestanding government-built homes, is one of multiple properties that the Northern Marianas Housing Corp. will putting up for sale/lease due to the lack of workers needed to maintain and repair the units.

NMHC corporate director Jesse Palacios affirmed the MIHA Housing, one of NMHC’s properties, will be put up for sale because there are not enough laborers to continue the upkeep of the housing units.

“This is strictly our property but we had to sell because the existing structures there are outdated [and] dilapidated, so the ones that are still good are the ones that haven’t been abandoned or used recently, so there’s not much wear or tear,” he said.

“It’s the shortage of the construction companies and some of the properties require major renovations and we’re trying to keep the ones with minimal renovations so we can just turn them over and rent hem out, but the ones that’s require major renovations, it means more money we have to put in,” he added.

Palacios did mention that the existing units that house NMHC clients will not be put up for sale, just the abandoned structures.

The corporation has already put up other properties for sale or lease in Kagman, Dandan, Tinian, and Rota.

“We’re making them available for both [sale and lease]. The one for lease is for those people who are not [of Northern Marianas descent], so if you’re not from here, you can still lease the property for 55 years so we’re not limiting the ownership to NMDs. It’s for everyone, “he said.

The properties that have already been put out for sale are the properties the corporation has acquired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “For us to get our money back, we have to sell the properties,” he said.

All the properties that are up for sale or lease are residential, according to Palacios. “We don’t have vacant lands. They’ll have houses on them, but most are abandoned,” he said.

Palacios added that the properties that are up for sale or lease are properties that individuals have shown interest in.

“One of the other reasons we sell these properties is because people come to us and they show interest. We don’t really announce on the paper and…whenever someone is interested, that’s when we actually try to sell it,” he said.

For more information, feel free to visit the NMHC office in Garapan.