A family in St. Paul has freshly turned the key to their new home at 735 Margaret Street, a historic property recently restored as part of Ramsey County’s effort to bridge the gap to homeownership for first-time buyers. The four-bedroom, three-bath house, recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, was sold on Wdenesday for a shade under $342,000, with the significant aid of $85,400 in down payment assistance from Ramsey County's FirstHome Down Payment Assistance Program, as reported by Ramsey County.
The property's journey from tax forfeiture to a modern abode is the fruit of the Productive Properties Program, a Ramsey County initiative aiming to concurrently address housing redevelopment and workforce training. This program offered COVID-19-displaced workers the chance to not only acquire but also to deeply engage with construction skills through paid, on-the-job training, as detailed by Ramsey County. The county's Property Tax Services and Workforce Solutions departments collaborated with Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota, capitalizing on federal CARES dollars to fuel the program.
"The Margaret Street home sale is a testament to what’s possible when housing, training and economic redevelopment intersect," a statement echoed by Ramsey County's own announcement of the sale.
