Shelby County Land Bank

I went through the whole process of doing everything I was told to do to get the property. They told me no money right now just fill out a paper with the address and everything and someone would call me. I had to keep calling them until I reached someone finally. I was given an access code and date to call in on zoom. They never mentioned any money because of a new way they were doing it. When I got on the conference call Ms Jones said I couldn’t bid because I didn’t come pay the money. I was aware of the old way but after me constantly having to call them, no one said never to bring any money. I never got the call or email I was supposed to get from them. Bad business

Similar to other recent reviews, Land Bank employees are hard to get in contact with and the office is very slow processing refunds. Due to the time sensitivity of contracts and bids, prompt responses to phone calls and emails is expected but does not happen. Due to limited staffing, it takes about a week to get a response from certain individuals. It’s much better to go in person regarding questions or documents. Everyone is nice and will explain all the steps of bidding. While they say it takes 2-3 weeks for refunds in my experience, it takes 8-9 weeks. They expect people to pay within 48 hours of winning a bid, but they are in no rush to return deposits. The website is easy to use, but you have to contact the office for contracts and money.

Terrible they have set it up to have realtors get involved, buy houses, and upcharge to the public. This illegal, they have stopped common people from buying a home. This new way they are doing they trying to make money off the bidding war. Contact congress its illegal

My review is rated a 2 for them based upon the professionalism of conducting business to purchase land and reaching someone for questions. They need more people available to answer the phones especially when many people call in with questions about purchasing land and etc. You can rarely reach someone by phone at the front desk. It takes a while to get your refund back if you do not win a bid. As a business program for the city to make the city money and to get at least some taxes paid on properties, you would think they would do better with trying to provide better customer service.

My experience with this organization has been stressful and depressing.