Trenton will put 28 city-owned homes and buildings up for sale beginning Thursday as part of a new round of a program aimed at returning abandoned properties to productive use.
The properties, located across all four wards, will be offered through the city’s City-Owned Property Purchase Program. Applications will be accepted from October 1 through October 30, with priority given to buyers who intend to make the property their primary residence.
The city is publishing photographs of each property to give prospective buyers a clear look at its condition and the rehabilitation work it may require.
“We’re not trying to hide what these properties look like — that’s why we’re selling them,” Gusciora said. “These are abandoned properties that need somebody willing to see their potential.”
Vacant lots will not be sold individually unless otherwise specified in a property listing.
“People want these properties,” Gusciora said. “They understand that buying an abandoned house isn’t the same as buying a move-in-ready home. It takes work, financing and commitment.”
Trenton temporarily stopped accepting new applications in November 2025 after what city officials described as an unprecedented surge in participation. The City Council ultimately approved 176 transfers of city-owned properties last year.
The latest round comes as Trenton says it has dramatically reduced the number of abandoned properties across the city.
More than 3,000 properties were classified as abandoned in 2018. Today, fewer than 100 abandoned houses remain, along with roughly 800 vacant lots, according to the administration.
The city has also moved to demolish buildings considered too deteriorated to rehabilitate. Trenton received $7.59 million in state funding this year to demolish or stabilize vacant and abandoned properties, with the first projects including sites on Hampton Avenue and South Clinton Avenue.
Gusciora said putting the properties back into use would return them to the tax rolls while encouraging homeownership and private investment in city neighborhoods.
The effort comes amid a sharp increase in Trenton property values. The city reported last week that the average home sale price rose from about $226,000 in 2025 to $239,000 in 2026, a 5.8% increase. In 2018, the average sale price was just $63,000.
“We want these properties to represent something different: opportunity,” Gusciora stated. “The goal isn’t simply to sell a building. It’s to get the building fixed, occupied, and contributing to the block again.”