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CHICAGO — A free, newly-rehabbed home on the South Side is up for grabs.
Registration opened this week for the Cook County Land Bank Authority’s 2019 home giveaway. The organization will give away a Washington Heights home — the exact location of it has yet to be revealed — come the fall.
The home will be renovated by the stars of “Double Down,” an HGTV show featuring Anthony and Anton Downing. The Downing twins are Chicago-area firefighters who flip and renovate homes.
The winner of the giveaway will get the deed to the single-family, rehabbed home. The home’s mortgage will be paid in full and the new homeowner will only have to cover property taxes, insurance and bills.
“We have rehabbed many homes, but this is one of the most impactful projects we’ve been involved in because it helps make affordable homeownership more accessible,” said Anton Downing in a news release. “The rehab that we’ve done on the giveaway home is so wonderful that my brother and I would love to live in the home ourselves, but we’re excited to turn it over to a winner this fall.”
The giveaway is meant to raise awareness of the Homebuyer Direct Program, which helps people buy vacant, abandoned homes so they can renovate them, move in and build their equity.
Those interested in participating can sign up online. The entry period ends Sept. 15.
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