This Seventh Ward Fourplex Has Been Vacant Since Katrina—Can It Be Saved?

We recently visited a vacant fourplex in the Seventh Ward of New Orleans that hasn’t been fully occupied since Hurricane Katrina. The downstairs units have been off-market for nearly 20 years, and the property is showing its age—with cobwebs, debris, and code issues making it a tough rehab.

Jon from Home Buyer Louisiana walked through one of the bottom units and brought along a laser measurer to check the ceiling height. New Orleans now requires 7-foot ceilings to bring a property back into commerce, and this one’s right on the edge—even before factoring in drywall. It’s going to take some serious due diligence to figure out whether we can bring this one back to life.

The seller is an older landlord who’s owned the building for a long time. After recently evicting problem tenants upstairs, he’s just had enough. He’s ready to move on—and that’s where we come in. We specialize in helping tired landlords and distressed property owners get a clean exit, and we’re evaluating whether this fourplex can be turned into quality, affordable housing for four families.

You can watch the video to see the property and hear more about the situation, or read the video transcript below.

Video Transcript

Hey. What’s up, everybody? It is John with Homebuyer Louisiana. I’m in the downstairs unit of a fourplex here in New Orleans in the Seventh Ward. Pretty cool little place.

This this one’s been vacant since Katrina, so is the other downstairs unit. And the city, now requires seven foot ceiling requirement to be brought back into commerce to pass inspection. So I’m here, actually. I got my little laser measure. I’m measuring, the ceiling to floor.

It’s, like, right at seven feet, not including the sheet rock that would be there. So, it’s gonna be a little tricky, but I’m gonna do some more due diligence. See the cobwebs over there. It’s pretty gnarly. Yeah.

Just, just checking out. I think we’re gonna be able to help. The seller has owned it for quite a long time. He’s getting a little older. He’s just tired of managing it.

Had some bad tenants recently upstairs that had to get evicted, and so now he’s just ready to get rid of the whole thing. I want to see if we can make this thing into a functional fourplex again so we can put four families in here and, hopefully, hopefully, have some affordable housing for people. So, if you have a house like this in any condition, anywhere in South Louisiana, give us a shout. Homebuyerlouisiana.com. Fill out the form for a free cash offer, and, hopefully, we can help you out.

Thanks.

Selling a house in Louisiana or Mississippi?

We  are based in New Orleans and buy houses across South Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast—including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, St. Tammany Parish, and Biloxi. If you’re selling a house anywhere in between these areas, there’s a good chance we’re your ideal buyer. We’re especially focused on purchasing homes in Harvey and Metairie right now, so reach out if you’re thinking about selling.

If you’re a landlord ready to offload your rental property or want to sell a house as-is, we can help.