City Declares House Surplus, But Holds Off On Sale

Even though the city has spent more than $60,000 in renovations and improvements, and even though it's priced to move, Gaithersburg officials want to hold off on selling a tiny home on Dogwood Drive directly behind City Hall.

The 1,700-square-foot home at 300 Dogwood Drive is being officially called a surplus property, which allows officials to sell it, according to Assistant City Manager Tony Tomasello.

Most of the home was rebuilt after a storm in 2010 when a large tree fell on it. Nearly all the renovations to fix it were covered by insurance, the Gazette reports.

The house was built in 1958, and the City bought it in the 1960s, when they started renting it to a Public Works employee. 

Tomasello said the main reason for buying the property was so the city could build a foot-patch from Dogwood Drive to behind .

It has been vacant since the tree fell on it.

Officials appraised the house at $225,000, and have considered selling it for $215,000, Tomasello said.

But even though this may be the smallest house in the neighborhood, Tomasello added, officials are holding off on selling it because their price is lower than the surrounding homes.

Selling it at such a modest price could damage home values in the rest of the neighborhood, Tomasello said.

They hope to rent it in the meantime, he added.