The Land Bank’s home rehabilitation work is a cornerstone of neighborhood stabilization and housing recovery across Mahoning County.
Through strategic acquisition and partnerships with local government, nonprofit developers, owner-occupants and responsible investors, we return vacant and abandoned homes to productive use.
Working closely with the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and with support from the Ohio Department of Development’s Welcome Home Ohio program, the Land Bank is helping restore formerly abandoned homes into quality, move-in-ready residences.
The Land Bank partners with YNDC to rehabilitate vacant homes for resale, providing new opportunities for homeownership while stabilizing surrounding blocks.
Make It Yours (MIY) Program
The Land Bank’s Make It Yours (MIY) program will offer a newly adapted pathway to homeownership designed for qualified owner-occupants and investors. The Land Bank expects to launch the Make It Yours program later in 2026.
MIY will have two different tracks.
Make It Yours: Whole House
MIY: Whole House will keep many of the Land Bank’s long-standing Deed-in-Escrow (DiE) program’s features available for owner-occupants and investors interested in full-scale home rehabilitation.
Homes are offered at modest sale prices and include detailed inspection reports outlining the repairs – inside and out – required to meet local building codes. Participants fund the renovations themselves while the Land Bank retains ownership and monitors progress throughout the process. Once all requirements are met, ownership is transferred to the buyer.
Over the years, clients have successfully completed more than 60 deed-in-escrow projects, returning dozens of homes to productive use.
Make It Yours: Inside Finish
Through MIY: Inside Finish, buyers can purchase a Land Bank-owned home at a reduced price. The Land Bank first prepares the property by securing and sealing the exterior – roofs, doors, windows, etc. and then the buyer completes the interior renovations – kitchens, bathrooms, living spaces – at their own pace and cost.
This program lowers financial barriers for owner-occupants who need to complete major exterior updates and encourages sweat equity for more manageable renovations, helping residents invest directly in their neighborhoods to turn vacant houses into long-term homes.
Stabilizing Neighborhoods, One Home at a Time
By combining Land Bank-driven rehabilitation, unique owner-occupant renovation programs and strong partnerships, we help reduce vacancy, strengthen housing stock and support long-term neighborhood stability.
If you have questions, please visit our FAQs page, or visit the Mahoning County Auditor’s website here to perform a property search by owner: Mahoning County Land Reutilization Corp. We do not keep an active list of properties available for the public, as it changes often.
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