Cleveland's unique offer: $5K discount on new town home if you volunteer in the community

CLEVELAND - Developer Michael DeCesare and his wife Nancy have come up with a unique way to get new Cleveland home buyers to get involved in their communities.

DeCesare is calling the concept the "Shoreway Vision Program," giving buyers of his new town houses a $5,000 discount on the purchase price, if they give at least 40 volunteer hours to their community.

DeCesare made the offer available at his "Town Houses at Courtland" project on West 54th in Cleveland, and he's now extending the discount to his new "Waverly Station" project, at West 58th and Bridge Avenue.

"There's always been incentives to purchase," said DeCesare. "Nobody has ever heard of an incentive to purchase that requires you to give back time in your community."

The offer has sparked plenty of interest in the 22-unit Waverly Station project. Construction at the site has not yet started, but already, all but three units have been bought up in the project's first phase.

Detroit-Shoreway Community Development Organization Executive Director Jeff Ramsey applauded DeCesare and his company, Case Development LLC.

"Mike's not just a good builder, he's a terrific person," said Ramsey. "His Shoreway Vision Project gets people involved in the community."

Marketing Coordinator Nadine Nocero, with the Cleveland New Homes Team , told NewsChannel5 buyers are delighted by the discount offer.

"The Shoreway Vision Program is the only one of its kind on the west side of Cleveland," said Nocero. "Offering a $5,000 grant, paired with a 15-year tax abatement, the tax abatement alone saves them over $3,000 a year."

DeCesare is hoping to extend his volunteer discount offer to other projects in the near future.

"There's also great benefits besides the financial benefits," said DeCesare. "It's a great ay to get involved in your community, and for many people who are just moving here from out of the area, it's a great way to meet new people."

More information about the Case Development Waverly Station volunteer credit can be found on its website: townhomescleveland.com

Meanwhile, NewsChannel5 wants to help residents get involved in their neighborhoods by volunteering and reporting vacant/condemned homes, through its NewsChannel5 Building Better Neighborhoods initiative .

Residents are encouraged to send in pictures and information on distressed properties to our Troubleshooter Facebook or Twitter accounts @joeonyourside . Report a home using your smartphone and our free NewsChannel5 app .

NewsChannel5 will bring you a series of reports and updates on the progress made through the Building Better Neighborhoods initiative throughout 2012.