They may not be much to look at - but these scraps of land and tumbledown shacks could prove a bargain for buyers in New Orleans. The city government is selling some 1,700 vacant lots and ruined properties which have gone unclaimed for years - many since the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Tens of thousands fled the city, never to return, in the wake of the devastating storm, leaving many homes to crumble into ruin, and patches of land to grow wild. Past its best: This property, 1904 Frenchmen Street, is one of the homes for sale. The vast majority of the lots are empty plots . Typical: More than 1,000 empty spaces like these will be sold - after the city has given up any realistic hope of finding previous owners. Pictured is 838 Bellville Street . And after years of taxes and charges on the land piling up, city authorities have decided to cut their losses by putting them all up for auction. There is no minimum bid, but every property comes with at least $3,000 of fees - meaning nothing will go for less than that. The properties were only put forward after city tax collectors tried to find the rightful owners and failed, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. Many have so many charges stacked up that paying them off would cost more than the plot is worth. Nonetheless, anybody interested must put down a $650 deposit, to cover the cost of trying again to track down the owners and giving them one last chance to square their debts. Anomaly? Apartment #10 inside this building, 627 Ursuline Avenue in the French Quarter, is also listed for auction, despite its much smarter appearance than most lots for sale. However, there is no word on what it is like inside . Tempting: This patch overgrown weeds - also known as 3050 North Miro Street - is one of the almost 1,800 lots for sale . Some of the lots are empty patches of ground, others are overgrown with weeds or piled with trash. Many are barely a mile from the historic French Quarter, and not far from parks or the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. One property, on the city's Ursuline Avenue, appears to be within a still-standing and well-appointed apartment building - but there was no word on its condition inside. Other complete properties, largely wooden shacks, are so dilapidated they can hardly stay upright. They are being listed online by Civic Source, a company holding the auction on the city's behalf. Buyers are being encouraged to cross-references the addresses with online street view services to get a look at what they are bidding on. Empty: The unused land around this university building is another one of the lots - listed under 131 South Liberty Street . All-natural: 1925 Felician Street is another of the chunks of land which has gone unclaimed and unmaintained . Trash-heap: 3039 Pauger Street was another of the vacant lots up for sale in the huge auction . City authorities have also said that all the sales are conditional on the auctioneers being able to get title insurance for the homes. However, unlike similar schemes in other cities, there is no provision that owners have to develop or repairs the plots - or even live there. This has raised fears that professional investors and would-be landlords will take advantage of the low prices to turn large profits after improving the properties, especially as prices and the reputation of New Orleans as a city recover. However, the prospect seems not to worry the administration of mayor Mitch Landrieu, which could earn millions of dollars from the sale.
New Orleans city authorities are organizing huge auction of vacant homes . Mixture of tumbledown shacks, empty lots - and at least one apartment . Buyers have to contribute $650 deposit and $3,000 in transaction fees . But there is no minimum price at the auction itself . All homes have been unclaimed for at least 5 years and have huge tax bills . City will wipe debts for new buyers - and use sale price to swell coffers .