For two abandoned properties in Dartmouth, the fourth time was the charm. The empty lots have finally been sold after the city failed three times before.

The final bid for 106 Pinecrest Dr. was $17,000. The buyer told CBC News they have no immediate plans for the lot.

The other property located at 120 Pinecrest Dr. went for $15,500. That buyer hopes to build some houses since apartment buildings are no longer an option.

The area is full of apartment buildings but the two lots sold are no longer zoned for apartments, only single family homes can be built.

Coun. Jim smith said the sales are good for the neighbourhood. (CBC)

Coun. Jim Smith from north end Dartmouth said the sale is a hopeful sign for the area.

"Now we have an owner, someone we can go to and say, 'Look, you own this property now, you're going to have to keep it up,'" Smith said.

"At one time we had eight or nine boarded up buildings up there, we don't have those anymore. We've gotten rid of a lot of the slum landlords. We have a good, solid group of young entrepreneur landlords up there that are trying to provide good quality apartment living for people at a modest cost. So things are changing around. It's a slow process."

A decade ago there were nine boarded up, abandoned buildings in the north end Dartmouth neighbourhood that attracted vandals, who would set small fires on the properties.

Over the last few years, the city has torn down many of the buildings, including two that once existed on the empty Pinecrest lots.