There are plenty of occupied buildings in Montgomery that were far more “blighted” than the one owned by Karen Jones. The one owned by McCall was brand new and in excellent shape. Jones was even given her day in court.
I would have questioned one of the homes, the newer one looked just fine to me.
The big question is WHY they chose the houses they did, has the land any special value or do developers want to build something there? I just can’t see them tearing down homes unless they really are dangerous to enter or there is a financial gain for someone.