824 Edmondson Avenue
The J.D. Clark Companies, a suite of real estate firms, conducts business based on their trademark slogan: “Transforming Communities Through Social Impact.” Their latest transformation is 824 Edmondson Avenue, a distressed vacant renewed as an energy efficient home that uplifts its West Baltimore neighbors.
When Tisa J.D. Clark started her business, contractors at pre-bid conferences asked, “Where’s J.D.?” They assumed the initials belonged to a man. In her 16th year in the industry, they now ask, “J.D. what are you doing here? Don’t you have enough work?” From housing acquisition and development to construction and realtor services, Clark has a hand in every stage of the real estate life cycle. She says she’s worked on 4,500 properties in some form. “I say to any woman, if this is your passion, you want to impact a community and transform it, go for it,” says Clark. “It’s been a journey being an African American woman in a space that is predominantly male. But I’m just representing the community, showing that someone that looks like the community can in fact make a difference. Even if it is one project at a time.”
When Clark learned about One House At A Time’s vacant property auctions, which aligned with her one project at a time method, she became eager to transform a receivership property. “It gives an opportunity to step in and try to effect change,” she says. “When you look at the receivership process and its design, it’s not just a stopgap, it’s a solution. Not only does it transfer the property from the owner who is causing continuous blight, it auctions the property to a responsive bidder who has been pre-vetted to ensure they have the means to renovate. When you have something like that that has been working very well for many years, I think it’s a win-win for the community. It’s a win-win for developers and entrepreneurship. And more importantly, it helps put a dent in the national lack of affordable housing.”
"It was like something out of The Blair Witch Project."
Clark won the bid on the three-story corner property at 824 Edmondson Avenue in Upton. She says she was well researched before bidding. She conducted market analysis, researched neighborhood comps, and figured out a pricing structure to know her max bidding price. But arriving onsite after winning the bid was something she wasn’t prepared for. “It was like something out of The Blair Witch Project,” says Clark. “Furniture was still in there, but it was clearly all wet and nasty. We couldn’t walk but maybe 20 feet in because the floors were so soft. I had my work cut out for me.”
The real battle Clark faced was the lack of utilities. She says that even after passing all the rough-in inspections, BGE and DPW services lagged. “It was like a black hole trying to navigate through the process,” Clark says. “My trades people were calling in, trying to work their connections to get things done.” The crew used generators and brought water to the site. Deeper into wintertime, they were forced to pause work. She says there were days when the house was only 10 degrees inside. After scrambling to find assistance, Clark found a connection to an Exelon executive who was able to contact BGE and move things along. She also contacted Councilman Eric Costello to expedite water service. Utilities were finally available 11 months into the job. “Then it became all hands on deck to get this project finished,” she says.
824 Edmondson Avenue is now a spacious home bright with natural lighting. The first floor is fully open concept and showcases the preserved exposed brick wall featuring a display niche. The house contains five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms with the top floor as a full primary suite. The suite has a walk-in closet, an office nook, and a five-piece wet bathroom including a soaking tub and double floating vanity sink. Clark is particularly proud that the home is energy efficient, something she strives for in all her projects. It has a tankless water heater, a 16-SEER air conditioning unit on the roof, Energy Star appliances, LED lighting, and fully electric wiring that allows the gas furnace to be swapped for electric if the future owner chooses.
As a seller with a finance background, Clark wanted the price to be within neighborhood comps. The house sold for $400,000. But her mission is affordability, and Clark says she paid the transfer and recordation taxes and provided the buyer with 4% seller concessions. She also works with buyers to apply for eligible assistance programs offered by Baltimore City and the State of Maryland. “That’s actually why I got my real estate license, to support buyers looking for homes,” says Clark. “If they are successful in obtaining all the programming available, they could move into the house with equity immediately. They would overall have a lower mortgage payment at the end of the day.” 824 Edmondson Avenue’s buyer, a first-time homebuyer, received a lender credit, gift funds, and a $10,000 Vacants to Value Booster from the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Office of Homeownership.
"I'm on the street in my steel toed boots and pink hard hat. I get to meet the neighbors..., hear their stories and encourage them."
Clark says the Upton community is delighted with the renovation. During the project, she joined a monthly call with the Upton Planning Committee and UPC CDC that included residents in the area. “The community is very engaged and proactive,” says Clark. “It’s wonderful to see a community be so impactful. They’re excited that one of their initiatives, to create home ownership, is moving forward.” She says a few other developments are currently in progress on the block. So, this vacant-filled block is set to transform back to a block in productive use.
Clark’s next project is to renovate 1822 Druid Hill Avenue, another receivership property. She is currently in discussion with the city to acquire the neighboring city-owned property at 1820 Druid Hill Avenue and hopes to complete the renovations side-by-side. She says she and her team are ready to continue transforming and creating positive impact in West Baltimore. “It’s baked into how I operate. I don’t just sit in the office and dictate. I’m on the street in my steel toed boots and pink hard hat. I get to meet the neighbors in the communities I’m working in, hear their stories and encourage them,” says Clark. “If it does not transform a community through social impact, it’s a no. None of my businesses touch it. But if it can answer that call, that’s a go for us to move forward.”
