547 N. Pulaski Street Profile

547 N. Pulaski Street after renovation. A light gray Baltimore City corner rowhouse with a teal blue door. Located directly next to a vacant property.
547 N. Pulaski after renovation. Photos courtesy of Trusted Touch Homes

547 N. Pulaski Street

At first, local developer Shea Bennett thought he made a mistake buying 547 N. Pulaski Street, a Baltimore property at the edge of a vacant building cluster. But through perseverance, he rebuilt it into a beautiful, modern home and became a pioneer for development on that block.

Bennett, a United States Navy veteran and IT professional, operates Trusted Touch Homes with his wife. In June 2021 they decided to take a chance on 547 N. Pulaski during a One House At A Time auction. They did not realize the challenge this litter-strewn vacant would pose. Bennett says there were no other buildings in development on Pulaski when he started the project, even though most of the block consisted of “blue-sky houses”: vacant properties with burnt out or torn down roofs.

“You do your little dance, like ‘yeah, I got it!’ Then I said, ‘oh my god, this is going to be tough,’” says Bennett. “When you’re trying to sell a house that is next to a vacant, most people don’t want that property. They’re not interested in buying that home.”

547 N. Pulaski Street before renovation. Federal style, red-brick, two story Baltimore City rowhouse with marble steps. The property is in derelict condition with partially boarded windows.
547 N. Pulaski before renovation

Luckily, Bennett says that his first renovation experience was a “gladiator school” that not only taught him about the development process, but also taught him how to rebuild a property even when no one else believes in its future value. Reflecting on this first renovation–and motivational lessons he learned from his military family upbringing–allowed him to envision 547 N. Pulaski’s potential and keep pushing.

Bennett says that the biggest challenge of this project was money. Because of their Muslim faith, Trusted Touch Homes is a cash-based business. They do not use loans due to the religion’s restrictions on interest charges. So, they rely on their day-job paychecks, earnings from former property sales, and any grants they can secure. Bennett eventually found relief in the receivership process’ ability to remove liens.

“I didn’t have to worry about a bank coming after me later and saying that I owed them money for some loan from 30 years ago. Receivership gave me a sense of comfort that all of the liens were removed,” he says. “I look at it as my primary way to purchase a property.”

"People's faces light up when they see that somebody's working on something on their block."

No longer a blue-sky house, 547 N. Pulaski is currently under contract with settlement slated for the end of January 2023. It stands out with a fresh paint job: light gray brick and eye-catching turquoise doors. The interior of this three-bedroom, three-bathroom rowhome is sleek, modern, and luxurious. Bennett says he refuses to build a property that he wouldn’t live in himself and reflects on criticism of his design choices.

“One of the biggest things they teach you in my family is to have integrity, even if nobody’s looking. The Navy taught it to us. It’s the core of everything I believe,” says Bennett. “When I put shower glass in 547 N. Pulaski, [people said] ‘why on earth would you put shower glass in there? These people don’t need this.’ I’ll never forget when someone said, ‘these people.’ What do you mean by ‘these people’? Because this is our community.”

Renovated living room with freshly painted white walls and gray hardwood floors looking into the kitchen and second-floor stairs. The living room is staged with a white sofa, coffee table, flat screen TV, and club chairs.
547 N. Pulaski Zillow listing

It is the community that makes this hard work rewarding. “People’s faces light up when they see that somebody’s working on something on their block,” says Bennett. “A lot of people have this misconception that if you live in a neighborhood that’s not so great, that’s poor…they think everybody wants to live in this kind of environment. I don’t know anybody who wants to live on a dirty street or live on a block where there’s a whole bunch of abandoned houses.” Trusted Touch Homes pride themselves on selling properties to community locals at affordable prices. They have spent some of their earnings reinvesting in the community and donating to local charities.

"It's small mom-and-pop shops like me that are actually going out and building these properties in Baltimore."

The future looks bright for N. Pulaski Street, thanks to Bennett spearheading the path toward vacant building development on that block. Bennett believes that Baltimore City’s overall vacant housing crisis can improve if the city invests in fellow small, minority-owned, and veteran-owned businesses who develop Baltimore properties. “These are the communities building the city,” he says. “It’s small mom-and-pop shops like me that are actually going out and building these properties in Baltimore.”

With odds stacked against it, taking on the 547 N. Pulaski project was a bold move. But Bennett’s drive, dedication to the community, and creativity in response to obstacles and limitations allowed him to transform the eyesore into a dazzling Baltimore home. We look forward to seeing this neighborhood flourish with its new restorations.

 

 

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