Nesting Wisely
Shuna’ and DeAnte’ Gordon of Nesting Wisely are known as “superheroes” in East Baltimore thanks to their work redeveloping vacant homes. The married couple renovated 75 properties in their career so far, prioritizing community involvement and affordable housing.
"We join forces with the community and get on community boards, we attend meetings. We love that the most about Baltimore."
The Gordons started their business in 2017 with DeAnte’ as the licensed contractor and electrician and Shuna’ as the designer and administrator. They decided to live and build in East Baltimore because they love how community-oriented the area is. “We join forces with the community and get on community boards, we attend meetings. We love that the most about Baltimore,” says DeAnte’. “That was our mission. To have some income to sustain, but after that, creating beautiful homes and getting in touch with [community goals] by selling the houses to new homeowners.”
In 2019, the couple discovered receivership as a tool to acquire properties and help with their mission. They have since renovated four One House At A Time properties: 509 N. Curley Street, 1741 E. Lafayette Avenue, 1619 N. Spring Street, and 720 N. Curley Street. DeAnte’ and Shuna’ say they like to acquire properties through receivership because of its organized workflow. “If I bid on a property and am awarded, then I know in a few months One House is going to be reaching out to me,” says DeAnte’. “I don’t have to contact them or stay up on them. I know they’re doing their job in the background and will call me when ready. It’s a smooth process.”
The couple began their receivership journey by acquiring two properties that did not sell at auction, 509 N. Curley Street and 1741 E. Lafayette Avenue. Typically, receivership properties available for immediate sale are those in the roughest condition, the least desired having not sold at auction. DeAnte’ says 1741 E. Lafayette had no roof, a collapsed back wall, and a tree growing through it. 509 N. Curley hosted several loiterers who made it difficult to bring in construction materials. But the Gordons say they aren’t afraid of a challenge. “That’s intriguing to us,” says Shuna’. “We’re not intimidated by those houses. We don’t look at them as a challenge. We look at it as an opportunity.”
"Once we started renovating, I think we kind of opened up the market for people to feel safe and feel comfortable to start rehabbing on the block as well."
Not only were the Gordons able to fulfill the potential of the immediate sale properties with their renovations, but they also allowed others to see potential in the blocks. For example, when they started working on 1741 E. Lafayette, it was the only renovation on a dark block filled with vacants. After breaking ground, the block lit up little by little as neighboring renovations started to crop up. “Once we started renovating, I think we kind of opened up the market for people to feel safe and feel comfortable to start rehabbing on the block as well,” says Shuna’.
Their most recent receivership renovation is 720 N. Curley Street. Before the Gordons stepped in, the home had a tree growing through it from the back. It was a full-gut renovation needing new joists, rafters, a roof, and more. DeAnte’ says that since the street is a bit tougher to sell on, they decided to make it a rental property. They specifically wanted to collaborate with City services to find a tenant. “We were actually able to work with Dayspring. They work with the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services. So, right now there’s a homeless tenant. So, it worked out,” says DeAnte’. “And you wouldn’t be able to tell if it was a rental because we put high end materials in the rentals also.”
The Gordons enthusiastically agree that 1619 N. Spring Street is their favorite receivership renovation. Aside from a plumbing issue that delayed progress by 45 days, they say the rehab process was smooth and the result is “the bomb.” Shuna’ designed the two-story Oliver rowhome with a minimalist style to broaden the narrow space and create a comfortable environment. It has an open concept floor plan, an airy beige color on the walls, and recessed lighting along the ceilings. She also included custom made slow-close cabinetry, one of her favorite features. “I really wanted to go in and make use of the space,” says Shuna’. “I said once we finish this, it’s going to sit with me. And it’s not going to sit [on the market] for long.”
1619 N. Spring Street went under contract in 10 days and sold at the listed price of $200,000, an affordable price for new construction. “We actually had an offer come in around $215,000, and we took the offer at $200,000,” says DeAnte’. They say affordability is important to their business because finding affordable housing in the Maryland-Washington D.C. area is almost impossible. “If we’re able to get the receivership property at a great price, we want to put quality work in it. And if we can still make enough money that we can happily walk away with, we’re going to let it go for a nice price. We’re not going to overprice,” says DeAnte’.
"To see the transformation and the steps we had to take, it makes you want to continue to do more.”
Because of these projects, as well as their other non-receivership rehabs, the Gordons say they’ve received a lot of local recognition. East Baltimore neighbors ask about their latest projects because they’re interested in buying from them. Community groups take videos and feature the rehabs on their websites. “We’re getting a lot of attention.” And the Gordons are proud to display their work to the public. Shuna’ creates content on their Instagram page @nestingwisely, sharing stunning before and after photos and videos as well as progress reports. “It’s so rewarding to see the transition,” says Shuna’. “To see the transformation and the steps we had to take, it makes you want to continue to do more.”
The Gordons are continuing to do more as they work on a current project on North Avenue as well as an initiative to bring some commercial businesses to the Oliver neighborhood. As members of the Oliver Community Association Development Committee, they learned of the community’s concerns about the area’s business drought. “We get to tap in and see what they actually want,” says DeAnte’. “And they’re like, we have the superheroes over there pulling in tune with the community.”
