Success Stories Recap

Side by side images of different One House At A Time Renovations. First image: a block of colorful rowhouses. Second image: interior of a home with a lot of wood features. Third image: a yellow, green, and red house. Forth image: interior of a rowhouse with a brick accent wall. Fifth image: a gray rowhouse with a teal door.

How One House At A Time Buyers Are Rebuilding Baltimore

Every renovation has a story. From narrow rowhomes to large-scale, palatial builds, One House At A Time success stories demonstrate why small developers are crucial to the revitalization and reduction of vacancies in Baltimore neighborhoods. Let’s look back at what we’ve learned from these inspiring profiles:

 

Diversity of Talent

547 N. Pulaski Street
547 N. Pulaski Street, renovated by Shea Bennett of Trusted Touch Homes.

The receivership program attracts a diverse pool of developers. Veteran, minority, and women-owned enterprises lead these renovation projects, working alongside nonprofits and small businesses. “These are the communities building the city,” says Shea Bennett, U.S. Navy veteran and developer of 547 N. Pulaski Street. “It’s small mom-and-pop shops like me that are actually going out and building these properties in Baltimore.”

The developers bring expertise from various professional backgrounds such as IT, finance, law enforcement, architecture, marketing, and more. Some are industry newcomers, while others were practically born into it with decades of experience. They work as individuals, married couples, family teams, friends, business partners, community organizations, and even a combined team of two couples accomplishing this work during their retirement. 

Thanks to receivership, which allows buyers the flexibility to decide the best course for a property based on market forces or community needs, their rehabs are also diverse. Some rehabbers stick to one set-in-stone design blueprint, others create an entirely new design with each project. They design houses for comfort, luxury, efficiency, accessibility, sustainability, or personal taste. Their approaches vary too, from homeownership to long-term rentals with future homeownership opportunities. “We’re all bringing something different to the table,” says Warren Goodwine, one of the four retirees at M&G Real Estate Ventures.

 

2125 Denison Street after renovation. Two-unit home with gray siding.
2125 Denison Street, renovated by M&G Real Estate Ventures.

Why Receivership?

The receivership process emerges as a crucial catalyst for transformation. Tisa J.D. Clark, developer of 824 Edmondson Avenue, states: “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 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.”

824 Edmondson Avenue before and after renovation. Before: Hollowed out vacant building with dirty cornice and no windows. After: Restored Baltimore row home with windows, fresh white paint on cornices and windowsills, a blue door.
Before and after photos of 824 Edmondson Avenue, renovated by The J.D. Clark Companies.

Receivership’s reasonable acquisition prices stand out for DeAnte’ Gordon of Nesting Wisely, who views it as an opportunity to create more affordable homeownership and subsidized rental options. “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 Gordon. 

For Shea Bennett, developer of 547 N. Pulaski Street, the title clearing process built into receivership provides peace of mind. “I didn’t have to worry about the 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. I look at it as my primary way to purchase a property.”

Alex Aaron of Blank Slate praises the program’s supportive environment. “They want to see you win. They want to help you. They want you to make a difference in Baltimore and tackle this blight. So, I didn’t feel like I was alone. I could reach out and ask a question. I could strategize with them on acquisition.”

 

1741 E. Lafayette Avenue before and after photos. Before is a red brick Baltimore rowhome with boarded windows. After exterior is a blue brick rowhome with an orange door. Interior after photo is a white kitchen with black and gold accents.
1741 E. Lafayette Avenue, renovated by Nesting Wisely.

Vision and Optimism

Based on appearances alone, some may ask why anyone would buy these blighted properties. After hearing from our buyers, we see that it comes down to optimism, a developer’s vision for a property’s potential, and sheer guts. “We’re not intimidated by those houses. We don’t look at them as a challenge. We look at them as an opportunity,” says Shuna’ Gordon of Nesting Wisely. Shuna’ and her husband DeAnte’ rehabbed two immediate sale properties, typically receivership’s most challenged buildings seeing as they fail to sell at auction. But the Gordons’ foresight led them to create beautiful new homes out of previously undesired vacant buildings. 

Vision for the future can also come from glimpses of the past. Committed to historic preservation, Michael Rock, the developer of 4107 Walrad Street, says, “Much of Baltimore’s future lies in preserving more of it.” He certainly possessed a glass-half-full mentality on the Walrad Street project, believing the disheveled vacant to be in good shape and not fearing the challenge of finding all the materials to restore the building with historical accuracy. “Baltimore has everything, if you just look,” he says. Thanks to this positivity and vision to restore the building to its former glory, Rock’s work earned a 2018 Baltimore Heritage Award.

 

Creativity and Ingenuity

3504 Woodbrook Avenue interior after renovation. Steel staircase, exposed brick walls, colorful artwork.
3504 Woodbrook Avenue, renovated by James Moore III.

Building a home is a creative act, and inspiration can come in many forms. For example, Borna Ghaffarian and James Moore III, developers of neighboring properties at 3502 and 3504 Woodbrook Avenue, both say their design ideas come from collecting reclaimed materials. Both projects used recycled wood as well as other one-of-a-kind finds from local reuse centers. Moore’s inspiration also came from anticipating the needs of his target tenants (local nurses) and what would make their lives more convenient at 3504 Woodbrook. Ghaffarian treated 3502 Woodbrook as a “labor of love” art piece, creating a grand, nature-inspired oasis. “The creative process is really important, a chance to be a part of the community,” says Ghaffarian.

Another act of inventiveness happens when things don’t go according to plan. The developers of 2928 Oakford Avenue not only had to pivot their timeline and construction plans around unexpected issues with neighbors, hoarded garbage, and rodents, they also had to figure out how to adapt their design blueprint to accommodate a buyer with vision impairment. By listening to their buyer and conducting research, they were able to switch gears creatively and build an accessible living space. “You have no idea how much my life will change,” says Marion Ragland, the buyer of 2928 Oakford Avenue, on a voicemail she left for the developers.

Full floor suite on third floor of the renovated rowhome.
3502 Woodbrook Avenue, renovated by Borna Ghaffarian.

Constraint is also a conductor of creativity. The unique triangle shape and small size of 2504 Barclay Street posed limitations for the team at Harwood Redevelopment, LLC. But they were able to work with the space by thinking outside of traditional home design and deciding to place the kitchen in the basement area. They also installed built-in storage and furniture, considering that moving items in and out of the space would be difficult for the future buyer. Thanks to the developers’ cleverness, the home’s tenant (a U.S. veteran) and the neighbors are delighted.

 

2504 Barclay Street
2504 Barclay Street, renovated by Harwood Redevelopment.

Mission-Based Development

Another across-the-board commonality of our success story subjects, nonprofit and for-profit developers alike, is that community impact drives their work alongside financial returns.

One House buyers, like Elijah Kelley who developed 2040 E. Pratt Street, are motivated to do the work because they feel a “sense of duty” to their hometown. Some aim to reverse Baltimore’s historical inequities and redlining by providing quality affordable housing in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Some buyers, like the Gordons at Nesting Wisely, are live-in members of the communities they build in, and actively sit on community boards and collaborate with their neighbors to accomplish collective goals.

After Renovation
513 N. East Avenue, renovated by the Southeast CDC.

Tisa J.D. Clark’s motto: “Transforming Communities Through Social Impact”—reflects her company’s broader mission. Clark joins meetings with community groups, making sure her work aligns with their initiatives. She also provides seller concessions and works with her buyers to apply for City incentive programs to make her houses more affordable. “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,” says Clark.

As a nonprofit community development corporation, the Southeast CDC goes further, offering affordable loan products and financial counseling though a HUD-certified course focusing on how to manage money, understand credit, obtain loans, and preserve your investment.

 

Scale of Impact

1400 Block of North Bethel Street
The 1400 Block of N. Bethel Street, renovated by Blank Slate.

Rehabbing one house at a time can create a significant impact on a community, especially if it's the only blighted property on the block. However, capable One House At A Time buyers can scale up to transform entire blocks under receivership. Whether achieved through a developer purchasing side-by-side receivership properties, multiple developers working on individual projects along one block, or one developer acquiring a mix of receivership and city-owned properties on one block, the scale of impact does not have to stop at one house.

For instance, Alex Aaron began renovating properties one at a time with individual projects like 1629 N. Broadway. After building his experience, Aaron went on to develop the 1400 block of N. Bethel Street after purchasing six of its properties from One House At A Time, seven from the City, and one from a private owner. Mark Reed’s transformation of the 2100 block of E. Chase Street, starting with five properties purchased through receivership, shows how receivership can facilitate larger-scale renewal. 

2127 E. Chase Street After Interior
2127 E. Chase Street, renovated by Mark Reed.

Removing blight takes a village. We have seen the greatest impact when developers can work together to revitalize an entire block. An example of this approach is in the properties at 3502 and 3504 Woodbrook Avenue. These properties were beautifully renovated side-by-side by two different One House At A Time buyers. The block is well on its way to full restoration as more receivership properties on that block are in the process of renovation by other individual developers. This collective effort proves that transforming blocks, and even neighborhoods, can be achieved one house at a time.

 

Our success stories aim to illuminate the many paths to achieving positive change in Baltimore’s communities as well as the common goals and experiences in vacant building rehabilitation. As One House continues to gather stories of transformative impact, we hope to inspire more qualified rehabbers to join our mission to rebuild Baltimore. Stay tuned for the stories to come!

 

 

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