Urban Discoveries Baltimore

Two fun facts:
1.    Johns Hopkins is the largest private employer in the state of Maryland.
2.    If you work for Johns Hopkins you may be eligible to apply for their “Live Near Your Work” grant and receive up to $17,000 toward the purchase of a new home.  Yep, not a loan but a grant — that’s the kind you don’t have to pay back.
Let it be said here, if nowhere else: $17,000 for a house is a nice enough incentive to make any JHU employee seriously consider purchasing a home within the program’s boundaries for that and nothing else.  But the Live Near Your Work program is Hopkins’ attempt to make sure that it’s a part of the neighborhood community, not apart from it.  As Michelle Carlstrom, director of WORKlife and Engagement at Hopkins, told the JHU Newsletter last year, “Hopkins has diverse employees, diverse racially, diverse economically. The program offers something for everyone. It’s a win-win situation for both employees and targeted neighborhoods.”  With that in mind, we present three homes eligible for the grant.

Barclay
2200 Calvert Street
This end-of-the-block rowhouse takes full advantage of its position with some lovely (and large) bay windows that give a view of the park across the street.  Pleasant, we think, all that light in the daytime.  With three bedrooms and two bathrooms, its got plenty of space to grow into as well.  And not only is it with the Hopkins’ LNYW boundaries, but it’s also within the Charles Village Benefits District.   Priced at $199,900, down from $235,000.  Eligible for a $17,000 LNYW grant.

Better Waverly
3043 Mathews Street
We already loved Waverly (the farmer’s market!  Trinidad Gourmet!) before we found this three-bedroom, two-bath rowhouse.  It’s been recently remodeled and is loaded down with niceties such as hardwood floors, a slate-tiled porch and a new back deck.  The basement’s been completely finished; there’s a bedroom suite down there along with a laundry room and full bathroom.  Plus with central A/C and electric heat, you’ll never be too hot in the summer and your heating bills will never be that high in the winter.  Priced at $144,900.  Eligible for a $10,000 LNYW grant.

Remington
2917 Cresmont Avenue
This cute rowhouse is in one of our favorite streets in all of Baltimore.  A block up from The Dizz and Charm City Cakes, a block down from the BMA and JHU’s Homewood campus, it’s somehow a quiet, peaceful little avenue.  The house has original, inlay wood floors and new windows (which, as a former window washer, I can tell you are nice), and with three bedrooms and one and a half baths, it’s got plenty of room for a growing family.  Priced at $262,000.  Eligible for a $10,000 LNYW grant.

A word of caution:  Before you buy any of these, or look to use the Hopkins LNYW grant, you should give their offices a call and find out all the details. Money cannot be awarded retroactively, so get it right the first time.  If you don’t work for Hopkins and are feeling a little jealous of all that money… don’t.  There are plenty of other incentive programs for homebuyers in Baltimore.

If you’ve got questions about how all this incentive stuff works, or if you’d like more information on any of the above houses, contact Brent Roberts at Urban Discoveries Living.

Posted in: Real Estate - Buying, Selling, Talking About It., WaverlyNo Comments