3131 Abell Avenue
Ever wanted to live next door to your very own UDL blogger?  Or where
one used to live and now haunts with a ghostly vengeance? Well move
into this three-bedroom, one-bathroom rowhouse neighboring my former
residence and find out.  Step out onto your spacious front porch for a
breath of fresh air and find my spirit-imbibing spirit on the adjacent
porch arguing fiction and playing German board games.  Seek refuge
from me indoors amidst the comfort of hardwood floors, a breezy living
room, and a lower level family room and you’ll undoubtedly be haunted
by strains of indie rock and raucous laughter from next door.  Perhaps
the only way to avoid my gruesome phantom is run through the
landscaped backyard to your garage (complete with automatic opener)
and drive far, far away from your newly painted rowhouse and the
coolest neighborhood this side of the Mason-Dixon.  But it’d probably
be easier to come over and hang out.  My ghost is cool like that.
Priced at $209,500, poltergeists included.

3108 Brentwood Avenue

This two-bedroom, one-bathroom rowhouse was completely renovated just this fall. New maple floors (they look cool), new kitchen (with concrete counters!), new paint, new appliances, and new central air conditioning (because Baltimore summer’s can get just a bit muggy). Brentwood is a quiet street too; a bit off the beaten path, but still super-duper close to all the amenities of Abell. A house you can call home… and with all the brand-new features, you’ll kind of be the first to do so. Priced at $124,000.

2610 Guilford Street

Okay, so this three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom townhouse isn’t technically in Abell. Whatever, we expand the neighborhood boundaries on a whim, we’re bloggers! And if we get to write about houses like this – with its recent restoration maintaining much of the original detailing – we’ll consider it justified. We’re laying odds that you’ll forgive us too once you get inside, since the renovation touched every corner inside and out – from the granite countertops in the kitchen to the upper level back porch – ensuring an immensely livable home. Priced at $294,000.

  The money is specifically for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program  (NSP), one of the countless acronymic offspring of last year’s Economic Recovery Act. NSP is meant to help local communities to defibrillate properties that are flatlining as a result of foreclosure, abandonment, or general blight. It’s a whole government program aimed at making cities not look like the set of The Road.

  Through the NSP, independent organizations including Habitat for Humanity, the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, Empire Homes, and People Encouraging People  will renovate and develop old and new affordable housing. It will be good to see some moribund parts of Baltimore given new life. It will be particularly good if this can be done without scattering all the struggling residents.

  What are your hopes for Baltimore’s new year?

708 Port Street

Not only does this  Canton four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom townhouse have bamboo and concrete floors, an open floor plan that’s Zen times ten, and modern styling throughout its three stories, but it also has one of the best terraces we’ve ever seen. Huge, with views looking over downtown and the harbor, a built-in shower and grill and a wet bar just inside, this terrace is perfect for hosting parties, lounging in the afternoon sunshine or just being outside. So, so nice. And did we mention the two-story waterfall? We didn’t? How’d that slip our minds? Curious. Priced at $1,175,000.

3901 Saint Paul Street

This seven-bedroom, four-bathroom brick Colonial in Guilford recently underwent a million dollar renovation and it shows. The rooms are uniformly large and comfortable; the kitchen is beautiful with dark wood and new countertops; the fireplaces are surrounded by granite; the back patio is stone and open; the library is warm, inviting and perfect for reading… we could go on. Maybe our favorite part of the house is the sunroom, with its floor to ceiling Palladian windows, its expansive view of the half acre lot, its space. Priced at $1,680,000.

16 East Mount Vernon Place

Just across the street from the Peabody Institute and the Walters Museum is this four-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bathroom Mount Vernon rowhouse. Embassy-esque in its outward appearance, you might actually feel like a diplomat when you enter as well. And why wouldn’t you. with luxuries like a butler’s pantry, a sauna, a steam shower, and some truly enormous walk-in closets? All of those things may be afterthoughts, as the rooms are plenty large enough for entertaining and the décor is understated, but lovely. Carriage house in back also available. Priced at $1,800,000.

729 West 34th Street
Okay, this three-bedroom, one-bathroom rowhouse is actually on 34th Street.  The 34th Street.  The one with the hubcap Christmas tree and the wagon wheel Frosty and the peaceful happy gawkers looking at all the elaborate decorations and lights.  All that’s on the outside, though, but the inside of this house is just as gawk-worthy with its recently remodeled kitchen, huge living room and gorgeous hardwood floors.  It’d be a nice place to relax after hanging (all!) those lights.  Priced at $245,000.

3012 Keswick Road
This three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bathroom rowhouse is close to so many things you’d expect it to be a city all by itself.  Wyman Park, the Avenue, Johns Hopkins, Jones Falls Trail, Druid Hill Park are all within throwing distance, but if you’d like to get a little farther away know that it’s convenient to I-83 and the light rail.  Staying in is a nice option as wel,l with an updated kitchen, a back deck and brick patio, and hardwood floors.  Priced at $259,900.

3103 Tilden Drive
This three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom rowhouse is unique in Hampden: it was built in this century.  Older houses are great, but they’re not for everyone; some folks like all sorts of modern trappings.  Modern trappings like open floorplans, kitchen islands, granite countertops, a master suite… all of which this house has.  It is, however, tucked away on a little Hampden backstreet full of green space and quiet, in case you need an escape from all that modernity.  Priced at $339,000.

904 N. Calvert St. #1
The realtors are calling this two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo “oversized,” and we think we’ll have to agree.  We don’t know how else to describe the two-stories of high ceilings and spacious rooms.   But beyond being large, it’s also a lovely place, one with detailed moldings, pocket doors, a remodeled kitchen and oodles and oodles of charm.  Priced at $299,900, and qualifies for a 10-year historic tax credit.

1113 Hunter Street
This two-bedroom, two-bathroom townhome loft feels a little like the setting of a modern play.  The type where yuppies come to terms with things over yoga mats and angrily-flung glasses of wine.  Not that that’s you, potential buyer.  No, you’re probably more interested in the whirlpool tub, the exposed brick walls, and the double-sided fireplace.  And maybe a little interested in the fantastically well-equipped kitchen too – the two ovens, commercial six-burner stove, butler pantry, and subzero refrigerator would make cooking easy.  Priced at $299,900, on short sale.

906 Tyson Street
This three-bedroom, two-bathroom property is a rarity at its price in Mount Vernon: an actual house.  Created by a renovation of two adjacent rowhomes, this double-wide offers two family rooms, new appliances, and a charming, tree-lined street on which to live.  And if that doesn’t sound pleasant enough, there’s a private courtyard in the back for those little moments when you want to escape the city into a space of your own.  Priced at $319,000.

1403 Reynolds Street
Have we talked about pocket doors before?  Probably not – opportunity rarely arises – but we love them.  We make whooshing noises when we slide them into walls and pretend that we’re in a steampunk future where all the doors are Victorian and automated and nothing is as it seems.   So when we do come across them – as we have in this two-bedroom, two and a half bath rowhouse – we feel a special obligation to mention them.  Sure, there are other little touches that make this house special (the wood floors, the stainless steel kitchen appliances, the brick walls), but pocket doors are super-awesome!  Priced at $289,900.

1443 Andre Street
This renovated two-bedroom, three-bath rowhouse is kind of overwhelming in a lot of (good) ways.  The hardwood floors, the gourmet kitchen, the maple cabinets, the brick accents, the separate bathroom for each bedroom, the roof deck.  Plus, the lower level is furnished and tiled, making for a perfect family or game room.  If it all seems like a little too much to be contained in just one house… well, we agree, but there it is.    Priced at $329,000.

333 Hull Street

Brick is an excellent building material.  It adds a certain hominess, a certain warmth, a certain charm to whatever it touches, including this two-bedroom, one-bath rowhouse.  Now warmth and hominess are subjective terms, but the Brazilian cherry floors, exposed brick walls and well-designed kitchen are all objectively charming — and we won’t hear any arguments to the contrary.  Plus, it has a rear driveway, meaning that even the most drudging of tasks (finding parking) is easy and comfortable here.  Priced at $259,900.

525 Walker Avenue
This four-bedroom, one-bath Victorian sits on a spacious 1/3 acre lot, giving the owner that “Lord of the Manor” feeling that can be so tough to come by in a rowhouse.  The wide front porch will allow you to master all you survey, while the eight foot windows let the interior be as sunny and airy as the outdoors.  Combine that with the oversized kitchen (it’s got a walk-in pantry!), hardwood floors, and three floors of living space, and living here might just be kingly.  Priced at $265,000.

827 Cedarcroft Road
A certain UDL blogger’s mom declared this three-bedroom, one-bath house to be “as cute as a button,” and as much as we’d like to, we can’t disagree.  How else could you describe a Cape Cod-style cottage with bright rooms, pale wood floors that accentuate the light, a screened-in side porch, and a wide back deck that opens into a shaded and lush backyard?  It may even be cuter than a button.  Priced at $258,000, down from $275,000.

726 Hollen Road
There are a lot of renovation projects out there, but few as are eco-conscious as the green renovation done to this three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow.  Bamboo floors, paperstone counters, and hardiplank siding all combine to lower the environmental impact while at the same time creating a comfortable living space.  Really, the renovation are so well thought-out and so inspired that we don’t even have space to mention the gorgeous gourmet kitchen and how absolutely easy it would be to prepare a free-range Thanksgiving turkey and organic stuffing there.  Priced at $325,000.

Butcher’s Hill
13 Duncan Street North
This two-bedroom, two-bath rowhouse in Butcher’s Hill recently underwent a total home renovation in conformance with a historic preservation program.  While that may not sound like a big deal, it’ll end up saving its owners about $2600 a year in property taxes.  Throw in a secluded backyard garden and patio, exposed brick walls, a seller who’s willing to help with closing costs, and the fact that it’s only two blocks from Patterson Park, well, it’s a house worth taking a closer look at.  Open this Sunday, November 22nd, from 1 – 3 p.m.  Priced at $209,000, down a whopping $170,000 from its initial listing of $379,000.

Seton Hill
447 Orchard Street
We talked up Seton Hill  a few weeks ago, and we meant all the good things we said.  And this charming two-bedroom, one-bath rowhouse is just one more good thing to add to that list.  A master bedroom on the top floor, a whimsical winding staircase, a rear patio, and hardwood floors make us want to take the full tour.  Open this Saturday, November 21st, from 1 – 4 p.m.  Priced at $169,000.

Hunting Ridge
707 Glen Allen Drive
This four-bedroom, two-bath colonial home is located out in Hunting Ridge, a quiet community on the western edge of Baltimore City.  It’s perfect for commuters; Route 40, I-70 and I-695 are all convenient.  And while convenience is great (really, it is), there’s so much more to like about this house.  For starters, there’s the brand new kitchen, the wide porch, the landscaped yard, the refinished hardwood floors, the four levels of living space, and the two fireplaces.  And, most importantly, it backs directly up to Leakin/Gwynn Falls Park, meaning that you’ll have the biggest backyard in the city.  Open this Sunday, November 22, from 2 – 4p.m.  Priced at $339,850.

4201 Diller Avenue
Our favorite thing about this four-bedroom, three-bath house isn’t on the inside – not that the inside isn’t well-appointed with its hardwood floors, updated kitchen and bathrooms, and bright and airy rooms.  No, our favorite thing about this house is the way that the outside becomes a part of the living space.  With both a wrap-around front porch and a two-tier deck in the huge backyard, the only reason to stay inside this house is rain.  Or cold.  Or any other miserable condition that postmen have to deliver mail in.  Priced at $229,000, down a whopping $66,000 from $295,000.

3603 Parkside Drive
We’re fans of the oft-underappreciated sun porch.  They make us feel at ease in a Mad Men sort of way, as if there’s no greater living than martinis and sunsets.  And while martinis might not be your thing, the sun porch on this four-bedroom, two-bath Acadia bungalow almost certainly will be.  Couple that with its hardwood floors, finished basement and working, wood-burning fireplace, and you’ll be as comfortable as a late-fifties to early-sixties advertising executive.  And is there any greater comfort than that?  Priced at $239,900.

3015 Iona Terrace
While this five-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath bungalow is comfortable as comfortable gets, with its hardwood floors, spacious rooms and large back deck, what we’re kind of obsessed with is its massive front porch.  Seriously, it measures 30’ by 10’.  Functionally, it’s an outdoor living room, a place to entertain several guests at once, and its fluted columns give the whole porch a classical feel that makes us recall “Et in Arcadia ego.”  Priced at $289,000, down from $299,000.

Photo by flickr user kevinthoule

So there was a big story in the New York Times last week about home staging. This is the practice –– and for some, the thriving business -– of arranging in the house which you are trying to sell a kind of lovely fiction of your life. Or rather, of someone else’s life.

The theory is that what your house looks like as-is (ripped wallpaper, beer can pyramid, futon) may negatively affect the ability of your realtor to sell the place. Thanks to the likes of Malcolm Gladwell, we’re by now all familiar with the power of peripheral effects. Coke just doesn’t taste as good in a Sam’s Choice can.

So while you’re busy absorbing your realtor’s wisdom on the primacy of location, take some time to think through the details prospective buyers will encounter. One doesn’t find oneself  acing a job interview simply because one’s dress shirt isn’t mustard-stained. But as with any first impression, dumb stuff matters way more than it should. A few things you can take care of yourself before you go hiring a local home stager (there are more of these guys than you’d think):

1.    Fix the little things that you’ve been putting off. No matter how negligible a crack in the molding might seem to someone who already lives there, you can’t overestimate the appeal of “already perfect.”

2.    Remember, you’re not preparing for a visit from your mother. Your taste (or hers) is not at issue here. You want to offer prospective buyers a blank slate, albeit a cozy blank slate. Yes, that Ghost in the Shell poster rocks. No, you shouldn’t leave it framed above your bed.

3.    No photographs. Nothing’s more unsettling than finding some dude’s name tattooed on your blind date’s calf. (Maybe her brother is named Egon Forever?)

4.    Unless… your house is in a neighborhood where prospective families might find themselves uneasy after dark. One or two warm, confident family portraits can, in some cases, make buyers feel a little more secure.

What kind of story does your stuff tell?