Tag: Housing

Seton Hill’s 404 George St House Up for Auction

This article is from the Baltimore Heritage and is being re-posted here.

Click here for the original article.

404 George Street in Seton Hill up for auction next Thursday Learn more about this opportunity to turn a vacant house back into a home

Tucked away on a narrow street, 404 George Street has had our attention since concerned neighbors first contacted us in 2012 about this three-story rowhouse in Seton Hill. Next Thursday, January 7, the building is up for auction—offering a unique opportunity to buy a historic house just steps away from the famed Mother Seton House.

In July 2012, local residents pushed Baltimore Housing to file a receivership case against the owner who held the building since 1986. Receivership is a process where a municipality or a qualified non-profit applies for a court to appoint them as the receiver of the property and move to restore the property to use.

Courtesy MRIS, 2014.
Courtesy MRIS, 2014.

Unfortunately, years of neglect took a toll on the structure. At the first auction in October 2014, the 404 George Street received no bids from interested buyers. Thankfully, Baltimore Housing quickly responded and stabilized the building to make the property more attractive to prospective developers. Stabilizing distressed vacant houses is a key strategy for encouraging private reinvestment and is often more cost-effective than demolition.

On Thursday, January 7 at 1:00 pm, 404 George Street is up for auction again. If you are a local builder, developer or an enthusiastic home rehabber, we invite you to come out next Thursday and invest in this beautiful community. If you are a neighbor, we need you to help spread the word!

Built in the 19th century, 404 George Street is less than a block away from the Mother Seton House and St. Mary’s Seminary Chapel—an 1808 landmark designed by architect Maximilian Godefroy. St. Mary’s Park boasts a recently restored fountain and won recognition from Baltimore City Paper as the city’s best park in 2014. The 2012 master plan for Seton Hill has much more information on the neighborhood. Of course, the property is eligible for city and state historic tax credits—review our historic tax credit guide for more details.

Please help make 2016 the year that the vacant house at 404 George Street turns back into a home.

St. Mary's Park. Courtesy Live Baltimore.
St. Mary’s Park. Courtesy Live Baltimore.

Learn more about 404 George Street and the auction process from the Ashland Auction Group. For questions or more information, contact auctioneer Adam Shpritz by phone at 410-365-3595 (cell) or 410-488-3124 (office) or by email at adam@ashlandauction.com. Bids start at $30,000. Pre-bid offers are accepted by phone at 410-488-3124 or by email to adam@ashlandauction.com.

Buying in Baltimore

We’re always looking for tips about buying a home in Baltimore!  The BBJ just published this article.  Looking for a house in Seton Hill?  Check out our properties listings.

State, city set aside $3M for Baltimore homeownership incentives
Aug 12, 2015, 3:02pm EDT

Baltimore and the state of Maryland are starting a new homeownership assistance program designed to boost the city’s real estate market months after April’s rioting.

The program, called the Maryland Grand Slam, makes available down payment assistance grants of $7,500 to people buying homes in Baltimore City. It also includes federal tax credits for mortgage interest payments, fee waivers worth as much as $450 and a 0.25 percent discount on Maryland Mortgage Program interest rates.

Both the city and state are providing funding for the program. Baltimore’s Board of Estimates on Wednesday approved $1 million for down payment assistance grants of $2,500 per homebuyer. The state already set aside $2 million for additional down payment assistance grants of $5,000 per homebuyer.

“With his housing and real estate background, he is well aware that a strong housing market equates to a strong economy,” Robinson said.

The new program will be available starting Aug. 17, according to Board of Estimates documents. It will run through Dec. 31, or until its down payment assistance funds run dry. The program has enough funding to go to 400 homebuyers receiving $7,500 in grants.

Officials want to use the program to encourage people to move into Baltimore. It’s similar to an effort in Prince George’s County called the Triple Play Initiative. Of 400 people buying under that program, 87 were moving into the county, Robinson said.

The program is also designed to help people buy homes for the first time, said Baltimore’s deputy housing commissioner, Ken Strong.

“We have an increasing number of first-time homebuyers who would not be homeowners without the incentives we provide,” he said.

Baltimore City already has a number of other homeownership programs. They include efforts geared toward buyers of vacant homes, low-income homebuyers and city employees. Recent data show the city’s housing market apparently rebounding since unrest in April but still lagging behind the surrounding area of Baltimore County.