Hot House: 5105 Roland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21210
Farmhouse style Victorian, circa 1900, wood clapboard with wrap-around front porch and slate roof, well and completely renovated. Five bedrooms, 4.5 baths over 3,309 sq. ft with unfinished basement. Entrance hall, nine-foot ceilings, original oak floors, new energy-efficient replacement windows. Living room, mud room, open-plan dining room/kitchen/family room. Gourmet kitchen has granite counters and waterfall island, breakfast bar, stainless appliances. Large master suite with separate glass shower, soaking tub, dressing/closet room, built-ins. Balcony off bedroom. Second-floor laundry room hook-up. Central air, large flagstone patio, one-car garage, on .25 acre lot: $839,900
What: Roland Park is flipping out. In the past two years, two houses in a single block just south of Eddie’s have been flipped. It’s true they were looking a little shabby. Not quite Zombie House Flip shabby, but down-on-their-heels for sure. Now, they’ve been smartened up, with impressive young, modern, chic hotel-ish interiors. Equally impressive are the numbers. This one, currently on the market, was purchased in 2016 for $375K. At $839,900, the asking price is well over twice that. And with competition getting stiff for Roland Park houses, they might get it, or at least close. A couple of doors down, another developer successfully flipped a similar model, eventually getting $755K (a bit under the ask) for a house purchased for $315K.
Inside 5105 Roland, all is light and serene. The house was taken down to the studs, insulated, and big, energy-efficient windows installed. The main floor has been opened up into a long kitchen/dining/family space. Across the hall is a smaller living room — all very flex-use. There’s a sleek mudroom at the back door. Bathrooms are big and modern, many featuring that popular item, the soaking tub. A few important architectural features were retained — the original inlaid oak floors, pocket doors, a (restored) stained glass window, and the newel posts and railings of the central staircase. These elements ground the house and reassure the buyer that they are still in Roland Park.
Where: The 5100 block of Roland Avenue is the block just south of the grocery store Eddie’s of Roland Park, this house is the third one in from the corner. As the broker claims, it is “steps from Roland Park schools and amenities.” The city-centered buyer who wants safety, schools and walkability will have it. Two doors down, the brown painted house at 5101 is the first flip on the block.
Would Suit: Packaging consultant.
Why: Cozy on the outside, cool on the inside.
Why Not: The 61 bus stops almost in front of the house.
NB: This house was lived in by the Rich family for nearly 100 of its 118 years.
Kitchen is cold and industrial with the black cabinets and marble countertops better suited for a fancy NYC loft lived in by dinks. Not quite sure how that plays with the family friendly vibe the target demographics for this house is theoretically seeking for.
The standalone bathtub is a disaster in waiting. Nothing to grip on, easy to splash water all around the floor, easy to slip….
House will probably sell for close to asking, and most likely to out of towners who aren’t aware of the distinct difference between opposite sides of Roland Avenue. This house is not in Roland Park but Tuxedo Park and long time residents are keenly aware of the difference. Smart people also know that perhaps being directly on Roland isn’t the wisest choice (traffic noise).
Still, I never thought I’d see the day when a house in Tuxedo Park is asking comparable prices (and even more ) than houses in Guilford, including houses on Greenway…. poor, poor Guilford, ever so lonely these days due to not being in the RPEMS zone. Of course, in 1995 that didn’t mean diddly squat, but today it makes the world of difference.