All Forum Posts by: Demetria S.

Hi BP

I need help leasing the lower level of a commercial building in East Baltimore that is under 1000 sq ft and zoned M-1. I have a list of permitted uses under the Baltimore City Revised code, but I am having trouble finding businesses that meet the criteria for the space. Any suggestions you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you are a commercial broker who deals with the East Baltimore Midway area please PM me. Thanks.

Darren Sager I plan to be there. Thanks for organizing & thanks Matt Rodak for the space!

Marlene Michael welcome to BP Marlene!! I've never heard of Jonesboro but have family in Atlanta. It's great that you've already started yr investing career. I have a few duplexes in MD & although the tenants are not perfect I like the fact that when 1 unit is vacant I can still collect rents from the others to cover my carrying costs. Since you're a teacher, you should find out if your city offers HUD homes at half price as they do here in my hometown of NYC. I believe the program is called Good Neighbor Next Door. I think that's an awesome way to continue yr investing career. I also like a book called "Investing in Duplexes, Triplexes & Quads" by Larry B. Loftis. It gives excellent tax advice and strategies on how to evaluate, buy & build wealth with these properties. My brother, an investor too, is trying to get me to wholesale some property but I, like you, am a little nervous because it's uncharted waters.

Greg Odom funny, I have family in Gainesville. Don't know much about the market there but if I were in your position I'd talk to property owners you are leasing for to see if they or anyone they know are distressed sellers. I'd then try to put the property under contract (wholesale deal). I deal with property managers/leasing agents in MD and am sure they know owners who are frustrated with their rental property & want out due to constant vacancies, property upkeep costs, etc. Also since Gainesville is a college town I'd try to do wholesale deals near University of Florida as that should be an attractive selling point to potential investors. Finally check public records for the owners of heirs property as many folks inherit property they just cannot or do not have time to manage.

Farel Zamor I've found that having yr pic on card is helpful so that the many folks you meet while networking will remember you.

Thanks for this link to the zoning regs Ned! I only received pages 204 to 209 of this document from the Baltimore zoning office so this is very helpful, especially the permitted use definitions up front. My property manager had these same 4 pgs when he went before the Zoning board on my behalf to request an apt on first floor and was denied. And, yes, you are correct in that Baltimore zoning told us it was an industrial area where residential is prohibited although there are residents in all of the surrounding homes. The only justification I can think of for this peculiar zoning is that it is a corner property across the street from 2 large warehouses, which are very large and industrial looking. To make matters worse I'm still paying off loans associated with the repairs and it is not producing enough income to cover those expenses. Any suggestions on how I should proceed with this property would be greatly appreciated.

Ned Carey Hi Ned. I was planning to put a barber shop there until I went to the Baltimore zoning office & was given a 4 page list of permitted uses. Most of the uses are for warehouses & manufacturing businesses that don't make sense for the size of the space. To request that it be used as an apt, I paid my property manager $200+ to attend a hearing before the zoning board only for our request to be denied. Zoning said that the area was designated for commercial manufacturing type businesses although there are many residents of single & multi-families on the block & across street. There are some conditional uses on list, such as offices & daycare centers, but I was hoping to find a tenant who wants to use it this way b/4 I pay another $200 & wait 6 weeks to go b/4 zoning board hearing. So far word of mouth & ads on Craigslist have not generated any potential tenant leads.

Be careful. I bought one & had to put metal bars on windows & doors for extra security & pay several ppl to remove trash that was illegally dumped in back. Check with the local police dept to see how bad crime is in area as you don't want a place that will not attract quality tenants.

Joe Fairless to re-zone residential I need to turn it into a single-family home and my realtor said that this will greatly reduce my home's value when it's time to sell. Also it's in a class D neighborhood so we thought keeping it mixed use might be more appealing to potential buyers.

Hi all,

I'm new to Bigger Pockets but not to real-estate investing. A native New Yorker, I began investing in 2004 and have 3 properties in Baltimore, MD.  Problem is that the last property I purchased in 2011 is a commercial/residential duplex that is zoned M1-M2 on the 1st floor. This special zoning means I can only rent to warehouses, manufacturing and certain types of service businesses, such as carpet & rug cleaning establishments, massage therapist offices, music studios etc. Additionally the space is about 1000 square feet, and is set up like a 2-bedroom apartment. Although I've had tenants off & on in the 2nd floor unit none have stayed more than a year and I'm in court with the current tenant over unpaid back rent. I would appreciate any suggestions from the community on how to make this property profitable especially since I recently lost my full-time job and am looking to transition into real estate investing full time.