Woman Who Bought a Historical Fixer-Upper After Foreclosure Faces $160K Renovation Nightmare Thanks to Neighbor’s Landmark Move

A woman who purchased a crumbling historical home in Baltimore with plans to restore the property to its original glory was left horrified to find herself facing a $160,000 hike in her renovation costs—after her new neighbor moved to turn the dwelling into a historical landmark without her knowledge.

Cassandra London, a real estate agent who specializes in flipping historical dwellings, purchased the property in Ruxton, MD, for $450,000 earlier this year after its former owner had gone into foreclosure on the dwelling, which was built in the late 1800s.

She had originally intended to pour "several hundred thousand dollars" into overhauling the home, which had fallen into a state of disrepair over the years, according to the Baltimore Banner.

That budget was quickly blown out of the water, however, when London learned that a neighboring homeowner, historian Joseph Coale, had nominated her property for inclusion on the Baltimore County Landmarks List before she bought it.

While London had been planning to restore the home to its original condition, she had not accounted for the strict regulations placed on landmarked properties, which require owners to follow a very tight set of guidelines for any renovations.

In the case of this property—named the Maroney House after the original owner, railroad executive Dennis F. Maroney—London would have to install very specific sash window designs—to the tune of $4,000 each. That price is 16 times the $250 London had budgeted for each of the home's 40 windows, bringing the total cost for the windows alone to $160,000.

What's more, homes that are designated as historical landmarks are traditionally trickier to sell, because future owners will have to take into account the strict rules regarding any future updates or renovations, particularly any changes that they want to make to the exterior.

A listing description for the home made no mention of the possibility of its inclusion as a landmark, simply referring to the Maroney House as a "wonderful opportunity" to own a unique property.

"This home is one of the original properties built in the late 1800s with hardwood floors," it went on.

However, according to the Banner, Coale highlighted the property's historical legacy in a "history he prepared in the summer of 2024," in which he described the dwelling as "an enduring link to our local heritage."

"This structure provides the Ruxton community with a degree of character, design diversity, color and uniqueness," he said. His decision to nominate the property as a potential landmark was motivated by his desire to ensure it is not destroyed to make way for a more modern build.

"Part of Ruxton’s identity would be lost if it were to be surrendered to modern development," he added.

London, however, insisted that she had never planned to demolish the home or alter its appearance—in fact, her primary focus was on restoring the dwelling so that it retained its historical charm, albeit with some more modern, and cost-effective, window designs.

According to notes from a meeting held by the Baltimore County Landmarks Preservation Commission in September, London and her lawyer, Elizabeth Smith, officially lodged their objection to the home's inclusion on the landmarks list, explaining why such a status would be a nightmare for the new owner.

London told commission members that the cost of renovations were already going to be higher than she had budgeted, because the property was in worse condition than had been shown in its listing photos. She also asked for more time to work on the restoration plans before a decision was made.

But her pleas fell on deaf ears, and the commission voted unanimously to add the property to the preliminary landmarks list, noting that it met two of the main criteria for inclusion: association with a person or event or historical significance and a distinctive architectural style.

"The ideal situation is that the owner is favorable to landmark status," the commission's chair, Phoebe Evans Letocha, said. "But we review applications based on their historic criteria."

The nomination was then passed on to the Baltimore County Council, where members will vote to solidify its status as a landmark.

If her home is added to the Baltimore County Final Landmarks List, London will have access to historic tax credit programs that will help to cover some of the costs of her renovations under Baltimore County's historic preservation planning regulations.

However, the majority of these are designated for homeowners who actually plan to reside in their properties, which the house flipper had not been intending to do.

Luckily for London, all hope is not lost—and lies in the hands of three council members who have indicated that they plan to vote against designating the dwelling as a landmark.

One of those members, Julian Jones, told the Banner that he thinks it is incredibly "problematic" that someone who doesn't live in or own a dwelling can still "put your home on the historical landmark list," calling attention to the fact that such a status will likely impede London's ability to sell the home.

"It will affect her property value far beyond the windows. When you put stipulations on the property, people will take into consideration whether or not to buy it with those restrictions," he said.

At a meeting to discuss the matter, Jones also noted that Coale could have purchased the dwelling himself if he was so invested in its preservation.

Izzy Patoka, who is the councilman representing the district in which the Maroney House sits, has also voiced his objection to the dwelling's inclusion on the list, noting that the property is not even located in an area that locals would consider to be historic.

Patoka said he plans to call for a vote on the dwelling's landmark status within two and a half months of a Dec. 2 hearing on the matter.