My name is Timm Kostenko, a native of Sussex County New Jersey, for those that are not geographically inclined I grew up in between the Sopranos and the Orange County Choppers. I am the newest resident of Clay Street, Annapolis and this is my story.

About 12 months ago I was coming off a tumultuous ride as a budding rap star who had spent the better part of the previous 2 years in a 30 foot land yacht (an RV for those that don't know the science) criss crossing north america in promotion of what I thought was the beginning of a long and prosperous music career. One member quitting, one member beating up the DJ, and the one member administering the beating winding up in a mental hospital later, I was alone in that 30 foot dream machine heading nowhere, fast. After some serious soul searching and a deep intake of reality I decided that it was time to head back to corporate America. With that it was back to Annapolis, MD and the career that I had left as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley.

Now, at first I was still somewhat hopeful that all would work itself out., so I rented a basement apartment Eastport. For the next 6 months I clung to somehow ego bruisings from physical bruisings would subside, bandmates who sought love would find their way back into the mix, that mental illnesses were not permanent, and that we would wind up back in the yacht and back in the pursuit of the glamour that being a rap star would deliver. However, as time carried its ugly load it became more and more apparent that the days of the touring rap artist were closed and that I should look to focus on the padding the 401(k). Enter the home buying part of my life cycle.

Everyone always tells you that owning a home is the first part of the American dream and that once you are ready to (gulp) settle down, buying a home is a mandatory part of the equation. No more throwing good money at rent, it was time to stand on my own and own. Unfortunately, during my time on the road the housing market had been enjoying its finest few years in history and home prices were well off the reasonable charts. Everywhere I looked for a home it was well beyond not only what I could afford but, beyond what I considered appropriate. The country was in the thros of the real estate frenzy and it was definitely not the time to buy but, I was sick of renting.


So one Friday night, I made a right off West Street onto Washington Street and took a left off Washington onto Clay Street and parked my car. I got out and took a walk. I walked up and down Clay Street from the corner of Washington to Harwood at the far end of Clay and all I saw was opportunity.

Backing up a bit let me establish a bit further who I am exactly. In my world of Hip Hop I am known as Timmy Grins, lead "singer" for Arcane, promoter of the uber successful "Elements Party" in Baltimore, co founder of ItsHipHop.tv, and manager of several fledging Hip Hop artists. Suffice to say that Clay Street was a neighborhood that I have seen many times before from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Bedstuy Brooklyn, NYC, to Compton, California, to closer demographically Baltimore, Maryland. It wasn't as great a shock for me as it may be for others to see enterprenuers in long white tees working street corners or to see the twisted effect that the chief sellable product that neighborhoods like this has was having on the local community.

Clay Street is not North Avenue. Clay Street is not 125th and Lennox, but, it is to be respected. While it is not the deathbed that the South Bronx once was it does have a penchant for and a history of violence like either of the previous mentioned streets. It has not earned its reputation purely on fantasy there is a very poor and generationally difficult group of people in these streets. Despair is well travelled up and down this corridor. Drugs are here, guns are here, prostitutes are here, and beggars are here.

Getting back to the original program though, I started checking out all the homes for sale. My agent Brad Luke up at Caldwell Banker on Church Circle met me in front of every one, he helped me research the neighborhood, the crime, and did all he could to find the best situation for me. We looked in no fewer than 10 homes for sale on Clay Street, every single one of them priced under 250,000 and every single one of them less then a 10 minute walk to City Dock in one direction and less then 10 minute walk to Naval Stadium in the other direction and every single one of them a block from the water of College Creek. Closing my eyes and using my own internal Google maps, I could not picture a better situated neighborhood in all of Annapolis. There is nowhere else that you are more centrally located with the 3 amenities that I mentioned then Clay Street.

I started putting in offers, all below market value. The scorching housing market knows no boundries even the homes relatively speaking on Clay were priced at a premium I thought to be too generous. Brad and I had a few nibbles but, nothing got serious. Nothing got serious until during one of the greater Clay Street meetings that I was becoming a frequent fixture I was introduced to Cathy Ebner from Homes for America. Cathy told me she had a few homes that were going to be made available if I were serious about my desire to live on Clay Street. Of course my answer was yes.



She showed me one off Northwest Street but, the view of the graveyard was a turn-off. I don't care how historically significant that graveyard is it is still dead people there and I saw way too many horror flicks growing up. Then she showed me #51 Clay Street, I wasn't even halfway through looking at it when I told her I would take it. It was perfect. The quaint 2 bedroom rowhome type had been internally restored with a new kitchen and bathroom, new washer and dryer, new carpet, and all it needed was someone who wanted to make it home. I volunteered for the job and in December of 2006, nearly 6 months after the demise of my rap career I was settling (still scared) into my new home on Clay Street.