Wendy Friend in Baltimore: A RE/MAX Agent Focused on Owner-Occupied Investment Properties

Wendy Friend is a RE/MAX Results agent in Baltimore who specializes in helping owner-occupants buy investment properties alongside their primary residence, working within the constraints of conventional lending and Baltimore's specific market conditions.

What Wendy Friend actually does

Friend operates as an independent agent affiliated with RE/MAX Results, one of the national franchise's local offices. Her stated focus is on buyers who want to live in one unit of a multifamily property while renting out the others, a strategy often called house hacking. This niche differs from agents who handle primary-residence sales alone or those who focus exclusively on investment portfolios. Owner-occupant investment deals require familiarity with how lenders (typically those offering FHA 203(k) loans or conventional mortgages with acceptable rent-offset language) evaluate properties and borrower capacity. Baltimore's rowhouse stock and aging multifamily buildings make this strategy workable here in ways it is not in every market.

Services and how they differ from competing agents

Real estate agents in Maryland earn a commission typically split between buyer's and listing sides, with the buyer's agent receiving 2.5 to 3 percent of the sale price. Friend's commission structure follows industry standard. What sets her apart is the type of guidance she offers: she focuses on identifying properties where the rental income from non-owner-occupied units can offset part of the mortgage, a calculation that affects both loan approval and long-term cash flow.

Other Baltimore agents, including those at Keller Williams and Coldwell Banker offices throughout the city, handle investment properties but often position themselves as general practitioners or specialize in either primary-residence buyers or real estate investors as separate categories. An agent working with first-time homebuyers in Federal Hill operates within a different knowledge base than one evaluating a three-unit rowhouse in Canton where one unit generates rental income. Friend's specificity reduces the likelihood that a buyer's strategy will mismatch with available lending or neighborhood rent rates.

Who this approach suits and who it does not

Owner-occupant investing works best for buyers with decent credit, some cash reserves for a down payment (often 15 to 20 percent even on FHA loans), and patience for tenant screening and maintenance. It suits people who can afford the full mortgage payment alone if a unit sits vacant; it does not suit those who depend on rent to make payments. Baltimore neighborhoods where this strategy gains traction include Canton, Fells Point, and Federal Hill, where single-family homes and rowhouses convert to two or three units and rental demand is steady. It makes less sense in neighborhoods where purchase prices and potential rents diverge sharply or where typical buyers are young professionals unlikely to remain as owner-occupants for the five-to-seven-year hold required to build equity.

How to work with Wendy Friend

The process starts with a consultation to discuss financial position, down payment timeline, and target neighborhoods. Friend then helps identify properties that fit the financial model, coordinates inspections and appraisals (the appraisal process for owner-occupant investments includes assessment of the non-owner unit's condition and rent-comparable data for the area), and works with the buyer's lender to ensure the loan program accepts the proposed rent-offset math. For Baltimore buyers unfamiliar with FHA 203(k) renovation loans, which can finance repairs to bring older rowhouses to livable standard, this guidance is often critical.

How to find and reach her

Wendy Friend operates through RE/MAX Results, which maintains offices in the Baltimore area. Contacting RE/MAX Results directly will connect you to her, or she may be findable through the RE/MAX national agent search. Availability and response time are best confirmed by direct outreach rather than general office hours, as agents often show properties outside standard business hours.

Why this matters in Baltimore

Baltimore's housing stock skews older and multifamily-heavy, and conventional single-family primary-residence lending does not address the full range of buyer goals. Agents with specific expertise in owner-occupant investment deals help buyers in Baltimore move beyond "buy a house to live in" into "build equity while capturing rental income," a realistic path for the city's market and demographics.