3712 Arcadia Avenue
After waiting a year to get to settlement, the team at JR Prime Pro Construction LLC fully renovated 3712 Arcadia Avenue in just three months. The once garbage and graffiti laden Baltimore vacant is now a bright open concept home that received offers as soon as it hit the market.
Originally from Brazil, Fabio Roveda and Jaqueline Jurcovich, the husband-and-wife team that lead JR Prime, brought their construction expertise to the states in 2019. Jurcovich is a civil engineer who worked on major corporate and retrofit projects in São Paulo and Roveda has over 30 years of construction experience in Brazil and the U.S. The team started JR Prime as a remodeling business and more recently expanded into real estate investment and vacant building renovation.
"When we first walked into the house, we knew it would take a lot of work."
They purchased 3712 Arcadia Avenue at a One House At A Time auction in December 2024. It is their first experience with receivership and purchasing a property through auction. “When we first walked into the house, we knew it would take a lot of work,” says Roveda. The two-story house in Langston Hughes had a trash-filled interior, collapsed ceilings, and graffiti tags on every wall—including that of Baltimore’s notorious ‘RLong’ and some ominous spray-painted warnings to “Stay out, not safe.” Even so, the couple had hope. Jurcovich says that among the rubble were belongings left behind by former occupants. “They are small reminders that this place was once someone’s home and that many stories unfolded within those walls,” she says. “We have the experience and knowledge to look at a property in that condition and recognize the potential that still exists and bring life back into that space.”
But it took a while to build on that potential. The team had to wait for the city to remove existing liens on the property. Since receivership properties must transfer free and clear, One House works with the city to remove any outstanding liens that cannot be paid from proceeds. This process can be lengthy, but it is necessary to ensure properties are transferred with marketable title without additional costs to the purchaser. After ratification by the District Court, 3712 Arcadia underwent an unusually long processing timeline for lien removal, taking about twice as much time as it took to complete the actual rehab.
When settlement cleared in January 2026 and they got the green light to start applying for permits, JR Prime and their construction crew hit the ground running. The team says it was a smooth process from there on. One obstacle they did experience was theft of around $2,000 worth of tools. They also found the inspection process to be demanding. “Inspections in Baltimore are quite rigorous,” says Jurcovich. “Because almost everything in the house was renovated, we went through all the inspection stages. It requires a lot of attention to detail and making sure each phase is completed correctly before moving on to the next.” But otherwise, the build went well, as exemplified in their unbelievably quick turnaround. In just three months, the condemned property became a lovely, modern home.
The house is dazzlingly clean and bright with white walls, cabinetry, countertops and lots of natural light sources and recessed lighting along the now intact ceilings. The white is nicely warmed by wood flooring, stairs, and railings. There are four bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, a finished basement suite, and a private backyard with a parking pad. The JR Prime team were very intentional with their design, keeping the future buyer at the forefront of their minds. “We thought about how someone would move through the rooms, where the home needed more openness, where it needed definition, and which updates would make everyday life feel easier,” captions one of their Instagram posts about 3712 Arcadia. “When the layout, materials, lighting, finishes, and presentation speak the same language, buyers usually feel it before they can explain it.”
“It was very special to realize that the transformation of the house meant something not only to us as investors, but also to the people who were already part of that community.”
A lot of care went into this project not only because JR Prime prioritizes quality work, but also because the couple felt a kindred connection to the project. Members of their family visited from Brazil during different parts of the process. “My family became part of the story of this house, which made the project even more special to us,” says Jurcovich. The neighbors were also a heartwarming element of this rehab. Jurcovich says the neighbors were welcoming and kind, grateful to have a vacant that once drew illegal activity to the neighborhood become a functional home for a new neighbor. “It was very special to realize that the transformation of the house meant something not only to us as investors, but also to the people who were already part of that community.”
Once they received their Use and Occupancy permit, the team anxiously approached selling the property. They prepared for another long wait since their realtor believed it would take a while to sell in that area. But the day they listed the property they had a showing and received an immediate offer. “It was very rewarding to see the house generate interest so quickly and to know that all of the care and work we put into the project was also recognized by the market,” says Jurcovich. The house sold for $208,000.
Despite the holdup, the couple are overjoyed at the successful result of their labor. They say they look forward to future receivership renovations. “We enjoy investing in Baltimore because we see a lot of potential in the city. There are many properties that can be completely transformed through thoughtful rehabilitation,” says Jurcovich. “[This project] was a very positive experience for us, and we definitely plan to participate in future One House At A Time auctions and continue doing our part to help revitalize Baltimore.”
