NEW YORK (AP) — The White House says it is considering backing a 50-year mortgage to help alleviate the home affordability crisis in the country. But the announcement drew immediate criticism from policymakers, social media and economists, who said a 50-year mortgage would do little to resolve other core problems in the housing market, such as a lack of supply and high interest rates.

Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, said on X over the weekend that a 50-year mortgage would be “a complete game changer” for homebuyers. FHFA is the part of the federal government that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which buy and insure the vast majority of mortgages in the country.

The 30-year mortgage is a uniquely American financial product and the default way to buy a home since the New Deal. Politicians and policymakers at the time wanted to create a standardized mortgage that borrowers could afford and pay off during their working years, when the average lifespan for an American was 66 years old.

Lower payment

Extending the life of a mortgage to 50 years does decrease a borrower’s monthly payment.

The average selling price of a home in the U.S. was $415,200 in September, according to National Association of Realtors. Assuming a standard 10% down payment and an average interest rate of 6.17%, the monthly payment on a 30-year mortgage would be $2,288 while the payment on a 50-year mortgage would be $2,022. That’s presuming a bank would not require a higher interest rate on a 50-year mortgage, due to the longer duration of the loan.

But significantly higher interest

Because even more of the monthly payment on a 50-year mortgage would go toward interest on the loan, it would take 30 years before a borrower would accumulate $100,000 in equity, not including home price appreciation and the down payment. That’s compared to 12-13 years to accumulate $100,000 in equity when paying off a 30-year mortgage, excluding the down payment.

A borrower would pay, roughly, an additional $389,000 in interest over the life of a 50-year mortgage compared to a 30-year mortgage, according to an AP analysis.

Other analysts came to a similar conclusion.

“Extending a mortgage from 30 years to 50 years could double the (dollar) amount of interest paid by the homebuyer on a median priced home over the life of the loan and significantly slow equity accumulation,” wrote John Lovallo with UBS Securities.

Broader housing issues

A 50-year mortgage does nothing to solve one critical issue when it comes to housing affordability — the lack of supply of homes. States like California and cities like New York have recently passed legislation or made regulatory changes to allow builders to build homes faster with less regulatory red tape.

There’s also the raw cost of homebuilding in the country. Products such as steel, lumber, concrete, copper and plastics that go into home construction are now subject to tariffs under President Trump. Further, many construction jobs were being done by undocumented workers, particularly in the Southwest, where deportations are impacting the ability for homebuilders to find enough labor to build homes.

“Many of the big things that would address supply right now are going in the wrong direction,” said Mike Konczal, senior director of policy and research at the Economic Security Project.”

Pulte said on X that the introduction of a 50-year mortgage was just a “potential weapon,” among other solutions the White House has considered to combat high housing prices.

American don’t live long enough

The average age of a first-time homebuyer has been creeping up for years and is now roughly 40 years of age. A 50-year mortgage would be difficult to underwrite for a bank for a 40-year-old first-time homebuyer, who would be 90 years old by the time that home is paid off. The average life expectancy of an American is now roughly 79 years, meaning there’s 11 years of life expectancy not covered in a 50-year loan.

“It’s typically not a goal of policymakers to pass on mortgage debt to a borrowers’ children,” Konczal said.

Others have tried longer loans

Other parts of the financial system have extended loan terms, to mixed results. The seven-year auto loan has become increasingly common as car prices have risen and Americans keep their cars longer. Despite longer loan terms, auto loan delinquencies have been rising, and the average price of a new car is now $49,740 compared to a price of $38,948 for a new vehicle five years ago.

Student loans were originally designed to be paid off in 10 years, and now there are multiple payment options that extend repayment out to 20 years.

Economists pointed out that a 50-year mortgage may do the opposite of helping with home affordability: by causing home price inflation by introducing more potential buyers into a market struggling with supply.

Trump downplays idea

After significant criticism, President Trump seemed less enthused about the 50-year mortgage. When asked by Laura Ingraham of Fox News about the idea, President Trump said it “might help a little bit” but seemed to brush it off.

Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cannot insure a mortgage that is longer than 30 years, so any 50-year mortgages issued before Congress amends the law would be considered a “non-qualifying mortgage” and would be more difficult to sell to investors. Congress would have to amend U.S. financial laws in multiple places to allow 50-year mortgage, and there seems to be little appetite for Congress to take this on immediately.

List price: $3,200,000

Year built: 2008

Real estate agent: Henry Olaya, Northrop Realty

Last sold price/date: $1,100,000 / July 24, 2019

Property size: 20.82 acres

Unique features: It’s not where one might look for a stylish 20-acre waterfront estate. But this three-level home in Bowleys Quarters, on Middle River, offers a chic and futuristic residence along the eastern cusp of Baltimore County. The porcelain tile floors, white walls and ultra-modern motif evoke scenes from “Sleeper,” the Woody Allen film.

With more than 5,600 square feet of living space, the home has seven bedrooms and nine baths. To ward off the bone-chilling winter sea breeze, there are four fireplaces (wood, gas and electric), heated floors and a whole-house generator for back-up. Two hearths grace the primary suite, which has a cathedral ceiling, skylights, double walk-in closets, and its own deck. In the kitchen are double ovens and 42-inch custom-made cabinets with soft-close drawers for tiny hands. The lower level is almost a home in itself with a bedroom, bath, kitchenette, fireplace, rec area and private wine room.

The generous tract, conveniently flat, boasts established trees, a three-car garage and a stone-covered path leading to a pier and 800 feet of shoreline. The walk takes one past the outdoor pool, covered patio, fire pit, pavilion, goldfish pond and children’s tree house. The dock has two boat slips, a 10,000-pound lift and a jet ski lift for thrill-seekers.

Have a news tip? Contact Mike Klingaman at jklingaman@baltsun.com and 410-332-6456.

Homes for America, an Annapolis-based nonprofit, and Questar Properties, a Baltimore-based company, will work with the Department of Transportation, the Maryland Transit Administration and Anne Arundel County to develop the 10-acre parking lot on the west side of the Odenton MARC Station into homes, retail and public space centered on accessible transportation.

Anne Arundel elected officials and state employees gathered on the train platform to reveal renderings of the project and the developers.

“We are working to transform areas around transit stations into dense, vibrant, connected communities,” said Acting Maryland Transportation Secretary Samantha J. Biddle, who traveled by MARC train to the station for the announcement.

The development will include 585 multifamily units, including 130 affordable, 20 workforce and 435 market-rate homes. It will also feature more than 30,000 square feet of retail, more than 180,000 square feet of public amenity space and integrated pedestrian and bicycle pathways meant to improve access to the MARC Station and surrounding community.

Odenton is the first phase of the state’s 2024 MARC Penn Line transit-oriented development strategy, Maryland’s effort to promote mixed-use, transit-centered communities between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore.

Questar Properties is a nearly 100-year-old family-owned construction company. The firm has worked extensively in the county, estimating that about 1 in 14 housing units it has built were in Anne Arundel County, most recently a luxury midrise apartment in Hanover.

Homes for America is a nonprofit founded in 1994. Since its founding, the organization has built more than 6,700 homes across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Delaware, according to its website.

“At Homes for America, our mission is to expand access to high-quality affordable housing and create opportunities for residents to thrive,” said Dana Johnson, president and CEO of Homes for America Inc. “We are especially pleased to continue our long-standing commitment to Anne Arundel County, where we have been headquartered for 30 years, and to partner with the state of Maryland and Questar to bring this vision to life.”

The preliminary estimate for the multiuse project is expected to exceed $200 million, including both public and private investment, according to state transportation officials.

Additionally, the county is funding a new 1,100-space commuter parking garage adjacent to the site, offsetting the space lost to the development. The approximately $56 million project received $4 million in federal funding and $750,000 in the first round of awards from the state Department of Transportation’s Capital Grant program. Groundbreaking is expected in 2026.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said he visited the station with Gov. Wes Moore when Moore was still a candidate.

“We discussed smart growth, transit-oriented development and the prospect of housing for our essential workers. His team has moved forward more rapidly than I imagined, and I am thrilled that Anne Arundel-based Homes for America and Questar have been selected to get this done,” Pittman said.

Information on the timeline and public engagement opportunities will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the announcement.

Have a news tip? Contact Bridget Byrne at bbyrne@baltsun.com or 443-690-7205.

Plans for the proposed development show the 18 homes spread throughout a 47.54-acre parcel of open field with a roadway cutting across the property.

The roadway, according to the proposed plans, will lead to West Jarrettsville and Rock Spring roads, providing an entry and exit to the development.

According to site data, the property is one of the last large open fields in the area, surrounded by higher-density neighborhoods, businesses, the Forest Hill Airport and forest land.

The project is moving through Harford County’s development process, having had its Development Advisory Committee hearing Wednesday morning.

So far, the project’s Forest Delineation Plan — a plan outlining the impact a project will have on trees and the surrounding environment — is the only portion of the project to receive approval.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage ticked up for the first time in five weeks after falling to its lowest level in more than a year last week.

The average long-term mortgage rate moved up to 6.22% from 6.17% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.79%.

Last week’s average rate the lowest since Oct. 3, 2024, when it was 6.12%.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose this week. The average rate rose to 5.5% from 5.41% last week. A year ago, it was 6%, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

The 10-year yield was at 4.09% at midday Thursday, down from 4.16% Wednesday.

Lower mortgage rates boost homebuyers’ purchasing power and benefit homeowners eager to refinance their current home loan to a lower rate.

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has been stuck above 6% since September 2022, the year mortgage rates began climbing from historic lows. The housing market has been in a slump ever since.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank last year to their lowest level in nearly three decades. Sales have been sluggish this year, but accelerated in September to their fastest pace since February as mortgage rates eased.

Mortgage rates began declining in July in the lead-up to the Federal Reserve’s decision in September to cut its main interest rate for the first time in a year amid growing concern over the U.S. labor market.

The Fed lowered its key interest rate again last week in a bid to help boost the wobbling job market. However, Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned that there is no guarantee the U.S. central bank will cut again at its final meeting of 2025 in December.

The Fed could also pump the brakes on more rate cuts if inflation climbs further amid the Trump administration’s expanding use of tariffs, because lower rates can worsen inflation.

Bond investors demand higher returns as long as inflation remains elevated, so if inflation ticks upward that could translate into higher yields on the 10-year Treasury note, pushing up mortgage rates.

The central bank doesn’t set mortgage rates, and even when it cuts its short-term rates that doesn’t necessarily mean rates on home loans will necessarily decline.

Last fall after the Fed cut its rate for the first time in more than four years, mortgage rates marched higher, eventually reaching just above 7% in January this year. At that time, the 10-year Treasury yield was climbing toward 5%.

The broader pullback in rates has helped spur homeowners who bought in recent years after rates climbed above 6% to refinance their home loan to a lower rate.

Mortgage rates would have to drop below 6% to make refinancing an attractive option for many homeowners. That’s because about 80% of U.S. homes with a mortgage have a rate below 6% and 53% have a rate below 4%, according to Realtor.com.

Home prices remain near record highs. Mortgage rates have retreated but remain well above their pandemic lows. Add it up, and homebuyers are feeling discouraged.

With housing affordability squeezing buyers, one in six (16%) of aspiring homebuyers have given up on purchasing a home in the past five years because they could not find anything they liked or could afford, according to a new Bankrate survey. Nearly 3 in 10 (28%) aspiring homeowners said the price of a home in their area was the most important issue when deciding whether to purchase a home. That’s in spite of a broad desire for homeownership — the vast majority of U.S. adults still consider owning a home a linchpin of the American dream, according to Bankrate’s 2025 Home Affordability Survey.

“U.S. home affordability is at its worst level in decades,” says Stephen Kates, financial analyst at Bankrate. “The punishing combination of high home prices, low supply and high mortgage rates has caused one in six home shoppers over the past five years to give up completely.”

Benjamin Clark, broker-owner of Buyer Representation in Salt Lake City, Utah, and president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents, agrees. “Prices have gone up significantly since Covid,” he says. “Interest rates have gone up significantly since Covid. And buyers’ incomes have not necessarily gone up.” Still, he says, buyers shouldn’t give up — new buying opportunities are opening up as the housing market cools nationallly.

Bankrate’s key findings on homeowner sentiment

Homebuyers are feeling discouraged. Amid affordability challenges — namely record-high home prices and elevated mortgage rates — 16% of people who were looking to buy over the past five years have abandoned their search.

Younger generations believe they have fewer financial opportunities compared to older generations. Gen Z (ages 18-28) leads the way in this feeling, with 54% of Americans in this age group saying older generations had it better.

Many millennial buyers have abandoned their searches. Millennials are the most likely to have given up on purchasing a home in the last five years because they couldn’t find anything they liked or could afford at 22%, followed by Gen Xers at 17%.

A discouraging market: Hopeful buyers pull the plug on their home search

When asked about what the important issues are for determining their interest in buying a home, aspiring homeowners are most likely to point to the cost of homes in the area (28%) followed by the amount in their savings (16%), job situation (16%), an interest in staying in the same area long term (14%) and personal relationships (4%). Among those who are interested in purchasing a home, the cost of homes in the area is the most important factor across generations, genders and income brackets.

Among aspiring homeowners, just 7% are actively shopping for a home — searching for-sale homes in their area or attending open houses. Gen Zers are the most likely to be shopping for a home, with 1 in 10 (9%) doing so, followed by millennials (ages 29-44) at 7%, Gen Xers (ages 45-60) at 7% and baby boomers (ages 61-79) at 5%.

“Despite the difficulty in finding homes to purchase, nearly half of home shoppers report that prioritizing a home purchase in their local area is the most important factor influencing their decision,” Kates says. “For buyers who are struggling but remain committed to finding a house, expanding your search is a necessity. The house you can buy might be a little farther, a little older or a little weirder than you initially wanted, but you can make it your own.”

Buying attitudes by age

Across generations of aspiring homeowners, millennials are the most likely to have given up on purchasing a home in the last five years because they couldn’t find anything they liked or could afford at 22%, followed by Gen Xers at 17%, Gen Zers at 12% and baby boomers, also at 12%.

To gauge attitudes about the sharp rise in home prices — and the decline in affordability — since 2020, we asked: “Compared to previous generations, how would you best describe the financial opportunities available to people of your generation?” A third of total Americans said they have more opportunities to achieve financial goals than previous generations, 28% perceived similar opportunities and 39% believed they have fewer opportunities today.

But there’s nuance within those results. Younger generations believe they have fewer opportunities compared to older generations. Gen Z leads the way in this feeling, with 54% of Americans in this age group saying older generations had it better. Among millennials, 48% say they’re at a disadvantage, followed by 38% of Gen Xers and just 22% of baby boomers.“ Younger Americans are feeling this disadvantage at a time when home ownership is increasingly out of reach

“Gen Z and millennials are in their prime home-shopping years but face a high barrier to entry,” Kates says.

Intriguingly, income only has a minor impact on respondents’ beliefs that they have the same or greater opportunities than prior generations.

Buying attitudes by education

Education levels affect how Americans view homeownership. Among those who never attended college, 13% say they have never owned and have no desire to. That falls to just 9% of Americans who attended some college, 5% of those with four-year degrees and 2% of Americans who attended graduate school.

“Our data shows that education influences homebuying aspirations and views on economic opportunity in surprising ways,” Kates says. “College-educated respondents were more likely to aspire to homeownership but also more likely to believe their generation has fewer opportunities than previous ones. Income level alone did not mirror this result, leading us to conclude that higher education raises lifestyle expectations regardless of income or financial outcomes.”

What you can do on your homebuying journey now

While the current housing market is discouraging, there are ways to cope with the challenges that can come with buying a home. Consider these tactics:

•Understand that the market has changed in buyers’ favor. While frustration has been the rule in recent years, the balance of power has shifted. “Four or five years ago, you had to get an offer in within a day, or you missed your opportunity,” Clark says. “Now, buyers have the opportunity to slow down, see a variety of homes. If you’re in a market where there is excess inventory, buyers do generally have more leverage.”

•Look for down payment assistance: Every U.S. state offers some type of down payment assistance for first-time buyers. While the typical national package is worth $18,000, according to Down Payment Resource, some buyers get much more. In fact, some intrepid buyers are scoring down payment assistance packages worth $100,000 or more.

•Make a smaller down payment: Yes, 20% is the gold standard for down payments, but it’s not required. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans let you put down 3.5%. Some conventional loans require just 3%. And eligible service members, veterans and their surviving spouses can put down nothing for Veterans Affairs (VA) loans. The fees are higher for VA and FHA loans compared to conventional mortgages, but they allow millions of buyers to become homeowners.

•Consider a fixer-upper: Formica counters? Outdated bathrooms? Ugly carpets? Homes in need of updates can still offer value if you’re willing to put in a little work. And if the fixes are cosmetic rather than structural, you can make repairs as your finances allow.

•Pull back your expectations and be open to compromise: Smaller homes are usually cheaper than larger homes. So are properties in less desirable neighborhoods. Most buyers compromise on something, and your first house is unlikely to be your dream home, so you might need to scale back some of your hopes in order to become a homeowner.

Methodology

• Bankrate’s 2025 Aspiring Home Buyers Survey was conducted using an online interview administered to members of the YouGov Plc panel of individuals. Total sample size was 2,319 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken Aug. 13-15, 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all U.S. adults (aged 18+).

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

List price: $1,195,000

Year built: 2002

Real estate agent: Dave Hudson, Cummings & Co. Realtors

Last sold price/date:  $550,000 / Nov. 7, 2002

Property size: 1.72 acres

Unique features: Privacy abounds at this three-story colonial, which sits at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac and backs up to several hundred acres of preserved farmland in northern Harford County. Crops, not condos, are one’s neighbors for life.

The brick-front home has nearly 6,400 square feet of living space, including two kitchens, six bedrooms and five full bathrooms. In the main kitchen are granite counters, a double sink and a pantry. There are hardwood floors on the main level, carpeting in the bedrooms and ceramic tile in the baths. The master bedroom boasts a two-sided gas fireplace, whose flip side connects to the primary bath and — get this — sits atop a jetted tub. One can enjoy the glowing hearth during a soothing soak.

Floor-to-ceiling windows in the family room look out at the rural acreage. The lower level features a home theater, a mirrored workout room (with Nautilus station) and that convenient second kitchen. Outside, the nearly 1¾ acre estate has a ground-level patio, a screened rear deck and a heated in-ground pool surrounded by a decorative wrought-iron fence. Established trees and shrubs grace the landscape. Lounging in the pool, one sees nothing but farmland for one mile, maybe more.

Have a news tip? Contact Mike Klingaman at jklingaman@baltsun.com and 410-332-6456.

A 2023 study conducted by a member of Strong Towns Baltimore — the group is now known as Baltimoreans for People-Oriented Places, or BaltPOP — examined if tax-assessed property values could predict actual home sale prices. The study, which considered the period from 2020 to 2023, found that cheaper homes were likely to be overassessed while a majority of homes sold for more than $1 million were often assessed at much less than their sale price.

Previous research by Dr. Christopher Berry at the University of Chicago found that 75% of the lowest-value homes in Baltimore were overassessed from 2009 to 2018. One property shown in Berry’s study sold for $39,692 and had a tax bill of $1,053.47, which was $315.26 — or 42.7% — above the average tax rate.

On the higher end, another property considered by Berry sold for $1,146,458, but a tax bill of $6,419.08. If this property was taxed at the average rate, the final bill would have been $21,322.76 — meaning the homeowner underpaid by nearly 70%.

This discrepancy disproportionately impacts minority communities, which tend to have lower property values based on racism in past development and zoning policies. A 2020 study titled “The Assessment Gap” found Black and Hispanic homeowners nationally paid 10% to 13% more in property taxes than white owners of similar homes living under the same tax laws, with the median minority homeowner paying more than $300 annually in extra taxes.

Baltimore residents of all races pay higher property taxes than other Marylanders. The city imposes a real property tax of $2.248 per $100 dollars of assessed value and a personal property tax for businesses of $5.62 per $100 of assessed value.

Both these rates are more than double the rates in the next highest jurisdiction, Baltimore County. The county assesses a real property tax of $1.10 per $100 dollars of assessed value and a personal property tax for businesses of $2.75 per $100 of assessed value..

Baltimore collected roughly $1.15 billion in property tax revenue in the 2025 fiscal year. This amount — which was $7.5 million, or 0.7%, greater than projected — accounts for almost half of the city’s total general fund revenue, Budget Director Laura Larsen said during a Sept. 16 budget presentation.

The median sale price of homes in Baltimore increased from about $252,000 in fiscal 2024 to about $265,000 in 2025, according to Larsen’s presentation.

A spokesman for the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation did not respond to The Baltimore Sun’s request for comment on the studies.

Have a news tip? Contact Carson Swick at cswick@baltsun.com.

But not all the news is grim. Extensive building renovation work is soon to start at a spot less than a block away from that fire. Soon, 42 affordable apartments will emerge from the triangular grouping of buildings at the intersection of Park Avenue, Fayette Street and Liberty Street. This rescue comes not a moment too soon.

The development, which involves a conjoining of these structures, takes the name Sojourner Place at Park. It’s the work of two Baltimore nonprofits, the Episcopal Housing Corp. and Health Care for the Homeless, operating in a joint ownership venture. Nearly two-thirds of the apartments will be reserved for people exiting homelessness, with rents capped at 30% of a renter’s income.

Sojourner Place at Park will be a 48,000-square-foot multifamily building in the historic Five and Dime preservation district. It’s the first Sojourner Place downtown; the original opened in East Baltimore’s Oliver neighborhood, and a third is planned for Oldtown near the Shot Tower.

The project incorporates 111 Park Ave. and five adjacent properties into a single residential community. The plan calls for interior walls to be removed, with new elevators, amenity rooms and a ground-floor retail space.

“We think this is all part of [the] transition of downtown Baltimore’s West Side,” said Dan McCarthy, executive director of Episcopal Housing Corp. “We are helping more the energy here and create a critical mass as you head up the hill toward Eutaw and Paca streets.”

McCarthy said his group is building on the success of its first Sojourner Place project in East Baltimore.

There’s always a story behind a building downtown. What appears to be a branch of the old Equitable Trust Co. was originally a railroad station — the first downtown terminal of the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis (WB&A) electric line, which opened in 1908 and declared bankruptcy in 1935. Some of the old WB&A right of way is now a Prince George’s County hiking trail, while Baltimore’s light rail operates on part of the former line.

The heavy WB&A electric cars once looped through what will become Sojourner Place’s interior. The line became so popular it outgrew Liberty Street and moved to West Lombard Street. That terminal, with its popular lunchroom, was later demolished to make way for the downtown Holiday Inn and its revolving rooftop restaurant.

Sojourner Place at Park had its own restaurant too. It was a takeout, but what a takeout, the downtown component of the Harley Restaurants chain. It was a spot beloved by Baltimoreans who grew dependent on the Harley Original and its secret sauce.

Harley’s gets little respect these days. The chain disappeared more than 40 years ago, but the Park and Fayette version became a spinoff named Shane’s and even retained some of the Harley signage.

The person behind Harley’s was a character, the Dorchester County-born Harley Brinsfield, who, according to tradition, began at Lexington Market and opened a home base at Linden and McMechen in the 1940s. There’s a story about how he got the idea for a “submarine” sandwich while in the Merchant Marine. He smoked Tiparillo cigars and kept his money in cash in his pockets.

Harley’s shops were pure blue-collar Baltimore, favored by shift workers, night owls, cops and those who closed bars at 2 a.m.

His submarine sandwiches were all custom-made — and if you craved lunch meats, cheeses, H&S Bakery rolls and tangy sauce, this was your go-to destination. People loved Harley’s (there was a Harley burger too, with a pungent red sauce), and they were once all over Baltimore.

I was always fascinated by the Edmondson Avenue Harley’s, which occupied a Pennsylvania Railroad commuter train station. Passengers could pick up dinner on their way home from Washington, D.C.

Harley had another Baltimore presence. He bought the night slot on WBAL radio and broadcast his own nightly jazz program. Harley had a deep, husky voice that he used to improve the recorded jazz classics of the 1930s and 1940s. Some of his favorites were Sidney Bichet, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong. His theme song was a jaunty version of “Sailing Down the Chesapeake Bay.”

Harley’s or Shane’s, at Fayette and Park, was a natural fit. A block from the old Trailways bus terminal and a block from the business district, it bridged a niche between two worlds, the gritty West Side and the “respectable” Charles Center.

Watch for the scaffolds to go up around Fayette and Park in the next few weeks. A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for December.

Have a news tip? Contact Jacques Kelly at jkelly@baltsun.com.

Do you wage a constant war against mold and mildew in your home, especially in your bathroom? You’re not alone. Millions of people fight this scourge, and businesses have tried to develop all sorts of products to slow or stop the growth of this ugly, black organism.

Your chances of slowing mildew and mold growth increase exponentially once you understand the basics of how and why it flourishes inside and outside your home.

Mildew and mold are very similar to fire. Have you given much thought to what you need to have a fire? You need just three things: fuel, oxygen and a heat source. Take away any one of those three, and you don’t have a fire.

Mildew and mold need just three things to grow: mold spores, food and water. Eliminate just one of those, and you don’t have mold and mildew. It’s pretty much impossible for you to eliminate mold spores in your home. There are millions and millions of them coating just above every surface in your home. You’d need constant, expensive filtration systems to capture these tiny spores. Only high-tech laboratories can afford this type of filtration.

You have mildew and mold food all over your home. Dust, grease, body oils, soap film, etc., are all excellent food sources for mildew and mold. You can eliminate these by doing a deep clean of every surface in your home. Who has the time for this? I know I don’t. You’d have to be cleaning like crazy each and every day.

That leaves you with water. Eliminate water and you’re golden. This is why folks who live in the desert or a very arid climate have fewer issues with mold and mildew than those of us who get lots of rain.

Let’s talk about hot, steamy showers. I’m talking about the ones where, when you exit the shower, so much condensation has formed on the mirror that droplets of water have run down the glass.

You probably think the condensation just forms on the mirror. You’re wrong. I’m sure you remember your high school physics class about dew points, right? All the surfaces in your bathroom are pretty much the same temperature as the mirror before you turn on the hot water. Exterior bathroom walls in cold climates are very problematic. The surface of the wall could be five or 10 degrees lower than the mirror surface!

This means that condensation forms on the walls, ceilings and all other surfaces in the bathroom in addition to the mirror. You don’t see the condensation because the surfaces are not reflective — but, believe me, it’s there.

I know you can’t eliminate water or water vapor in your bathroom. Your challenge is to minimize as much of it as possible to stop or minimize the mold and mildew you so dislike.

You can start with an excellent bathroom exhaust fan. Most homes have ones that do very little to exhaust the water vapor. The best ones will suck hundreds of cubic feet per minute of moist air and expel it to the outdoors. Never allow this humid air to dump into an attic space or out under a roof overhang. Install a roof vent or a wall vent outlet, much like a dryer vent, on vertical walls.

Keep in mind that these powerful fans must be able to pull into the bathroom the same amount of air they’re sending outdoors. This means you may need to crack the door a bit or install a new louvered vent in the bottom of your bathroom door. You can also keep the bathroom door open a bit, but this eliminates complete privacy.

In you live alone or are not overly modest, you might be able to shower with the bathroom door open. This will help send much of the steamy water vapor out into the rest of the home, where it mixes with drier air. I know this will make the bathroom cooler, but you can offset this by installing a radiant heater in the bathroom to keep you toasty warm in your birthday suit.

Here’s the hard part. Mold and mildew will not have a chance as long as you dry off all the surfaces in your shower area. A high-quality squeegee can help. You need to get all, or much of, the liquid water from the glass, tile or acrylic surfaces into the drain. You can also use old towels to dry off the surfaces. Do this, and I can almost guarantee you that your caulk and grout will never have a mold or mildew issue.

It’s easier said than done. You may still be in a sleep daze, or running late, and can’t take the extra minute it takes to dry off everything. I get it. You may want to install a vertical oscillating fan in your bathroom that you can turn on as soon as you have your robe on.

Do you have a shower curtain? Be sure to wave it back and forth to try to get water off of it. Don’t pull the shower curtain all the way across the shower area to make it look pretty. You need air to get into the shower. Keep glass shower doors open after you leave the bathroom.

Leave the bathroom door wide open after you walk out. Your goal is to have all the surfaces in the bathroom dry as rapidly as possible. Do whatever it takes to get the condensation to evaporate as fast as possible.

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