Full-service residential lending company signs lease with St. John Properties, Inc. for 17,048 square feet of space at 6211 Greenleigh Avenue as well as second lease to house information technology group

BALTIMORE, MD (October 14, 2021) – First Home Mortgage Corporation has signed two leases with St. John Properties, Inc. for nearly 20,000 square feet of space with plans to relocate its corporate headquarters and information technology group – consisting of approximately 110 employees – to Greenleigh in Baltimore County. The full-service residential lending company leased 17,048 square feet of space in 6211 Greenleigh Avenue for its new corporate offices and 2,319 square feet of space in 415 Williams Court to supports its IT team. First Home Mortgage, which anticipates moving to the mixed-use community by early 2022, also has a lending office at St. John Properties’ I-97 Business park near Annapolis in Anne Arundel County.  Matt Lenihan of St. John Properties represented the landlord and Paul Obrecht III and Patrick Smith of Blue & Obrecht Realty and Brendan Lough of JLL represented the client in this transaction.

Founded in 1990, First Home Mortgage Corporation operates 36 offices and are licensed in 17 states, primarily in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions of the United States. The company provides loans for the purchase of a new home or condominium, as well as refinancing and construction activities. First Home Mortgage operates 23 offices throughout Maryland including three in Baltimore County.

“When searching for a new corporate headquarters, it was important to select a location close to where our employees presently live in Baltimore and Harford Counties, because we have an outstanding group and wanted to demonstrate our gratitude for their loyalty,” stated Steve Lagana, President of First Home Mortgage Corporation. “The sustained velocity of the residential housing market in Baltimore County has created the need for additional space to handle the demand, and we believe our new location within a fast-growing residential area in Greenleigh will provide strong and on-going opportunities. In addition, Greenleigh is packed with amenities, and we know our employees will enjoy venturing out to discover all the restaurants and shops, including the brewery. This location is also central to our current and expected customers.”

6211 Greenleigh Avenue is a four-story building comprised of 99,504 square feet of Class ‘A’ office space, and 415 Williams Court is a single-story building offering 25,045 square feet of office space. Both are surrounded by surface lots that provide free parking for employees and customers.

“We specifically chose 6211 Greenleigh Avenue because its strong and distinct image reflects the professionalism and class of our company,” Lagana said. “But we did not believe it was feasible for our IT staff to work from the third floor of a mid-rise office building because of the frequent delivery and movement of equipment. 415 Williams Court is within walking distance from our new corporate offices and offers an environment that is more in keeping with the mission of our technology group.”

St. John Properties, together with partner Somerset Construction Company, initiated development activities on Greenleigh, a 1,000-acre mixed-use business community that includes multiple real estate classes including multifamily, in 2007. Greenleigh reflects a “New Urbanism” concept, with approximately 500 acres carved out for a range of housing options, mid-rise commercial office buildings and complimentary retail and hospitality amenities.

Upon completion, Greenleigh will include 1,900 residential units including single-family homes, townhomes and multifamily units, along with nearly two million square feet of commercial office space. In total, the development will support more than 2.5 million square feet of commercial, retail and hospitality space.

“As First Home Mortgage Corporation continues to grow its footprint around the country, we were happy to accommodate the company’s corporate headquarters and IT department within Greenleigh,” explained Sean Doordan, Executive Vice President of Leasing and Acquisitions for St. John Properties. “First Home Mortgage adds to our growing list of companies that have selected Greenleigh as the site for its corporate headquarters including L2 Defense, Pipeline Soccer Club and Synagro Technologies.”

Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, St. John Properties, Inc. is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s largest privately held commercial real estate firms. The company is distinguished by their commitment to customer service, achievements in green building, and top-rated workplace culture. Throughout St. John Properties’ 50-year history, the company has developed more than 21 million square feet of flex/R&D, Office, Retail and Warehouse space serving more than 2,500 clients in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Utah, and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit sjp.mu9b0uf9-liquidwebsites.com.