Key Takeaways
- The city fell while the county rose: the Baltimore City median sales price was $225,000 in August 2026, down 8.2%, on 530 sales. The Baltimore County median was $390,000, up 6.8% (Maryland REALTORS, August 2026).
- Zillow shows a softer city: the typical Baltimore value was $186,741, down 3.4%. City ZIP codes run from $69,265 in 21223 to $486,556 in 21210 (Zillow ZHVI, August 2026).
- More listings, lower asking prices: Realtor.com counted 2,743 active city listings, up 25.5%, at a median list price of $199,900 (Realtor.com via FRED, August 2026).
- The vacancy tax starts in 2028: vacant lots and vacant structures face 4 times the full rate from the tax year that begins July 1, 2028 (Ordinance 26-113).
- Deed taxes run about 3%: a 1.5% city transfer tax, 1.0% city recordation tax, and 0.5% state transfer tax, split equally by default.
The Baltimore housing market 2026 story splits at the city line. Inside Baltimore City, the August median sales price fell 8.2% to $225,000 as closed sales dropped 19.9% (Maryland REALTORS, August 2026). Next door in Baltimore County, the median rose 6.8% to $390,000.
Baltimore City is an independent city, not part of Baltimore County, so this guide keeps the two apart. It also keeps each data source in its own lane, and dollar examples are labeled illustrative.
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Let's chatWhat is the Baltimore housing market doing in 2026?
Baltimore City sales and prices both fell in August 2026, while Baltimore County and Maryland as a whole rose. Maryland REALTORS, using Bright MLS data, reported 530 closed sales in the city, down 19.9% from a year earlier. The city's median sales price was $225,000, down 8.2% (Maryland REALTORS, August 2026).
| Maryland REALTORS (Bright MLS), August 2026 | Baltimore City | Baltimore County | Maryland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Units sold | 530 (-19.9%) | 687 (-10.5%) | 5,582 (-8.5%) |
| Median sales price | $225,000 (-8.2%) | $390,000 (+6.8%) | $445,000 (+2.3%) |
| Average sales price | $264,455 (-1.7%) | $468,276 (+8.6%) | $530,442 (+2.5%) |
| Median days on market | 24 (21 a year earlier) | 14 (13) | 17 (16) |
| Months of inventory | 4.7 (5.0) | 2.3 (2.7) | 3.0 (3.5) |
| Pending sales | 654 (569) | 692 (724) | 5,786 (5,846) |
| Active inventory | 2,769 (3,170) | 1,595 (1,903) | 16,897 (19,576) |
| New listings | 794 (1,108) | 722 (952) | 6,249 (8,177) |
Figures in parentheses are August 2025. City pending sales rose to 654 from 569, so some fall closings may still be coming. New city listings fell by more than a quarter.
A median is not an average
The median is the middle sale. Baltimore City's August average was $264,455, down only 1.7%, while its median fell 8.2%. A handful of higher-priced sales can hold an average up even when the middle of the market slips (Maryland REALTORS, August 2026).
The city is not the county
Towson, Dundalk, Catonsville, Essex, Parkville, and Pikesville are in Baltimore County, not Baltimore City. A "Baltimore, MD" mailing address does not prove a house is inside the city. The $390,000 county median describes a different jurisdiction with its own taxes and tax sale.
Baltimore Home Prices by ZIP Code in Zillow's Data
Zillow's data shows Baltimore home prices down 3.4% over the past year. The Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) put the typical value in the city of Baltimore at $186,741 in August 2026 (Zillow ZHVI, August 2026). The city series peaked at $193,630 in February 2025.
Outside the city, Zillow's picture is flat to slightly up. The Baltimore County ZHVI was $360,630, up 0.6%, and the Baltimore metro was $400,263, also up 0.6%. The statewide Maryland ZHVI was $428,308, unchanged from a year earlier.
| ZIP code (main neighborhoods) | Zillow ZHVI, August 2026 | Year over year |
|---|---|---|
| 21210 (Roland Park) | $486,556 | +4.1% |
| 21212 (Govans, Homeland area) | $339,404 | +1.0% |
| 21231 (Fells Point, Washington Hill) | $289,774 | -4.4% |
| 21211 (Hampden, Remington, Woodberry) | $280,947 | -1.6% |
| 21230 (Federal Hill, Locust Point, Pigtown) | $268,178 | -1.8% |
| 21214 (Lauraville, Hamilton) | $257,374 | +0.6% |
| 21224 (Canton, Highlandtown, Patterson Park) | $235,488 | -2.8% |
| 21206 (Frankford) | $220,930 | -1.0% |
| 21239 (Loch Raven) | $214,463 | -0.3% |
| 21201 (Mount Vernon, west downtown) | $213,129 | +0.4% |
| 21202 (Downtown, Greenmount West) | $184,979 | -0.9% |
| 21218 (Charles Village, Waverly, Barclay) | $184,619 | -4.1% |
| 21229 (Irvington) | $172,949 | -4.7% |
| 21215 (Park Heights) | $159,817 | -5.3% |
| 21213 (Belair-Edison, Broadway East) | $116,085 | -6.1% |
| 21216 (West Baltimore, Rosemont) | $114,151 | -4.3% |
| 21205 (East Baltimore, Madison-Eastend) | $106,536 | -5.1% |
| 21217 (Reservoir Hill, Sandtown, Bolton Hill, Upton) | $94,553 | -7.0% |
| 21223 (Union Square, southwest) | $69,265 | -6.8% |
These values come from Zillow's public research data and cover all 19 ZIP codes that Zillow places in Baltimore City. ZIPs 21207, 21209, 21225, and 21226 each take in part of the city, but Zillow files them under Baltimore County or Anne Arundel County. Each row describes a ZIP code, not one neighborhood, and 21217 holds both Bolton Hill and Sandtown.
Where Baltimore home prices rose and fell
Only four city ZIP codes rose: 21210, 21212, 21214, and 21201. Every east and west Baltimore ZIP in the table fell, led by 21217 at 7.0% and 21223 at 6.8%. The top value, $486,556 in 21210, is about seven times the $69,265 in 21223 (Zillow ZHVI, August 2026).
Why Zillow's value sits below the MLS median
Zillow's $186,741 sits well below the $225,000 Bright MLS median because the two measure different houses. The MLS median covers only houses that sold through the MLS in August. The ZHVI models the typical value of the whole housing stock, including vacant and low-value rowhouses that rarely sell on the MLS.
That stock is large. Open Baltimore listed 11,481 open Vacant Building Notices in September 2026 (Open Baltimore, September 2026). The Census Bureau counts 13.3% of city housing units as vacant (ACS 2020-2024 5-year). The two figures answer different questions and should never be averaged together.
Listings, Redfin, and Mortgage Rates in the Baltimore Housing Market 2026
Listing data shows more Baltimore City houses for sale at lower asking prices. Realtor.com counted 2,743 active listings in the city in August 2026, up 25.5% from a year earlier (Realtor.com via FRED, August 2026). The median listing price was $199,900, down 8.7% from $219,000.
Realtor.com also reported a median of 57 days on market for city listings, up from 50. That figure includes listings that have not sold, so it runs longer than the Bright MLS figure.
What Redfin's Baltimore data shows
Redfin's latest Data Center file covers an earlier month and shows a different result. For May 2026, Redfin reported a Baltimore city median sale price of $255,000, up 5.4% year over year (Redfin Data Center, May 2026).
In the same Redfin file, 605 city sales closed in May, down 22.7%, at a median of 45 days on market. Redfin uses its own boundary and method, so its figures stay apart from the other sources.
Rates squeeze financed buyers
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.95% for the week of September 17, 2026, against 6.26% a year earlier (Freddie Mac PMMS, September 2026). On an illustrative $200,000 loan, that gap adds about $91 a month in principal and interest.
Why do some Baltimore houses take longer to sell?
Age, vacancy, and rental rules slow many Baltimore sales, and none of them shows up in a median price. About 41.5% of the city's 295,032 housing units were built in 1939 or earlier, against 10.7% statewide (ACS 2020-2024 5-year, via Census Reporter). About four in five city units were built before 1980.
Half of the city's units, 50.4%, are one-unit attached houses, the rowhouses that line most neighborhoods. Renters occupy 52.5% of occupied units, compared with 32.4% statewide. Older rowhouses often carry shared party walls, flat roofs, and lead paint, and inspection findings can reopen price talks.
The vacancy tax starts with the July 2028 tax year
Baltimore City now taxes vacant lots and vacant structures at "4 times the full rate property tax" (Baltimore City Code Art. 28, Sec. 11-3). State law lets the city create that separate class (Md. Code, Tax-Property §6-202.1). Under Ordinance 26-113, signed June 16, 2026, the first tax year the rate may apply is July 1, 2028 to June 30, 2029.
A vacant structure is one that is "unoccupied" and "unsafe or unfit for human habitation or other authorized use" (City Code Art. 28, Sec. 11-1). Illustrative only: at $2.248 per $100, a structure assessed at $100,000 owes $2,248 a year, and four times that is $8,992. Our guide to selling a vacant Baltimore rowhouse under the vacancy tax covers notices, receivership, and the sale itself.
Ground rent still shows up at closing
About 27.3% of city parcel records carry an annual ground rent, with a median of $90 a year (Open Baltimore Real Property data, September 2026). Our guide to selling a Baltimore house with ground rent explains registration and redemption.
The $2.248 Tax Rate and the 2026 Tax Sale Changes
Baltimore City's real property tax rate for fiscal 2027 is $2.248 per $100 of assessed value (Bureau of the Budget and Management Research, Fiscal 2027). That full rate is what a landlord or the owner of a vacant house pays.
Owner-occupants pay less through the Targeted Homeowners Tax Credit. The city's Property Tax Reduction Strategy puts the effective homeowner rate at $2.04 and lowers it to $1.99 per $100. The plan takes 1 penny off on July 1, 2026, and 4 more pennies in July 2027 (Office of the Mayor, September 2026).
The same strategy raises the Homestead credit cap on assessment growth from 4% to 5%. The city's 10-Year Financial Plan calls for further 1-cent cuts to the homeowner rate each year through fiscal 2035. A buyer who plans to rent the house out budgets at the full $2.248 rate.
What changed at the tax sale
Maryland's tax sale rules changed on January 1, 2026. The collector must now withhold an owner-occupied house, or one occupied by an heir of a deceased owner, when the total owed is under $1,000 (Md. Code, Tax-Property §14-811). Redemption interest on an owner-occupied house now "may not exceed 10% a year" (Md. Code, Tax-Property §14-820). The city also agreed with Maryland Legal Aid to raise the tax sale's minimum price to the assessed value and to offer payment plans (Office of the Mayor, February 9, 2026). Our guide to the Maryland tax sale and the redemption clock walks through each step.
What does it cost to sell a house in Baltimore City?
Transfer and recordation taxes are the biggest fixed cost in most Baltimore City sales, at about 3.0% of the price combined. The city charges a 1.5% transfer tax and a recordation tax of $5.00 per $500, which works out to 1.0% (BBMR, Fiscal 2027). Maryland adds a 0.5% state transfer tax (Md. Code, Tax-Property §13-203).
Unless the contract says otherwise, Maryland law presumes the buyer and seller split these taxes equally (Md. Code, Real Property §14-104). When the buyer is a first-time Maryland buyer who will live in the house, the seller pays the state transfer tax in full. The seller also pays the local transfer and recordation taxes unless the parties expressly agree otherwise.
Illustrative only: on a $225,000 sale, 3.0% is $6,750, and an equal split puts about $3,375 on the seller. Sales above $1 million fall under the city's Yield Tax from Ordinance 19-233. BBMR describes it as 40% of the transfer tax and 15% of the recordation tax going to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Who handles the closing
No Maryland statute requires an attorney at closing. In practice, a title company or settlement attorney prepares the deed, orders payoffs, and records the sale.
A seller's cost checklist
- Half the transfer and recordation taxes by default, about 1.5% of the price
- Prorated city real property taxes (the city's fiscal year starts July 1)
- Water bills and other liens on the lien sheet, paid at settlement
- Mortgage payoff and any tax sale redemption
- Ground rent arrears or redemption, if the house carries one
- Agent commission on a listed sale (an illustrative 5% of $225,000 is $11,250)
Cash Sale vs. Listed Sale: A Baltimore Timeline
A cash sale can close in as few as 7 days. A listed Baltimore City house that sold in August 2026 spent a median of 24 days on market (Maryland REALTORS, August 2026). After that, a financed sale still runs through inspection, appraisal, and the lender's underwriting. No dates are promised on either side.
| Step | Listed sale | Direct cash sale |
|---|---|---|
| Before the offer | Repairs, cleanout, photos, showings | None required; the house is sold as-is |
| Time on the market | Median of 24 days for city houses that sold (Maryland REALTORS, August 2026) | One cash offer based on local market data, with the reasoning shown |
| Inspection and appraisal | Buyer's inspection and the lender's appraisal | No bank appraisal or underwriting |
| Financing | Loan approval at rates near 6.95% | No financing contingency |
| Closing | A title company or settlement attorney, on the lender's schedule | A title company or settlement attorney, in as few as 7 days, on a date you pick |
Where a Propcash offer fits
Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer, founded in 2026 and based in Nashville, that buys houses as a principal. You get one transparent, data-backed cash offer with the reasoning shown. There is no obligation to take it, and the offer stands while you decide.
Sellers pay no fees or commissions to Propcash, and you sell as-is. Title work, water bills, and lien payoffs still have to clear, so "as few as 7 days" is not a promise.
If your house is renovated and sits in a ZIP like 21210 or 21231, listing with an agent may net you more. If listing looks like the stronger path, we'll tell you and point you to a local agent. We may receive compensation from agents we refer.
To see what your house could sell for as-is, get a cash offer on your Baltimore house. You can also read how to sell your house fast in Baltimore or see the Maryland seller overview.
Why wait? Sell your house “as is” for cash today
Tell us about your house. We'll make you a cash offer based on local market data.
Let's chatFrequently Asked Questions
What are Baltimore home prices in 2026?
Baltimore home prices depend on the source. In Baltimore City, Maryland REALTORS reported a median sales price of $225,000 for August 2026, down 8.2% from a year earlier, using Bright MLS data. Separately, Zillow put the typical value in the city at $186,741, down 3.4% (Zillow ZHVI, August 2026). The two figures measure different things and should not be averaged.
Is the Baltimore housing market slowing down in 2026?
Baltimore City slowed in August 2026. Closed sales fell 19.9% to 530, and the city had 4.7 months of inventory against 3.0 statewide (Maryland REALTORS, August 2026). Pending sales rose to 654 from 569, so part of the drop may be timing. Baltimore County moved the other way, with a median of $390,000, up 6.8%.
Why is Zillow's Baltimore value lower than the MLS median?
Zillow's Home Value Index models the value of every house in Baltimore City, including many vacant and low-value rowhouses that rarely sell through the MLS. The Bright MLS median reflects only the houses that actually sold in a given month. That is why Zillow's $186,741 sits below the $225,000 MLS median for August 2026.
Are Towson and Dundalk part of Baltimore City?
No. Towson, Dundalk, Catonsville, Essex, Parkville, and Pikesville are communities in Baltimore County. Baltimore City is an independent city with its own tax rate, transfer taxes, Register of Wills, and tax sale. A Baltimore, MD mailing address does not by itself place a house inside the city.
When does Baltimore's vacancy tax start?
Under Ordinance 26-113, signed June 16, 2026, the first tax year for Baltimore's special rate on vacant lots and vacant structures is July 1, 2028 to June 30, 2029. The rate is 4 times the city's full tax rate (Baltimore City Code Art. 28, Sec. 11-3). An earlier schedule that would have started at 3 times in July 2026 was repealed before it took effect.
How fast can a cash sale close in Baltimore?
A cash sale can close in as few as 7 days because there is no lender appraisal or underwriting. The actual date depends on title work, lien and water bill payoffs, and the date the seller picks. By comparison, Baltimore City houses that sold in August 2026 spent a median of 24 days on market (Maryland REALTORS, August 2026).
Maryland REALTORS (Bright MLS), Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com figures are kept separate and never combined. Propcash is a direct cash homebuyer, not a law firm, tax adviser, or licensed Maryland real estate brokerage. Confirm legal and tax questions with a Maryland-licensed professional.