Baltimore City: rowhomes, the harbor, and city homebuyer programs

• Canton: brick rowhouses, Federal-style townhomes, and new construction condos.
• Fells Point: historic rowhouses, some dating to the 1800s, converted warehouses, and Federal-style townhomes.
• Federal Hill: classic rowhouses, painted brick townhomes, and modern condos with views.
• Hampden: rowhouses, Craftsman bungalows, and renovated semi-detached homes.
• Roland Park: Victorian, Craftsman, Colonial Revival, and Tudor homes on wide, tree-lined lots, in a neighborhood designed in the 1890s.
• Mount Vernon: Victorian brownstones, historic apartment conversions, and row homes.

• Canton sits along the harbor east of Fells Point, with O'Donnell Square, Canton Waterfront Park, and the restaurants along O'Donnell Street.
• Fells Point has cobblestone streets, a working waterfront, coffee shops, and restaurants.
• Federal Hill sits above the Inner Harbor with city and water views, and Cross Street Market is in the neighborhood.
• Hampden has independent shops on the Avenue, and the Miracle on 34th Street lights go up each holiday season.
• Roland Park has shops and cafes in a walkable village center.
• Mount Vernon is home to the Walters Art Museum and the Peabody Conservatory.

Rowhomes share party walls, so look closely at the roof, shared cornices, and basement waterproofing, which is a common issue in older blocks. A good inspector will flag these, and I walk every inspection with my buyers.

• Buying Into Baltimore: a $5,000 forgivable loan awarded by lottery to Live Baltimore trolley tour attendees in set application rounds. Check Live Baltimore for the next round.
• City employee programs: amounts vary; check with the city.
• Most of this help is forgivable if you stay in the home 5 years. Funding opens and closes during the year, so confirm availability with a participating lender before you rely on it.

Baltimore City's recordation tax is $5.00 per $500 of the price (1.0%) and its transfer tax is 1.5%, on top of Maryland's 0.5% state transfer tax. By default, buyer and seller split these taxes equally unless the contract says otherwise.

• Recordation tax: the first $22,000 of the price is exempt if the buyer swears they will live in the home for at least 7 of the first 12 months. That saves $220.
• Transfer tax: the same $22,000 exemption applies, but only when the total price is under $250,000.
• First-time Maryland buyers: the state transfer tax drops to 0.25%, and the seller pays all of it.

I live in Baltimore and work in English and Spanish. Call or text (301) 875-7182 and my team and I will help you look at homes across the city.

• 3009 McElderry St, Baltimore, MD 21205: 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath. For sale at $194,900 (Bright MLS # MDBA2220598) or for rent at $1,700/month (Bright MLS # MDBA2227206).
• 555 Presstman St, Baltimore, MD 21217: 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths and 1 half bath. For sale at $319,900 (Bright MLS # MDBA2220596) or for rent at $2,500/month (Bright MLS # MDBA2227312).