Baltimore residents say they're trapped in unsellable homes

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Middle class residents looking to flee Democrat-run Baltimore cannot escape the city because they are trapped in unsellable homes. Homeowners in once stable neighborhoods with some of the highest property taxes in Maryland say their communities are now being plagued by open-air drug markets and skyrocketing crime, The Baltimore Sun reports. Squatters invade vacant properties and criminals are shamelessly doing drugs in the streets and riding dirt bikes around the once family-friendly communities, locals say.
Some homeowners claim they tried to put their homes on the market, but were met with pushback from real estate agents who warn they 'I can't sell this house' because of the high crime . Real estate agents also warn investors and potential homebuyers are likely to avoid buying in Baltimore because of crippling tax rates, which the city allegedly hiked up to combat revenue lost by businesses and residents fleeing the area. Locals who have spent their entire lives in the city are now making massive sacrifices as they struggle to pay their mortgages, taxes and household bills.
'I don't have that income coming in where I can make more money and move. I feel like I'm stuck - trapped in here,' Charlene Bees, a lifelong resident of the Morrell Park neighborhood, told the newspaper. Other residents are afraid they are 'gonna get hurt one day' and fear that 'nothing's getting better' in their towns. President Donald Trump on Monday branded crime in Baltimore as 'very bad' and said the city was 'so far gone'. Baltimore has battled a population decline for several decades now, causing the city to see a significant loss in revenue.
City leaders tried to combat the loss of funds by raising property taxes, which experts say only drove more people to flee. Although Baltimore last year recorded its first population increase - at 0.13 percent - since 2014, real estate agents are still finding it hard to attract people to the city. 'If a property is in a location where the property tax rate is higher than the surrounding counties, people will avoid it,' real estate consultant Ben Frederick III (pictured) told the newspaper. 'If a property is located in a place where the crime rate is higher than normal, or what people would normally want, people are going to avoid buying there.'
Another expert, PhD candidate Dan Brennan, alleged the city's tax structure is driving people away and discouraging real estate investment. Baltimore assesses value by improved property instead of land, which Brennan claims forces the most affluent to pay the most. Residents, however, are apparently most concerned with the rising drugs crisis, with one Curtis Bay homeowner alleging the traffic at the drug market on her block is comparable to the morning rush at a fast food drive-thru.
The woman, who declined to share her identity with the Sun, claims a real estate agent cited the drug market as the reason her home is unsellable. State and city leaders are trying to attract newcomers to Baltimore, but their efforts are seemingly unsuccessful. Democratic Gov. Wes Moore last week touted research that hailed Baltimore as the third-best metropolitan area for 'young professionals with college degrees'.
Mayor Brandon Scott, also a Democrat, promised a 'Baltimore renaissance' when he was sworn in for a second term last December. Scott vowed to bring violent crime down and address the city's vacant housing crisis. 'We're going to revolutionize the way cities tackle blight and increase housing stock that families can actually afford to live in with our vacant strategy,' he said in his December 2024 address, CBS News reports.
He added: 'For decades there have been promises made to Baltimoreans about quick fixes and short-term solutions, but they have always been hollow. Many of us long-time Baltimoreans know that all too well.' In March this year, citing how Baltimore's population grew by 754 people, Scott alleged his administration has ' finally stabilized our City's population '. 'Today's population figures confirm that Baltimore's Renaissance is here,' he said, touting a 'record-low number of vacant homes, a historic drop in violence, and billions being invested into our neighborhoods'.
'People can feel this progress. My administration will build on this momentum by continuing our work to promote public safety, accelerate equitable development, and protect our most vulnerable residents - making Baltimore a place that more people will be proud to call home,' he continued. Despite this alleged progress, residents are still claiming they 'don't like Baltimore as it is now' and feel there is no way out. Baltimore was once home to some of the country's highest crime rates, earning it the title of America's 'murder capital' and a reputation as a crime-ridden city.
The city recorded its lowest homicide rate in nearly 15 years in 2024, with 201 homicides marking a dramatic 12 percent decrease from 2023 and a staggering 41 percent drop from 2021 levels. Maryland as a whole is becoming safer too, with statewide homicides falling from 519 in 2023 to 455 in 2024, while violent crimes plummeted from 1,190 to 891 during the same period. An April 2025 report from US News & World Report no longer included Baltimore among the most dangerous places in America. The digital media company released its Most Dangerous Places in the US 2024-2025 list and normally Baltimore would be in the Top 25 but this year it didn't make the cut. The list is compiled based on a city's murder and property crime rates per 100,000 people.
Trump on Monday placed the police department in nearby Washington DC, about 40 miles from Baltimore, under federal control and deployed the National Guard to the nation's capital in an attempt to combat crime. But the president took aim at Baltimore and Oakland, California as he announced his plan. 'We have other cities that are very bad… and then you have of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that anymore, they're so far gone,' he said. 'We're not gonna lose our cities over this.'