Bidding wars revive Baltimore’s empty houses, cutting vacancy rate by a third

Baltimore’s chronic vacancy problem is easing as out-of-state buyers and local investors fuel competitive auctions for abandoned houses. Over ten years the city’s vacant-home count has dropped from roughly 16,000 to fewer than 12,000, a shift linked to billions in state and municipal funding and the efforts of nonprofit developers like Parity Homes and ReBUILD Metro. With a median sale price of $235,333—well under the national median of $381,333—the market is drawing families from high-cost areas such as Los Angeles and Washington, DC.

Purchasers including Alex Queen, Alex Kovach and Ella Miller have bought rehabbed homes in places like Johnston Square, where former empty blocks now host gardens and families. However, not all districts share the trend; Carrollton Ridge now has more vacant houses than a decade ago. Mayor Brandon Scott says the decline in vacant homes coincides with historic drops in violent crime, reshaping Baltimore’s reputation.