No community has proved immune to the housing slump, least of all expensive places.
But they're still expensive.
The 10 priciest ZIP codes in the Baltimore metro area all had averages above $500,000 during the first half of the year, topping off at nearly $845,000 in Howard County's Glenwood community. Baltimore's Homeland, with its six lakes and historic homes, was the most expensive neighborhood in the city and also had average sale prices above half a million.
What many of the suburban communities have in common are big homes with super-sized yards. That's true of Glenwood, in a part of Howard County that rapidly turned from farms to subdivisions.
"There are only single-family homes on minimum one-acre lots, some larger," said Sharon Keeny, a real estate agent with Long & Foster who lives near Glenwood. "You have some older, smaller homes that may fall in the $500,000 range, all the way up to very large custom homes in country-club or upscale neighborhoods."
Monkton and Phoenix in Baltimore County, which rank third and eighth on the list, respectively, have a lot of five-bedroom-plus houses with two-car garages, said Kellie Langley, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in Towson. Eat-in kitchens, "great rooms," even some in-ground pools - that's the landscape.
Anne Arundel County's Davidsonville, No. 2 on the list at about $708,000, has many big homes with two-car garages, too. Monique Ligthart, a real estate agent with Long & Foster, has a five-bedroom home in Davidsonville that her family bought in 2006 for $785,000.
"You really feel like you're in the country," Ligthart said. "So nice and quiet."
But it's not easy to sell a home in the higher price ranges in today's market, with financing for big purchases less available. Forty-five homes changed hands in Davidsonville in the first half of 2005, the peak of the housing frenzy. Twenty-four - about half as many - sold in the first six months of this year.
Prices are falling, too.
"If you look at new construction in the Glenwood, Glenelg, Dayton area, you'll find that what is selling in the [$800,000s] now, three years ago was well over $1 million," Keeny said.
The Baltimore Sun compiled its list by analyzing sales reported to Rockville-based Metropolitan Regional Information Systems from January to June. Only communities with at least five sales were compared. The ranking is based on averages, which means some ZIP codes with exceptionally pricey homes didn't make the top 10 because they also have more modest dwellings.
The most expensive sale reported to MRIS in the first half of the year - $5 million for a six-bedroom, 6 1/2 bathroom spread - was in Annapolis' 21409 ZIP.
But they're still expensive.
The 10 priciest ZIP codes in the Baltimore metro area all had averages above $500,000 during the first half of the year, topping off at nearly $845,000 in Howard County's Glenwood community. Baltimore's Homeland, with its six lakes and historic homes, was the most expensive neighborhood in the city and also had average sale prices above half a million.
What many of the suburban communities have in common are big homes with super-sized yards. That's true of Glenwood, in a part of Howard County that rapidly turned from farms to subdivisions.
"There are only single-family homes on minimum one-acre lots, some larger," said Sharon Keeny, a real estate agent with Long & Foster who lives near Glenwood. "You have some older, smaller homes that may fall in the $500,000 range, all the way up to very large custom homes in country-club or upscale neighborhoods."
Monkton and Phoenix in Baltimore County, which rank third and eighth on the list, respectively, have a lot of five-bedroom-plus houses with two-car garages, said Kellie Langley, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in Towson. Eat-in kitchens, "great rooms," even some in-ground pools - that's the landscape.
Anne Arundel County's Davidsonville, No. 2 on the list at about $708,000, has many big homes with two-car garages, too. Monique Ligthart, a real estate agent with Long & Foster, has a five-bedroom home in Davidsonville that her family bought in 2006 for $785,000.
"You really feel like you're in the country," Ligthart said. "So nice and quiet."
But it's not easy to sell a home in the higher price ranges in today's market, with financing for big purchases less available. Forty-five homes changed hands in Davidsonville in the first half of 2005, the peak of the housing frenzy. Twenty-four - about half as many - sold in the first six months of this year.
Prices are falling, too.
"If you look at new construction in the Glenwood, Glenelg, Dayton area, you'll find that what is selling in the [$800,000s] now, three years ago was well over $1 million," Keeny said.
The Baltimore Sun compiled its list by analyzing sales reported to Rockville-based Metropolitan Regional Information Systems from January to June. Only communities with at least five sales were compared. The ranking is based on averages, which means some ZIP codes with exceptionally pricey homes didn't make the top 10 because they also have more modest dwellings.
The most expensive sale reported to MRIS in the first half of the year - $5 million for a six-bedroom, 6 1/2 bathroom spread - was in Annapolis' 21409 ZIP.
