Buying and selling in Bowie, MD

Where Bowie is

Huntington was incorporated in 1874 and renamed Bowie by 1880; the Town of Bowie was incorporated in 1916. William J. Levitt bought the Belair estate in August 1957 and built much of modern Bowie from 1957 to 1964.^[1]

Main roads are US 50 (John Hanson Highway), US 301, MD 3, MD 197, MD 214 and MD 450.^[2]

Housing stock

Bowie has 22,070 homes with a median year built of 1982. About 32% were built in the 1960s (the Levitt years) and 22% in the 1990s. 72% are detached houses and 18% townhouses.^[3]

Levitt-era houses are 60-plus years old now. Original windows, cast-iron drains and undersized electrical service are the items we price most often.

Getting around

• MARC Penn Line from Bowie State station: about 23 to 36 minutes to Washington Union Station and 34 to 52 minutes to Baltimore Penn Station on weekdays. Seabrook, a stop closer to DC, runs about 20 to 30 minutes to Union Station.^[4]

Before you buy or rent here

• The City of Bowie licenses every rental inside city limits, including a basement or a single room and short-term rentals, with an annual inspection. The fee is $120 a year per house or apartment plus a $50 application fee, waived on timely renewal.^[5]
• Homes inside a city that runs its own single-family rental licensing are exempt from the county's single-family license.^[6]
• Check whether a home is inside city limits: city taxes and the city license apply only there. Prince George's Stadium, for example, has a Bowie address but sits outside the city.^[7]
• Maryland's state transfer tax is 0.5% of the price. When the buyer is a first-time Maryland homebuyer who will live in the home, the state rate drops to 0.25%, paid entirely by the seller.^[8]

Public schools: Prince George's County Public Schools. Check any address with the district's official boundary locator.

Parks and landmarks

• Allen Pond Park is an 85-acre city park at 3330 Northview Drive, with an amphitheater and shore fishing.^[9]
• The Bowie Railroad Museum at 8614 Chestnut Avenue keeps the station that served the line from 1872 to 1989. The city also runs Belair Mansion and the Belair Stable Museum.^[10][11]
• Bowie State University, founded in 1865, is part of the University System of Maryland.^[12]
• Prince George's Stadium, opened in 1994, is home to the Chesapeake Baysox.^[7][13]

Our work in Bowie

We sell in Bowie and lease homes there for owners. SW Property Management handles the city rental license and annual inspection, and Stephen's crew handles repairs on Levitt-era houses.

Affiliated business disclosure: Monarch Bay Renovations (MHIC #149066) is a separate company owned by Stephen Wilson, the team lead. You are free to use any contractor you choose.