Free listing analysis · Maryland & Washington, DC
Is this house worth it?
Get a candid, broker-level second opinion on any Maryland or DC listing in seconds. See what the price is telling you, what the house's age is hiding, which inspections to order, and what it will really cost to buy and own, using 2026 tax rates for every Maryland county and DC.
- Instant and free. No sign-up, no email wall.
- Built for Maryland and DC. Every county's closing taxes and local rules.
- Only the house and the numbers. It never rates neighborhoods, schools or who lives nearby.
Buyer's reference
What it costs to record a deed in every Maryland county and DC
Transfer and recordation taxes are the biggest closing costs most buyers don't see coming. Maryland law splits them 50/50 by default. In DC, the buyer usually pays recordation and the seller pays transfer. Enter a price to see both sides everywhere at once.
Maryland property tax rates include the state's $0.112 per $100. City and town taxes are extra. Rockville, Gaithersburg, Takoma Park, Frederick and Annapolis are built into the checker above. Montgomery County's figures include its $100,000 recordation exemption for owner-occupants. For first-time Maryland buyers, the table still assumes the buyer pays half of recordation and county transfer tax. Maryland law moves those to the seller unless your contract says otherwise, so read the tax paragraph of your contract. Rates: FY2027 where published, otherwise FY2026 (Maryland SDAT, Department of Legislative Services, county finance offices, DC Office of Tax and Revenue), verified September 2026.
Buyer's reference
What every decade of Maryland and DC housing hides
Most of the housing in Montgomery County and DC was built before 1985. The year a house was built tells you which materials went into it. Here is when the ones that cost buyers money were installed.
Bars show the usual years of installation. Faded ends mean the start or end date is approximate. Sources: CPSC, EPA, InterNACHI, and published class-action and building-code records.
Buyer's reference
The deadlines that protect you
Maryland and DC give buyers short, strict windows to walk away when documents arrive late or reveal something. Miss the window and the right is gone. All days are calendar days unless marked.
Buyer's reference
Guides to Maryland and DC rules that most buyers only learn at settlement
Each guide is short and sourced, and it was checked against the statute or agency page in September 2026.
Who's behind this
Twenty years of telling buyers what a house is really worth
I'm Aya Netanel, broker and owner of Netanel Real Estate. I've represented buyers in Maryland and DC for twenty years. Some of the most useful advice I've given was to walk away from a house my client loved.
I built Second Opinion because most buyers find a house online long before they talk to anyone, and listings are written to sell. This is the read I'd give a friend: what the price is telling you, what the age of the house is hiding, and what it will really cost.
When my clients close, they also receive a buyer rebate, credited toward closing costs and shown on the settlement statement. It's real and it's documented. It just isn't the reason to hire me.
— Aya Netanel, Broker & Owner
Licensed in Maryland and the District of Columbia. I work most often in Montgomery County, DC, Prince George's, Howard and Frederick.
- It isn't an appraisal.It gives you a price read from the sales you enter, with the reasoning shown so you can check it.
- It isn't an inspection.It tells you which inspections to order and why, based on this house's age and features.
- It never judges neighborhoods.Second Opinion reads the house and the numbers. It doesn't comment on schools, "good areas," or who lives nearby.
- It shows its sources.Every tax rate, deadline and rule links to the statute or agency that sets it.