The number of houses sold in Carroll County in April increased by nearly 10% compared to the same month last year. Sale prices for those homes also dropped amid persistent uncertainty surrounding federal policies and a shaky economy.

In April, 155 houses were sold in Carroll, a 9.2% increase from April 2024, when 142 houses were sold, according to statistics released May 14 by Maryland REALTORS, a nonprofit real estate association that provides resources and support to area real estate agents.

The average home price last month was $493,113, down 3.4% from April 2024, when the average home price was $510,315. Last month, there were 280 houses on the market, compared with 246 in April 2024.

On Tuesday, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 6.96%, which increased 8 basis points compared to this time last week, according to Bankrate.com, a finance site that provides resources to help people with financial decisions. A basis point is one hundredth of 1 percentage point.

The county’s housing picture has certainly changed since last spring, when the number of houses sold in the month of May dropped more than 20% compared with the year prior as inventory disappeared causing prices to climb.

At the time, the county’s industry experts described the state of the housing market as “a crisis.” High housing prices were a result of not enough homes being available for sale in the county and throughout the state.

Fast-forward a year, and President Donald Trump’s tariffs, stock market volatility and federal layoffs, could be a new dark cloud hanging over the spring house-buying season.

Carroll County Commissioners President Ken Kiler has concerns that decisions by the federal government, coupled with new taxes and fee increases implemented by the state, are the perfect storm to dampen the housing market in the county.

“There are a lot of federal workers in Carroll County, especially in the Eldersburg area, and the decisions by the state are making it harder to find affordable homes,” he said. “I always say, ‘I love Carroll County, I was born in Carroll County, and I would like to die in Carroll County,’ but the state is making it harder.'”

Across Maryland, housing sales dropped 7% in April, when compared to April 2024, according to Maryland REALTORS. At the same time, the average cost of a home jumped 4.1%, to $520,712 last month, compared to $500,234 last year, and the median price rose 4.8% to $435,000.

“We’re nowhere near a balanced market, and while we could be making strides to fix this with additional housing, local governments seem content to do nothing for their constituents,” Cheryl Abrams Davis, president of Maryland REALTORS stated in the news release. “We have an opportunity to do what’s right and add more housing in our communities, but local governments and their lobbyists continue to impede progress.”

Kiler takes issue with that assertion, taking aim at the state.

“I’ve always been pro controlled growth,” he said. “I find it ironic that they say we need more housing, and more affordable housing, when the state is raising rates on everybody. They make it hard to even build affordable housing. Right or wrong, a lot of people in the county don’t want to see more housing, but I’ve always believed we need controlled growth.”

Have a news tip? Contact Sherry Greenfield at sgreenfield@baltsun.com, 240-315-7029.