Trolley Tour Details

Live Baltimore is committed to making our events accessible to everyone. If you require an accommodation or service to fully participate in Trolley Tour, please get in touch with our Events Manager at events@livebaltimore.com at least two weeks prior to the event. In all situations, a good-faith effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations.

Children are welcome at the event and must always be accompanied by a parent or guardian. There are no child-specific activities or childcare available at Trolley Tour. 

Your schedule includes two workshops of your choosing. Each time slot presents five options; select one for each.

Check back to closer to the event date to find information on workshops in the same time slot, along with descriptions to help you decide which ones are best for you!

The Fall 2026 Trolley Tour will explore Central Baltimore City.

There will not be any stops along the tour. While we won’t be going into homes, our tours are always focused on residential neighborhoods, where many examples of homes will be on display. The tour includes neighborhood home price information and other metrics such as walk, transit, and bike scores. Live Baltimore also provides a list of open houses available the same day as the event and encourages participants to continue their day by visiting them.

Just to let you know, the $5,000 Buying Into Baltimore incentive can be used citywide. It does not need to be used in a neighborhood that we tour.

Check back closer to the event date to see a list of neighborhoods we will be touring.

No. Homebuyers who have not yet received their homeownership counseling certificate are welcome to attend Trolley Tour events.

However, please be aware that you must earn a homeownership counseling certificate from a City-approved agency in order to be eligible for the related $5,000 incentive. Because the number of these awards is limited for each event, Live Baltimore recommends that you complete counseling prior to the event date if you intend to apply for the incentive.

The $5,000 Buying Into Baltimore Incentive is the only downpayment incentive that requires Trolley Tour attendance to qualify to apply. Click here to view a video explaining the incentive process.

To participate in the incentive lottery, applicants must:  

• Earn a counseling certificate from a City-approved agency before making an offer on a home.  
• Attend the Trolley Tour event before making an offer on a home.  
• After the event, make an offer on a home and secure a contract within 12 business days. 

Twenty Buying Into Baltimore incentives are awarded by lottery AFTER each Trolley Tour event. To learn more and apply, visit LiveBaltimore.com/lottery and follow the steps to submit your application.  

Incentive money is distributed at settlement. Please note that your chances of receiving the incentive depend on the number of eligible applicants and vary by event. Also note that one contract equals one entry, meaning two people buying a home together will not be entered into the lottery twice.

To increase chances of receiving an award, Live Baltimore recommends that homebuyers complete homeownership counseling, obtain a mortgage loan pre-qualification, and meet with a real estate agent prior to attending Trolley Tour. 

View the video below for full details of the $5,0000 Buying into Baltimore incentive.

$5,000 Incentive Timeline for Fall 2026 Trolley Tour:

• Oct 3: Trolley Tour Event
• Before placing an offer on a home, earn your Homeownership Counseling Certificate from a City-approved counseling agency
• Between Oct 3 and Oct 21 by 2 pm: Secure a contract on a home
• Oct 5: Lottery application portal opens
• Oct 21 by 2 pm: Applications are due; Verification appointment must be completed
• Oct 23 at 12 pm: Lottery held at facebook.com/livebaltimore
• Must close by: January 21, 2027

If you have any questions or issues during this process, please email lottery@livebaltimore.com or call (410) 637-3750 ext. 118. You can find additional homebuying information and resources here.

$5,000 Incentive Timeline for Fall 2026 Trolley Tour:

• Oct 3: Trolley Tour Event
• Before placing an offer on a home, earn your Homeownership Counseling Certificate from a City-approved counseling agency
• Between Oct 3 and Oct 21 by 2 pm: Secure a contract on a home
• Oct 5: Lottery application portal opens
• Oct 21 by 2 pm: Applications are due; Verification appointment must be completed
• Oct 23 at 12 pm: Lottery held at facebook.com/livebaltimore
• Must close by: January 21, 2027

If you already have an offer on a home, you can still enjoy Trolley Tour. There will be workshops geared towards people very far along in the homebuying process.

Please note that if you already have an offer on a home, you cannot qualify to apply for the $5,000 incentive lottery. To be eligible to apply, your offer must be dated on or after October 3, 2026, the date of the Trolley Tour, and no later than October 21, 2026.

To be eligible to apply, your offer must be dated on or after October 3, 2026, the date of the Trolley Tour, and no later than October 21, 2026, by 2 pm.

You may not enter into a contract of sale on the home you wish to purchase using the $5,000 incentive until the day of the Trolley Tour event. This means, do not make an offer on your target property until after you have attended the Trolley Tour event. There is a 12-business-day time frame from the day of the event in which homebuyers must secure a ratified contract of sale on qualifying properties. A limited number of homebuyers who successfully complete and submit their incentive paperwork will be drawn from a pool of eligible applicants and subsequently receive the incentive.

$5,000 Incentive Timeline for Fall 2026 Trolley Tour:

• Oct 3: Trolley Tour Event
• Before placing an offer on a home, earn your Homeownership Counseling Certificate from a City-approved counseling agency
• Between Oct 3 and Oct 21 by 2 pm: Secure a contract on a home
• Oct 5: Lottery application portal opens
• Oct 21 by 2 pm: Applications are due; Verification appointment must be completed
• Oct 23 at 12 pm: Lottery held at facebook.com/livebaltimore
• Must close by: January 21, 2027

Visit LiveBaltimore.com/lottery for the full details and steps on how to apply for the incentive.

View the video below for full details of the $5,0000 Buying into Baltimore incentive.

Incentive money is distributed at settlement, not at Trolley Tour.

Live Baltimore is not responsible for the distribution of incentive funds. Incentive funds are provided and regulated by Baltimore City’s Department of Housing and Community Development.

Please note that your chances of receiving the incentive depend on the number of eligible applicants and vary by event. Also note that one contract equals one entry; meaning two people buying a home together will not be entered into the lottery twice.

Read more about the incentive here or contact the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development’s Office of Homeownership at (410) 396-1319.