Streetcar-era bungalows near the DC line, Levitt homes in Bowie, and new subdivisions south and east of the Beltway. We know where each era of PG County housing tends to fail.
Prince George's County is where a lot of DMV buyers find their first home, and its housing rewards a careful inspection. The inner-Beltway towns along Route 1 and the old streetcar lines are full of pre-war houses; the 1960s brought Levitt & Sons' Belair at Bowie and thousands of brick ramblers and garden apartments; and today the county grows through large new subdivisions south and east of the Beltway. Investor flips show up at every price point, so we look past fresh paint to the systems underneath. Our own inspections here split two ways: 1950s–1970s homes on one side, 2000s-and-newer construction on the other.
Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Riverdale Park, Brentwood and Cheverly have early-1900s bungalows, foursquares and Colonials. Greenbelt began as a New Deal planned town in the 1930s, and its original rowhouses are now a housing cooperative. Post-war brick ramblers, Cape Cods and garden apartments fill District Heights, Suitland, Temple Hills and Oxon Hill. Much of modern Bowie started with Levitt & Sons' Belair in the 1960s, followed by 1970s–1990s colonials, split-foyers and townhouses in Largo, Mitchellville, Fort Washington and Upper Marlboro.
WSSC Water provides water and sewer to most of the developed county, and the City of Bowie runs its own water and sewer system for several older Bowie neighborhoods. The county’s rural tier is not planned for public sewer, so homes there generally have a private well and septic system — ask early, and budget for a water test and a septic evaluation.
Prince George’s County is EPA Zone 2, meaning a moderate predicted average. Averages hide a lot of variation: two homes on the same street can test very differently, especially split-foyers and homes with finished basements. The only way to know is a 48-hour test.
Zone 2 = moderate potential (predicted average 2–4 pCi/L). Source: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Westphalia, the large master-planned town center near Upper Marlboro, is still adding single-family homes and townhouses, and new subdivisions keep going up around Bowie, Brandywine and Clinton. New homes here are worth a pre-drywall inspection, a final walkthrough inspection and an 11-month inspection before the builder warranty ends.
New kitchens and floors can hide old wiring, undersized panels, unpermitted basement bathrooms and patched roof leaks. We check the systems a quick rehab tends to skip and point out work that looks unpermitted so you can ask the seller for records.
Garden-style condos and co-ops from the mid-1900s, in places like Greenbelt, Hyattsville and Oxon Hill, often have original electrical, aging shared plumbing stacks and little insulation. We focus on what is inside your unit and flag anything that points to a building-wide problem.
43% of the homes we’ve inspected here were built in 2000 or later, so builder defects matter — and so do new-construction and 11-month warranty inspections. New construction & 11-month warranty inspections →
Median year built: 1987
Based on 30 homes with a year built on record.
Completed inspections from our records, through October 2026. We never publish addresses.
“Lewis was professional, thorough and took the time to explain everything clearly through the inspection process. We truly appreciated his honesty and knowledge. Would highly recommended.”
Largo, Mitchellville, College Park, Hyattsville, Greenbelt, Laurel, Beltsville, Riverdale Park, Cheverly, New Carrollton, Glenarden, Clinton, Fort Washington, Oxon Hill, District Heights, Brandywine, Accokeek, and the rest of Prince George's County.
| Property Size | Polaris Price |
|---|---|
| Condos & homes up to 1,500 sq ft | $395 |
| 1,500–3,000 sq ft | $459 |
| 3,000–5,000 sq ft | $579 |
| 5,000–7,500 sq ft | $699 |
| 7,500–10,000 sq ft | $849 |
Yes — renovated homes are where we find some of the most expensive surprises. A flip can look perfect and still have an old panel, an aging roof under new gutters, or a basement bathroom installed without venting or permits. We check what the renovation touched and what it didn’t.
For homes built before about 1980 — especially with mature trees out front — a sewer scope is one of the best add-ons you can buy. Roots, cracks and sags in older laterals are common, and the camera shows you the whole line.
Yes. We do pre-drywall inspections, final-walkthrough inspections before closing, and 11-month inspections before the builder warranty expires — the three points where builder defects are cheapest to get fixed.
That is common in the county’s rural tier, which is not planned for public sewer. Add a lab water test for the well (lenders often ask for one) and a septic evaluation; our Rural bundle combines them with radon at a discount.
If the home has a basement or ground-level living space, yes. Radon varies from house to house, and a 48-hour test during your inspection period gives you a result before your contingency deadline.
Most Polaris inspections book within 2–3 business days.
