Howard County, MD — Arinze Ifekauche, candidate for Howard County Council District 2, today announced his First Time Downsizer Program (FTDP)— a targeted, market-based plan that offers a $20,000 local property-tax credit to longtime residents who sell their larger home and purchase a new or newly renovated, smaller, aging-ready primary residence in Howard County. 

The release of FTDP comes amid mounting affordability pressures. According to the State Comptroller, Maryland is losing residents (-164,000) and revenue (-$2.7B) because of high costs.

“Too many longtime residents want to stay in the community they built, but the math just doesn’t work,” said Arinze Ifekauche, candidate for Howard County Council District 2. “Our First Time Downsizer Program gives seniors a practical off-ramp—cutting monthly costs, keeping equity in their pockets— without raising taxes. It’s a common-sense fix that helps families, strengthens neighborhoods, and grows our local economy.”

How FTDP Works

• Incentive: A $20,000 local property-tax credit applied to the buyer’s new primary residence (in-county) that meets FTDP standards (smaller square footage and aging-ready).

• Who Qualifies:

  • Primary residence in one Howard County home for 18+ consecutive years

  • Must downsize by square footage

  • Homes at or above $1 million (purchased or sold) are ineligible

  • New home must be under contract within 12 months of selling the former home

  • Former home must be sold to a first-time homebuyer (to prevent bulk investor purchases and keep family neighborhoods intact).

• Purchase Window: January 1 – June 30 each program year to concentrate market activity, boost Q4 renovation work, and increase Q1 and Q2 inventory for both seniors and first-time buyers ahead of the busy summer homebuying season

• Program Guardrails: Participation is hard-capped each year to limit county exposure; any unused credit reverts to the county if the participant ceases to occupy the downsized home as a primary residence.

Real Savings for Seniors

A typical Howard County homeowner selling a mortgage-free $550,000 home and purchasing a $400,000 aging-ready home would see property taxes of about $5,448/year. With the $20,000 FTDP credit, the effective monthly housing cost drops to roughly $106 for more than four years—an ~79% reduction in monthly expense in comparison to the previous property—while the seller retains over $100,000 in equity. For a 75-year-old on a fixed income, that is a meaningful upgrade in daily quality of life.

Fixing our Broken Housing Market

FTDP is not an entitlement—it’s a targeted credit that pays for itself by unlocking stalled value in our housing market. When more longtime homes sell at market value:

• The county collects full, uncapped assessments from new owners in year one;

• Transfer and recordation taxes are paid at sale;

• Renovation, permitting, and local spending increase, supporting small businesses and good jobs.

A modest 10% lift in annual home sales (about 344 additional sales) would generate millions in one-time transaction revenues and broader economic activity—more than offsetting the capped credit for each yearly cohort. And because FTDP is voluntary, time-limited, and capped, the county can right-size participation to fit budget realities.

Read the Plan

Arinze (ah-wren-zay) Ifekauche (if-uh-koo-chey) is a 39-year-old political strategist who has spent nearly two decades working in public policy and grassroots organizing on Capitol Hill, as well as State and Local government. Now, as a policy and communications staffer at the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention & Policy, Arinze works to keep our neighborhoods—and children—safe.