How to sell your house
in Maryland: everything
you need to know.

Your three selling options in Maryland

Every Maryland homeowner considering a sale has three realistic paths. Which one is right for you depends on your timeline, the property’s condition, and how much of the process you want to manage yourself.

How to choose the right option

The honest answer is that no single option is right for everyone. A move-in ready home in a hot Baltimore County neighborhood may net significantly more through a traditional listing. A property with $40,000 in deferred maintenance, an estate that needs to close quickly, or a situation involving foreclosure often comes out ahead — or at least even — with a direct cash sale when you account for all costs.

The rest of this guide will give you the information you need to run the math for your specific situation.

What it actually costs to sell a house in Maryland

Most sellers focus on the list price and forget to subtract the costs that come out of their proceeds at closing. Here’s a complete breakdown of what selling in Maryland typically costs through each method.

Traditional agent sale — estimated costs

Cost Item	Typical Amount	Notes
Real estate commission	5–6% of sale price	Split between buyer’s and seller’s agent
Maryland transfer tax	0.5% of sale price	Seller typically pays half (0.25%)
County recordation tax	Varies by county	Baltimore City: $10/$1,000 · Anne Arundel: $7/$1,000
Title insurance & settlement	$1,500–$3,500	Varies by sale price and title company
Pre-sale repairs	$0–$30,000+	Highly variable; often required to attract MLS buyers
Staging costs	$1,500–$5,000	Optional but common in competitive markets
Holding costs (90 days)	$3,000–$8,000	Mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities during listing period
Buyer concessions	1–3% of sale price	Common in negotiations; reduces net proceeds
Total estimated cost on $300K home	$28,000–$52,000	Before mortgage payoff

Cash sale — estimated costs

When you sell directly to a cash buyer like Impact Home Team, the cost structure is dramatically simpler:

• No agent commissions — $0
• No closing costs charged to seller — $0
• No pre-sale repairs — $0
• No staging — $0
• Minimal holding costs (closes in 7–21 days)
• Maryland transfer tax — shared or covered by buyer

The tradeoff is that a cash offer will typically be below the full retail market value — the buyer accounts for repairs, carrying costs, and profit margin in their offer. Whether the net proceeds are comparable depends entirely on your property’s condition, your timeline, and the current market.

How long does selling a house in Maryland take?

Timeline varies significantly by selling method. Here’s what to realistically expect for each path in the current Maryland market.

Traditional MLS listing

Cash sale to a direct buyer

Maryland seller disclosure requirements

Maryland law requires sellers to disclose known material defects about the property to buyers. This applies to all sale methods — whether you list with an agent, sell FSBO, or sell to a cash buyer.

The Maryland Residential Property Disclosure/Disclaimer Statement

This is the primary disclosure document. Every Maryland seller must provide it to buyers before a contract is signed. You have two options:

• Disclosure Statement — you disclose all known defects, condition of systems, and material facts about the property. More transparency, but protects you from future liability if issues were unknown to you.
• Disclaimer Statement — you sell the property “as-is” and disclaim any representations about condition. Buyers must conduct their own due diligence. Common in estate sales and distressed properties.

What must be disclosed

Under Maryland law, known material defects must be disclosed regardless of which statement you use. This includes:

• Structural defects (foundation issues, roof condition)
• Water intrusion or drainage problems
• Presence of lead-based paint (homes built before 1978)
• Presence of radon above EPA action levels
• Known mold issues
• Septic system condition (for properties not on public sewer)
• Underground oil storage tanks
• Ground rent obligations (common in Baltimore City)
• HOA fees and restrictions

Ground rent — a Maryland-specific issue

Ground rent is a unique feature of many Baltimore City and Baltimore County properties, particularly older rowhouses. If your property sits on ground rent, you lease the land rather than owning it outright — and the buyer must be informed of the ground rent obligation before purchase. Many sellers are unaware their property has ground rent until the title search reveals it. Check your deed or contact a Maryland title company if you’re unsure.

Lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 homes)

Federal law requires sellers of homes built before 1978 to disclose any known lead-based paint hazards and provide buyers with an EPA-approved information pamphlet. In Maryland — where a large percentage of the housing stock in Baltimore and surrounding areas predates 1978 — this is extremely common. Cash buyers like Impact Home Team are familiar with lead paint disclosure requirements and handle this as a routine part of every transaction.

When a cash sale makes more sense than listing

A cash offer is not always the right choice — but there are specific situations where it consistently outperforms a traditional listing even when the offer price is lower. Here’s how to think about it honestly.

Run the net proceeds comparison

The only number that matters is what you actually receive at the end of the transaction. To compare a cash offer against listing, you need to subtract all costs from both options:

Scenario	Cash Offer	Traditional Listing
Gross sale / offer price	$215,000	$260,000 (best case)
Agent commissions (6%)	$0	−$15,600
Closing costs	$0	−$5,200
Repairs before listing	$0	−$12,000
Holding costs (90 days)	$0	−$5,400
Buyer concessions	$0	−$4,000
Net to seller	$215,000	~$217,800

In this example, the traditional listing’s $45,000 higher gross price produces only $2,800 more in net proceeds — and that’s assuming the listing goes smoothly, the first buyer doesn’t fall through, and repairs come in as estimated. Add the 90 days of stress and uncertainty, and many sellers find the cash route is a better trade.

Situations where cash clearly wins

• Property needs significant repairs — every dollar of deferred maintenance reduces the listing price AND requires upfront investment before selling
• Foreclosure or pre-foreclosure — speed is essential; a 90-day listing process isn’t an option
• Estate and probate sales — complexity, emotional weight, and legal timelines make simplicity worth a premium
• Out-of-state heirs — managing a Maryland property listing remotely is expensive and stressful
• Tenants in the property — listing a tenant-occupied property is difficult; cash buyers take it with tenants in place
• Divorce — when both parties need a clean break quickly, a certain cash sale is often preferable to a drawn-out listing
• Tax liens or back taxes — resolved at closing from proceeds; no upfront payment required

Situations where listing may be better

• Property is move-in ready with no deferred maintenance
• You have 3–6 months and can absorb holding costs comfortably
• You’re in a high-demand neighborhood where multiple offers are likely
• Maximizing the gross sale price is more important than certainty or timeline

Selling an inherited property in Maryland

Inherited properties come with a unique set of challenges that standard home-selling advice doesn’t address. Here’s what you actually need to know.

Can you sell before probate is complete?

It depends on how the property was titled. In Maryland, several scenarios allow property transfer without full probate:

• Joint tenancy with right of survivorship — the surviving owner inherits automatically; no probate required
• Living trust — the successor trustee can sell without probate
• Small Estate — estates with probate assets under $50,000 may qualify for Maryland’s simplified process
• Standard probate — for most estates, probate must open at the Register of Wills before property can be sold

The Personal Representative’s authority

Once Letters of Administration are issued by the Register of Wills, the Personal Representative has legal authority to sell real property on behalf of the estate. The PR signs the sales contract and closing documents in their capacity as PR — not as an individual. If court approval is required for the sale (common in certain estate situations), your estate attorney will handle this as part of the process.

Multiple heirs — what happens

When multiple heirs share ownership, all must agree to the sale. If heirs are in disagreement, the PR or a co-owner can petition the court for a partition sale. In practice, most estate sales involving multiple heirs are resolved through family agreement — which takes time but is usually achievable when each party understands their options clearly.

Selling your home in Maryland foreclosure

Maryland is a judicial foreclosure state, which means foreclosure proceeds through the court system — giving homeowners more time and more options than non-judicial states. Here’s what that means for sellers.

Maryland’s foreclosure timeline

Your options before the auction

As long as the property has not been sold at auction, you have the right to sell it. A sale — even a cash sale at below market value — may allow you to:

• Pay off the mortgage in full and avoid foreclosure on your credit record
• Potentially receive cash proceeds if the sale price exceeds what’s owed
• Avoid the significant credit damage of a completed foreclosure (typically 7 years)
• Maintain more control over your situation than waiting for the auction

Selling a home that needs significant repairs

One of the most common situations we see at Impact Home Team: a Maryland homeowner who needs to sell a property that has significant deferred maintenance, damage, or outdated systems. Here’s how to think through the options.

The repair investment question

The standard advice is “fix it up and get more money.” That’s sometimes true — but only when the repair cost is meaningfully less than the resulting increase in sale price. The reality in many Baltimore-area markets:

• A $20,000 kitchen renovation may add $15,000 in sale price — a net loss
• Foundation repairs costing $25,000 typically add less than that to list price
• Buyers using FHA or VA financing can’t purchase properties with certain defects — limiting your buyer pool significantly if you list as-is
• Major issues discovered during a buyer’s inspection commonly lead to renegotiation or contract cancellation

When to sell as-is vs. repair first

Selling as-is to a cash buyer tends to outperform repairing-then-listing when:

• Repairs would cost more than $15,000–$20,000
• You don’t have capital to fund repairs upfront
• The property has structural issues (foundation, roof, water damage)
• The timeline doesn’t allow for a multi-month renovation
• The property is in a neighborhood where the repair investment won’t be recouped

Repairing first tends to make sense when cosmetic issues (paint, carpet, outdated fixtures) can be addressed for under $10,000 and the market in your specific neighborhood rewards move-in ready homes with a meaningful premium.

Maryland housing market snapshot — 2026

Understanding the current Maryland market helps you set realistic expectations regardless of which selling path you choose.

Key figures

• Median home price: ~$437,500–$448,500 statewide (varies significantly by county)
• Average days on market: 17 days (Baltimore metro, late 2025 data)
• Months of inventory: ~2.7 months — still a seller’s market, but loosening from pandemic lows
• Cash sales percentage: approximately 28% of Maryland home sales are cash transactions
• Price drops: 23.2% of homes experienced price reductions in early 2025 — overpricing remains a significant risk

County-level variation

Maryland’s market is highly fragmented. Montgomery and Howard counties (DC suburbs) operate very differently from Baltimore City rowhome markets or Eastern Shore communities. A home priced correctly in Bethesda may receive multiple offers in days; the same approach in Cumberland or Salisbury may sit for months. Always evaluate your specific submarket before assuming statewide trends apply to your property.

What this means for sellers

In a market with 17-day average DOM and rising prices, well-prepared homes in strong neighborhoods can still command premium prices through traditional listings. But the 23% price reduction rate signals that overpricing is common — and overpriced homes accumulate “days on market” stigma that leads to lower ultimate sale prices than if they had been priced correctly from the start.

For distressed properties, estate sales, or situations requiring speed, the cash sale market in Maryland is active and competitive — demand from investors and cash buyers remains strong in most counties.