Selling a house in Maryland: local answers.

Maryland charges a 0.5% state transfer tax plus county-level transfer and recordation taxes that vary widely by county. Baltimore City's combined rate runs around 3% of the price, Baltimore County is closer to 1%, and counties like Montgomery, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, and Howard fall in between. Always verify current county rates with your title company.

Transfer and recordation taxes are often split 50/50 between buyer and seller by local custom in most Maryland counties, though Prince George's County sellers typically pay the full amount by local custom. Beyond taxes, who pays which closing costs is negotiable in the contract.

A financed retail sale commonly takes 30-45 days to close once under contract, plus however long it takes to find a buyer. An as-is cash sale can often close in 1-3 weeks, or on a date the seller picks, since there's no mortgage financing contingency involved.

The Register of Wills for the county where the deceased lived opens the estate and issues Letters of Administration to the personal representative. That person generally needs those Letters before signing a valid sale contract for the estate. Small estates may qualify for a simplified procedure.

Lenders must send a Notice of Intent to Foreclose before filing suit, and owner-occupants have the right to request foreclosure mediation with the lender's representative through the Office of Administrative Hearings. This mediation option is one of the strongest homeowner protections in the region and is worth using if you want to try to keep the house.

Landlords must go through District Court — typically a 'failure to pay rent' or 'tenant holding over' action — and self-help eviction (changing locks, removing belongings, shutting off utilities) is illegal. This matters directly when selling an occupied rental, since a buyer generally takes the property subject to the existing lease.

Yes. Maryland has its own Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing Act for rental properties built before 1978, and federal law separately requires lead-based paint disclosure for sales of pre-1978 housing, including an EPA pamphlet provided to buyers.

Maryland requires sellers to complete a Residential Property Disclosure and Disclaimer Statement at contract signing, choosing either to disclose known conditions or to sell 'as is' under a disclaimer. Even under the as-is disclaimer option, sellers must still disclose known latent defects they're aware of — the disclaimer doesn't excuse active concealment.

Most cash buyers start from the estimated after-repair value, then subtract repair costs, holding costs, closing costs, and their margin. Ask for that math in writing so you can compare it against what a retail listing would likely net after commissions and repairs.

Watch for unregistered wholesalers who won't disclose their role in writing (Maryland requires specific wholesale transaction disclosures), foreclosure 'rescue' companies charging upfront fees to 'save your house,' and pressure to sign within hours. A legitimate buyer explains their role and never charges you to get an offer.

Counties and Baltimore City hold annual tax sales where the county sells the tax lien (not usually the deed outright) if property taxes go unpaid. Baltimore City's tax sale has historically been held in May; other counties run their own schedules. You generally keep a redemption period to pay off the lien plus interest and costs and keep the house.

Yes. Maryland's Homeowners Association Act and Condominium Act both allow associations to place liens for unpaid assessments, and in some cases those liens can lead to a foreclosure-style action if left unresolved. The lien is paid off at closing from sale proceeds if you sell.

Baltimore's Department of Public Works can certify a delinquent water and sewer balance as a lien against the property itself, meaning it can follow the house rather than just the account holder. It's resolved at closing the same way a mortgage payoff is, out of sale proceeds.

Maryland requires withholding on the net gain from a sale by a nonresident individual or entity at closing, similar to an estimated tax payment, with the amount reconciled on the seller's tax return. Nonresident sellers should ask their title company about the specific withholding form and rate that applies.