Sell My House in Maryland: What It Really Costs and How to Keep More

What Selling a House in Maryland Actually Costs

Maryland sellers give up 8 to 10 percent of the sale price in total selling costs. Here's where it goes.

Commissions are the biggest piece. A traditional listing runs 5 to 6 percent of the sale price. On a median-priced Maryland home, that's $27,000 to $32,400 alone.

Transfer taxes come next. Maryland charges a state transfer tax of 0.5 percent of the sale price under Tax-Property section 13-203. Here's the quirk: when the buyer is a first-time Maryland home buyer purchasing a principal residence, the state rate drops to 0.25 percent. But the law says that reduced tax "shall be paid entirely by the seller." So a first-time-buyer sale lowers the total tax while shifting the state portion onto your side of the settlement sheet. On top of the state tax, county transfer taxes range from roughly 0.5 to 1.4 percent depending on where the property sits: Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Howard County, or elsewhere.

Then the smaller items: title fees around $1,345, recording fees around $75, and any repair credits you negotiate. One more Maryland-specific catch: if you live out of state when you sell, Maryland withholds a portion of your proceeds at settlement, around 8 percent for individual sellers. You reconcile that when you file your Maryland return.

The Maryland Market Right Now: Prices, Timelines, and Rules

As of May 2026, Maryland's median sale price sits near $539,800, up about 8 percent year over year. Homes are going under contract in a median of 35 days, and sellers are collecting about 99.8 percent of list price. That's a healthy market. Priced-right homes in Baltimore, Frederick, Rockville, Silver Spring, and Annapolis are selling close to asking without long waits.

Timing from contract to settlement depends on the buyer's financing. A financed buyer usually needs 30 to 45 days to close. A buyer paying without a loan can often settle in about three weeks.

Maryland also has paperwork rules that matter. Sellers must give buyers a residential property disclosure or disclaimer statement before the contract is ratified. And don't forget the transfer tax math: Maryland charges a 0.5 percent state transfer tax plus a county transfer tax, and who pays each one is part of the negotiation in a normal sale. Your net depends on the contract terms, not just the sale price. A good local net sheet accounts for all of it before you accept anything.

Sell Your Maryland House: Choose Your Fast Cash Offer or Premium Cash Offer

When you compare selling options, a service charging 5 to 6 percent of your equity can make a substantial difference to your proceeds. Start with what you would actually receive after everything owed is paid.

With Cash Flow Deals, you choose between the Fast Cash Offer and the Premium Cash Offer. With the Fast Cash Offer, we buy your house as-is and close. With the Premium Cash Offer, a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you.

The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens.

We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. With Premium, only what the buyer's lender requires gets fixed, and those costs are settled from the sale proceeds from our share, not your agreed number. With Fast Cash, you sell as-is without making repairs.

On the Premium Cash Offer, you sign with us at an agreed number and give us permission to bring in a buyer in our place. That buyer signs a new contract directly with you. Title passes directly from you to the buyer, and their lender funds the purchase. At closing, anything owed against the house is paid first from the sale proceeds, including your payoff, liens, taxes, fees, closing costs, commissions, and required repairs. You then receive your agreed number, subject to the structural exception described above, and Cash Flow Deals is paid last from what remains, as a separate line item on the closing statement. Those costs come from our share, with nothing out of your pocket.

Your Maryland-specific net sheet accounts for the 0.5 percent state transfer tax, your county's transfer tax, title and recording fees, and whether the 0.25 percent first-time-buyer rate under section 13-203 applies to your sale, since that reduced tax lands entirely on the seller by statute. You can review the numbers before signing and take the written contract to an attorney first.

If you're ready to sell your house in Maryland, reach out to Cash Flow Deals and compare both offers against what a sale with a 6 percent commission would leave you after fees. On a $539,800 median-priced home, compare the actual net sheets to see the difference for yourself.

Start with your address so we can review your house and prepare your Maryland net sheet, including the 0.5 percent state transfer tax, your county's rate, and title and recording fees. Then review the Fast Cash Offer and Premium Cash Offer together and choose what fits your needs. If you are comparing a contract-to-closing estimate of 30 to 45 days, check the written timing for your chosen offer and any lender requirements before planning your move. You help pick the closing date.

If the Premium buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours. You can still choose the Fast Cash Offer at its own number instead of the Premium Cash Offer.