Need to sell your house fast in Maryland
Competitive cash offers: There’s no need to sort through dozens of We Buy Houses Maryland websites. Our team of experts understands the local market, and we work with one of the largest cash buyer networks in the nation to ensure you get the best offer possible through HomeLight’s Simple Sale Maryland platform.
No repairs or roadblocks: We specialize in helping Maryland sellers move quickly, even if a house needs repairs or you’re going through a difficult situation such as divorce, death in the family, or financial troubles.
Simple and fast: Get the cash you need to move on to your next chapter without the stress of showings, negotiations, or waiting months to close.
Sell My House Fast in Maryland
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How to Sell My House Fast in Maryland: Cash Offer Options
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- 14 min read
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Hayley Abernathy, Contributing AuthorCloseHayley Abernathy Contributing Author
Hayley M. Abernathy is a freelance writer and editor based in Knoxville, Tennessee, covering lifestyle and real estate topics.
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Richard Haddad, Executive EditorCloseRichard Haddad Executive Editor
Richard Haddad is the executive editor of HomeLight.com. He works with an experienced content team that oversees the company’s blog featuring in-depth articles about the home buying and selling process, homeownership news, home care and design tips, and related real estate trends. Previously, he served as an editor and content producer for World Company, Gannett, and Western News & Info, where he also served as news director and director of internet operations.
Are you a homeowner in Maryland looking to sell your house fast? Whether you’re facing a sudden life change or a planned move, navigating the real estate market in the Old Line State can feel daunting, especially when time is of the essence.
In this guide, we’ll explore ways to fast-track your Maryland home sale — from cash offers to hiring the best real estate agents. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of working with a house-buying company and what you can expect if you go with an agent instead. We’ll also share expert tips used by top Maryland real estate agents to sell a house fast and for more proceeds.
Option 1: Sell your Maryland house fast for cash
Selling your Maryland house to a cash buyer allows you to cut through the traditional real estate process, such as inspections and repairs, home prep and staging, and can significantly accelerate your home sale.
HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform connects you to the largest network of cash buyers in the U.S., including trusted buyers in Maryland. We use the information you provide about your home plus local neighborhood data to get you a convenient no-obligation cash offer in 24 hours. If you accept the offer, you can close in as few as 10 days.
Here are the three basic steps in the Simple Sale process:
HomeLight was founded in 2012 and is BBB accredited with an A+ rating. The company has 4.8 stars on Google based on hundreds of user reviews.
Who else will buy your Maryland house for cash?
You can also find other cash buyers in Maryland, such as house flippers, iBuyers, and investors, who will buy a house for cash. Here are examples of these businesses, the types of homes they look to purchase, and their process.
- House flippers: House flippers buy homes with good bones in dire need of repair to remodel and resell as turnkey for a maximum profit. Flippers typically make offers well below market value to account for the cost of needed repairs.
- iBuyers: iBuyers use a proprietary algorithm that compares many data sets, including price history, lot acreage, a home’s square footage, tax valuation history, and other data points to determine the home’s automated valuation model (AVM). While historically offering more than flippers, iBuyers typically charge sellers a fee between 5% to 6%.
- Buy-and-hold investors: Buy-and-hold investors buy houses as long-term investments, often converting properties into rental units to build equity.
- Franchising/homebuying companies: These investors will buy your house “as-is” for cash, and renovate and sell them as turnkey homes for a significant profit. Like flippers, these investors offer sellers below market value.
Cash house buyers in Maryland
Maryland house-buying companies, also known as We Buy Houses companies, typically buy houses in need of repairs. Most of these companies will conduct a walkthrough within 48-72 hours, pay cash, and strive to close the sale in around seven to 10 days. In more urgent cases, some Maryland cash buyers can close in as little as three days.
Here are examples of some of the top house-buying companies in Maryland.
Company name | Contact | About | Closing costs* |
We Buy Houses In WDVM | webuyhousesinwdvm.com
240-693-3560 |
Serves WV, DC, VA, and MD, and provides a “Beat Any Offer” guarantee | None |
Simple Sale (a HomeLight platform) | homelight.com/simple
844-488-8455 |
Connects you to the largest network of cash buyers in the U.S., including trusted buyers throughout Maryland | None |
The House Guys | thehouseguysdc.com
571-207-5171 |
Highly-reviewed regional company serving DC, VA, and MD | None |
HomeVestors / We Buy Ugly Houses® | webuyuglyhouses.com/maryland
866-288-9505 |
Largest professional house-buying franchise in the U.S — available in the Baltimore area | None |
We Buy Houses | weBuyHouses.com/MD
877-932-8946 |
Provides unified branding, marketing materials, and systems to professional investors nationwide | None |
*Service plans can change. Check the company’s website for current fees and costs.
Pros and cons of selling your Maryland house for cash
The experience of selling a house for cash in Maryland can vary from company to company. However, most owners encounter these benefits and drawbacks when selling their homes to companies for cash.
Pros
- Fast closing: A cash sale in Maryland is significantly faster than a traditional mortgage-backed home purchase, often allowing you to close in as few as three to 10 days.
- No repairs needed: You can sell your Maryland home as-is, in most cases, with no repairs or renovations.
- No fees or commissions: Many cash buyers will cover your Maryland closing costs and fees.
- No showings or open houses: You won’t have to stage the home for listing photos or prepare the property for showings or open houses.
- No obligation until you commit: After you receive a no-obligation offer, you can compare it to other offers. You can even consult a Maryland Realtor for comparisons.
- Step away from a problem: With a fast cash sale, you can often avoid dealing with problem tenants or potential foreclosure.
- No contingencies: Cash buyers can waive contingencies that can make negotiations difficult, namely the financing contingency and appraisal contingency.
- No negotiating: You won’t have to deal with multiple buyers or the pressure of back-and-forth negotiating on price, credits, or repairs.
- Move on with life: If you inherited a Maryland home, are facing divorce, dealing with a death, or having financial challenges, a cash sale can help you move on from the home and possibly resolve some issues faster.
Cons
- Lower sale price: Cash sales typically result in a lower selling price than a traditional sale with the help of a qualified real estate agent.
- Repairs cost may be deducted: If the home does need major repairs, the cost of those may be deducted from the offer, depending on the cash buyer.
- May be harder to find a buyer: Depending on the condition or location of your Maryland home, you may have limited cash buyer options, especially if you have a unique property that will be harder for investors to flip.
- You’ll need to vet companies: It’s important to do research on “we buy houses for cash” companies in Maryland to make sure they are legitimate and reputable.
- Transparency may be limited: Some cash buyers won’t share their home evaluation process or how they calculated their offer, which is sometimes reduced last minute.
- Hidden fees: As you vet cash buyers, watch for hidden or unexpected fees. Read your purchase contract carefully before signing.
Option 2: Hire a top Maryland real estate agent
Working with a top agent in Maryland can be a good option for sellers who would like to sell faster than average but who have some time to devote to a traditional sale vs. an instant cash offer. Top agents who know the local area can add value in the following ways:
- Offer expertise in pricing so your home sells fast
- Prioritize repairs and upgrades that increase home value
- Provide staging tips to make your home appeal to more buyers
- Apply various marketing techniques to bring in a larger pool of buyers
- Use local expertise for skillful negotiation
HomeLight data shows that top Maryland agents sell homes faster than most agents, and the top 5% of agents sell homes for up to 10% more than average agents. Working with a top agent can lead to a speedy sale for top dollar to help you move past a divorce, sell a loved one’s estate, or get out of debt.
How fast are homes selling in Maryland?
Local market conditions can determine how quickly or slowly your house sells in Maryland. Statewide, the median days on market (DOM) — the time from listing to a signed contract — typically spans between 7 to 20 days, depending on the home’s location, condition, and list price.
In recent months, Southern Maryland’s housing market has shown some promising trends, despite an overall decline in activity. Fewer homes are going under contract or selling — down 8.5% year over year — but sales prices are beginning to see positive gains across the region.
James Weiskerger is a top-performing real estate agent in the Baltimore area who sells homes nearly 39% faster than the average Baltimore agent. He says that until very recently, the Maryland market was still very competitive, similar to the pandemic-era seller’s market. But things have cooled off a bit.
“Nevertheless, homes are still moving fairly quickly in his area,” he says, depending on how updated the property is. “So maybe a really nice home sells in seven days versus three days [a year ago], and maybe the home receives two offers versus seven offers.”
What about homes that need some work or aren’t as updated? “Those are now starting to sit on the market for maybe like ten, fourteen, twenty days,” Weiskerger says — whereas a year ago, even those homes may have been under contract within five days of listing, he reflects.
Maryland real estate conditions and trends
Here is a snapshot of current real estate conditions in Maryland:
As of April 2024 | |
Days on market (median time from list to contract) | 8 days* |
Median home sale price | $415,000 |
New listings | 7,470 |
Supply of inventory | 1.6 months |
Number of closed home sales year over year | +2.4% |
*Does not include the typical 43 days a buyer needs to close on a purchase loan. Data source(s): HomeLight and MDRealtor.org
How to find a top Maryland real estate agent
Finding the ideal real estate agent in Maryland can play a critical role in a fast and smooth home sale. HomeLight’s Agent Match platform is here to assist. By analyzing over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews, we can pair you with top-rated agents well-versed in Maryland’s shifting market dynamics. Whether you’re buying or selling, HomeLight’s goal is to connect you with the best real estate professional for your specific needs.
9 strategies to sell a house fast in Maryland
Top-performing Maryland agents like Weiskerger have an arsenal of successful strategies that attract buyers and make homes sell faster.
Let’s look at some of the best strategies for selling your home quickly — many of which will also help maximize your profit at the same time.
1. Set your price competitively for your local Maryland market
An experienced top agent will perform a comparative market analysis (CMA) to help you set the best price to sell a house fast in your area. While the exact “right” listing price is a subjective target, Weiskerger says, a knowledgeable agent will be able to use comps (nearby comparable homes) from the CMA to set a price that encourages buyers to view and bid on the home.
“There are two different strategies,” he explains. “One is pricing on the high side of the range, which you can do depending on how nice the house is. But another strategy that we like to use is pricing a little more aggressively.”
Weiskerger provides this scenario to illustrate: “Let’s say, for example, we think a house is worth around $525,000. Sometimes pricing that at $499,000 and getting seven, ten, or twelve offers is the better strategy. Because once you get seven or ten or twelve offers, then you can shape things like a home inspection or appraisals or other variables or conditions that are really important, such as a rent back or timeframe.”
In addition, Weiskerger explains, that the more offers you receive, the more likely that is to drive up the eventual sales price.
If you’re curious about your home’s current value, try HomeLight’s Home Value Estimator. While it shouldn’t dictate your final pricing strategy, an online home value estimate can give you a ballpark price range. You can get a preliminary estimate in less than two minutes.
2. Focus on the first impression — aka curb appeal
Weiskerger advises, “The recipe for selling — no matter what market it is — is the house has to show really well.” Potential buyers may never even enter your home for a showing if the outside conveys a big “no.”
In fact, he says, “Most of the time, the exterior condition reflects the interior condition. So, the last thing you want to do is have (the buyer) have any kind of hesitation or doubt or issue before we even get into the house.”
Some simple yet very effective steps to boost your home’s curb appeal could include:
- Mulch the flower beds
- Trim along walkways
- Apply fresh paint to the front door and shutters
Other steps which may take more time but can draw buyers in and give a great return on your investment include:
- Pressure wash your home’s exterior
- Refresh or redo the exterior paint job
- Add more plants and flowers for a landscaping refresh
If you have a brick house in particular, Weiskerger says, “Painting the brick white and painting the window frames black — it’s kind of like a modern farmhouse look — is always really appealing here in the Maryland area.”
3. Declutter
“A lot of times sellers have so much stuff in their house,” observes Weiskerger. Homeowners who have lived in their homes for many years can likely relate. But to help your house show really well, decluttering is crucial. Buyers need to be able to imagine their own belongings in a house, rather than viewing too many of yours — plus, decluttering makes spaces feel larger and more inviting.
To help his clients prep, Weiskerger says, “A lot of times, we’ll have them actually move out altogether and have (the home) staged.”
To declutter, you can also:
- Remove personal photographs from the walls
- Reduce the number of furniture pieces, especially in smaller rooms
- Rent a storage unit to temporarily store some furniture, clothing, personal items, and other things you can live without for a while
Before listing, an experienced agent should be able to walk through your home and give advice on where to focus your efforts and how much decluttering to do.
4. Mimic Maryland’s new-construction design trends
When deciding how to stage a home to match the latest trends, “We can get a lot of inspiration from new construction communities,” says Weiskerger. “Builders put together a lot of market data to determine what they choose to do with certain selections, and so a lot of times we will piggyback off what the big builders are using.”
Examples of on-trend designs from new construction Weiskerger says you might incorporate during staging include:
- Pops of color throughout the house
- Colorful accent walls
- Shiplap accents
- Updated light fixtures
- Contemporary kitchen hardware
Attention to detail and what’s on-trend in your area can set your home apart and give it a freshly-updated edge over the competition.
5. Prioritize professional photos
Much like curb appeal, high-quality photos go a long way to bring potential buyers through your home’s door.
When deciding on a listing agent, ask what kind of photography services are offered. Large brokerages may have an in-house photographer or media team, or even offer drone photography and virtual tours. However, if your agent or brokerage doesn’t already include these services, consider procuring a professional photographer yourself to achieve impressive listing photos.
“I encourage everyone locally here in Maryland, or in other areas, to always make sure that the photographer that you use is professional, and you can see some examples of their work,” Weiskerger advises.
6. Make the most of your home’s layout and square footage
Take steps to accentuate and advertise desirable aspects of your home’s layout so potential buyers immediately see the value they would get. Highlighting additional square footage and storage space can also be a selling point, as one of the top reasons people shop for a new home is for more space.
What features are popular in Maryland?
For example, “Maryland is pretty family-centric,” says Weiskerger, “so I think that the kitchen overlooking the family room — that kind of set-up — is really, really desirable.”
Other features to emphasize which Maryland buyers — depending on location and demographic — might find desirable include:
- A room or nook that could be used as a home office for remote work
- A finished basement
- A Jack-and-Jill bathroom between secondary bedrooms
Make sure that both your listing description and photos effectively highlight these features.
Maximize your space
Space is at a premium in Maryland, which Forbes ranked 11th among states with the highest average home prices in the country. So, regardless of your home’s specific layout and square footage, do everything you can to give it a spacious feel.
In addition to the decluttering discussed above, to make spaces look bigger, you can:
- Remove excess or bulky furniture
- Use reflective surfaces
- Repaint dark walls in lighter colors
- Hire a professional staging company to prep the home
For more on how to maximize space through staging, check out our tips for staging a small house to sell as well as tricks for staging a condo to make it seem bigger.
7. Showcase your outdoor area
Maryland home shoppers also love the idea of usable outdoor space. Extending your living space outdoors can be extremely appealing to buyers and is yet another way to maximize space.
Consider how you might transform your outdoor area into an attractive oasis. This might include adding a full furniture set, smoker, and television to watch the Washington Commanders play on a Sunday afternoon.
8. Focus on the right repairs
When you want to sell fast, it can seem daunting to decide which repairs or changes to make to your home before listing. Again, a top agent will have great advice about where to focus your efforts.
Weiskerger mentions several common improvements he suggests Maryland sellers make before listing:
- Paint kitchen cabinets
- Replace outdated countertops
- Refinish scuffed wood floors
- Repaint walls
- Remove old appliances
These relatively minor updates to your home can make it seem like a turnkey option for buyers — which may translate to a faster sale for you.
9. Advertise your neighborhood’s walkability
Walkability is important for some Maryland home shoppers. Within Baltimore city limits, for example, Weiskerger says that younger buyers, in particular, value the ability to walk instead of drive. On the other hand, neighborhoods in Baltimore County are less likely to be walkable, and buyers there may not prize that quality.
If you live in a walkable area in any part of Maryland, be sure to highlight the proximity of parks, coffee shops, and local restaurants in the neighborhood. For certain buyers, this may be a key selling point.
Ready to sell your Maryland home?
As you can see, a top real estate agent in Maryland can help you navigate the many nuances that you might not otherwise discover until you’re swamped in the process. Their organizational efficiencies and marketing expertise can help you sell your Maryland house fast.
If you need an even faster sale, HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform provides cash offers for homes in almost any condition in Maryland. If you don’t have the time or the means to prepare your home or move through the traditional listing process, you can skip the repairs and showings and close in as few as 10 days.
Writer Stacy Sare Cohen contributed to this story.
Header Image Source: (Praswin Prakashan / Unsplash)
- "2024 Local Market Data," Southern Maryland Association of Realtors® (June 2024)
- "Southern Maryland Housing Market’s Sees Decline In Activity And Inventory," TheBayNet.com, Southern Maryland Association of Realtors (May 2024)
- "32 Shiplap Accent Wall Ideas For Your Home," The Spruce, Sarah Lyon (December 2023)
- "75% of Americans who moved last year have regrets—here's the No. 1 reason why," CNBC, Mike Winters (March 2023)
- "15 States With The Highest Average Home Prices," Forbes, Deane Biermeier & Samantha Allen (May 2024)