Maryland paperwork, demystified

The contract side of a Maryland home sale is very manageable — it's just unforgiving of guesswork. Here's the map: what you'll sign, the one disclosure choice every Maryland seller must make, and who actually runs your closing.

This is general information about common Maryland practice, not legal advice — for your specific sale, a Maryland real estate attorney or your title company is the right stop.

The contract of sale

Nearly every Maryland resale moves on a standardized residential contract of sale plus addenda. The blanks and checkboxes are where your deal actually lives — price is only one of them:

• Financing terms — cash, conventional, FHA, VA; each carries different appraisal and timing implications for you.
• Contingencies — inspection, financing, appraisal, and the buyer's deadlines for each. Shorter, defined windows protect you.
• Settlement date and possession — and what happens if either slips.
• What conveys — appliances, fixtures, the shed, the swing set. Ambiguity here is where closings get tense.

The disclosure decision

Maryland law requires most home sellers to give buyers one of two forms: a disclosure (you answer questions about the property's condition — roof, water, systems, known defects) or a disclaimer (you sell “as-is” as to condition, but must still reveal latent defects you actually know about). Neither option lets a seller hide a known problem. Choose deliberately: the disclaimer isn't a shield, and a thoughtful disclosure often makes buyers more comfortable, not less.

Homes built before 1978 also carry the federal lead-paint disclosure, and Maryland has specific notices that can apply by location — ground rent, homeowners association and condominium resale packets among them. Your title company can tell you which apply to your address.

Earnest money: don't hold it yourself

The buyer's deposit should sit with a neutral third party — almost always the title company — in escrow. A seller holding their own buyer's deposit creates exactly the dispute you don't want if the deal wobbles.

Who actually runs closing

Maryland is a title-company state: once you have a ratified contract, a title company (typically the buyer's choice, though it's negotiable) searches the title, holds escrow, prepares the settlement statement, and conducts the closing. Engage them early — they are the FSBO seller's best procedural ally and will keep the paperwork train on its rails.