How to Sell My House Fast in Maryland: Cash Offer Options

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.

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:

*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.

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)