Can I Sell My House Fast in Maryland As-Is?
If you’re a homeowner thinking to “sell my house fast” in Maryland, but are facing issues that make it difficult to sell your house, you might find the thought of selling it “as-is” a fast way to take it off your hands.
However, this can be harder than you think. Do it long enough, and you’ll spend more time, money, and effort by going through a real estate agent. Neglect it too much, and you’ll lose out on the potential returns you can get.
As a “we buy houses in Maryland” company, The ACE HomeBuyers take prudent steps to inform our customers of the best possible options for our cash offers – including this article. In this article, we’ll go over why the list of things you need to know before you put your home on the market as-is.
What Do I Get for Selling My House As-Is?
Just like any other major life decision, you’ll have benefits and drawbacks when selling your home as-is. In the end, it will largely depend on your current goals and circumstances. One advantage of selling a house as-is is that you don’t have to spend a dime or a minute of your time fixing any repairs that might hinder your sale.
This is the most important benefit for strapped-for-cash homeowners who can’t hire contractors or do the repairs themselves. You also don’t have to go through the stressful process of locating, vetting, scheduling, and supervising contractors for repairs.
Instead, you let the buyer (for example, a “sell my house fast” Maryland company like us) shoulder the responsibility of getting it up to shape. However, you still need to fill out some paperwork, which we’ll cover below.
Filling Out Property Disclosures
Before you list your home or entertain any cash offers, you will have to fill out a property disclosure statement. This lets interested parties know vital information about the house.
We’re specifically referring to the Maryland Residential Property Disclosure and Disclaimer Statement. This document will cover important features such as water supply, heating, AC. It will also disclose other latent defects known to you at the time of the sale.
Take note that you’re only basing off personal knowledge of the condition of your home at the time. You are in no way obliged to provide for house inspections. You still can, though. However, we find that most interested parties prefer bringing their inspectors to do the job before buying a house in Maryland.
In this context, defects are features that may pose a risk to the health and safety of the occupant (in most cases, the buyer). This is to ensure that buyers are informed ahead of time and can plan out repairs if needed.
List of Defects To Disclose
Full disclosures only require you to discuss the home’s physical condition and location. You don’t have to mention pest infestations or a death in the house. However, some states like California do require you to disclose this to interested buyers.
Examples would be asbestos, radon, mold, and any structural issues with your septic system, and foundation. Any past remediation, fire, termite, or water damage (especially if you live in a flood zone) must also need to be disclosed.
Other Things to Go Over
If your house was built before 1978 you must need to fill out a separate form called the Federal Lead Paint Disclosure. Should your house plumbing be built with lead/polybutylene pipes, you aren’t obligated to disclose it. However, most buyers really appreciate it if you do, since these come with a lot of health risks.
If you plan to have the house painted before you sell, you must also look for painters/contractors who have the Environmental Protection Agency certification. Additionally, if you have stuff you need to leave behind, the Maryland Sales Contract states that everything nailed down is sold alongside the house.
Anything that’s not is considered your “personal property” and you are within the right to take it. Alternatively, you can leave any “unwanted items” behind when you sell as is, as long as they’re under the “inclusions/exclusions” section.
Many homeowners do leave a lot of stuff, and we exercise this practice when we buy homes in Maryland and donate the more “useful” items we find to charity.
Sell Your House With The ACE HomeBuyers
Selling your house just the way it is gives interested homeowners a way to get cash fast. They can call it a day, in exchange for some drawbacks. With that in mind, before you sell your house as-is, keep your property disclosures updated. Ideally, ready for viewing by interested parties such as a "sell my house fast in Maryland" company like us.
If you found this guide helpful, we invite you to check out our other resources. However, if you have any deeper questions that we haven’t covered in this article, feel free to reach out to us for in-depth answers.
