How to Wholesale Real Estate in Maryland
Maryland added a wholesaling section to its Real Property Article in 2025. You still do not need a license to assign a contract, but on owner-occupied homes you now owe the seller a written heads-up that you may assign, and you owe your buyer a written notice that you hold only an equitable interest.
The short answer
Is wholesaling legal in Maryland?
Yes. Wholesaling is legal in Maryland without a license, but written disclosures are required on owner-occupied homes since October 1, 2025.
Here is what the rules mean in practice for a new wholesaler in Maryland, and how to set up your contracts, marketing, and closings so you stay compliant from your first deal.
Maryland wholesaling at a glance
| Legal to wholesale? | Yes |
|---|---|
| License required? | No, as long as you sell only your contract interest and do not broker for others |
| Required disclosure | Before signing, written notice to the owner of an owner-occupied 1–4 unit home that you may assign the contract; before assigning, written notice to the assignee that you hold only an equitable interest and may not be able to convey title |
| Seller cancellation right | If you skip the seller notice and then assign, the owner may rescind without penalty any time before closing (the assignee has a matching right, with a deposit refund) |
| Key law | Md. Code, Real Property §10-715, added by HB 124 / SB 160 (2025, Chapters 508 and 509), effective Oct. 1, 2025 |
| Who handles closings | Title companies and settlement attorneys (settlement agents) |
The law
What Maryland law requires of wholesalers
- Real Property §10-715 applies to contracts for owner-occupied residential property with one to four units, signed on or after October 1, 2025. Court-ordered sales under Maryland Rule 14-215 are excluded.
- Two written notices. Before you sign with the owner, tell them in writing that you may assign the contract. Before you assign, tell your buyer in writing that you hold an equitable interest and may not be able to convey title.
- The penalty is rescission. An owner who never got the notice can walk away before closing once you assign, and an assignee who never got theirs can rescind and get the deposit back. The law also adds §10-715 to the list of disclosures in the state’s sales-contract statute (§14-117).
Closings
How wholesale closings work in Maryland
Maryland settlements are run by title companies and settlement attorneys, and the buyer customarily picks the settlement agent. Expect state and county transfer and recordation taxes to be a large line item, so ask the settlement agent early how they will handle an assignment versus a double close, whether both would trigger a second set of taxes, and whether they will keep your fee visible or off the seller’s statement.
Maryland tip
Check for ground rent before you offer
Parts of Maryland, especially Baltimore City, still have homes sitting on ground leases where the homeowner pays a yearly ground rent to someone else. Search the property in the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) records and its ground rent registry, and ask your title company to confirm, so your buyer is not surprised at settlement.
Where to start
Best markets to wholesale in Maryland
Wholesaling works anywhere there are motivated sellers and cash buyers. These Maryland markets are where most investor activity happens.
Baltimore
Large stock of rowhomes at low entry prices, a deep landlord buyer pool, and plenty of vacant and estate properties.
Prince George’s County
DC-area suburbs with steady demand from flippers and first-time buyers for renovated single-family homes.
Hagerstown
Western Maryland market with lower prices than the I-95 corridor and an active small-landlord scene.
Wholesaling in Maryland’s major cities
How to wholesale in each of Maryland’s major cities. The Maryland rules above apply in every one of them; what changes is the county you search, the price point, and the buyers you sell to.
Baltimore City
Baltimore
Baltimore CityAbout $187,000 (Zillow Home Value Index, Aug 2026)
Baltimore’s typical value near $187,000 hides a very wide range: renovated rowhomes near the water sell for several times what an unrenovated rowhome brings a few miles away. That spread, plus a large number of older homes needing roofs, systems and full rehabs, keeps flippers and landlords busy. Estates, tax sale properties and city-cited vacant buildings supply a steady stream of motivated owners.
How to wholesale in BaltimoreWashington County
Hagerstown
Washington CountyAbout $301,000 (Zillow, Aug 2026)
Hagerstown has brick rowhomes and duplexes from the late 1800s and early 1900s around downtown and the West End, with ranches and newer subdivisions toward the county. Lower prices than Frederick draw landlords and flippers, including commuters priced out of the I-270 corridor. The city runs a rental licensing program, so check a rental’s license status. Land records sit with the Washington County Clerk of the Circuit Court, and the county’s annual tax sale list and Register of Wills are useful lead sources.
How to wholesale in HagerstownFrederick County
Frederick
Frederick CountyAbout $445,000 median sale (Redfin, Aug 2026)
Frederick pairs a large 19th-century downtown of brick rowhomes with 1970s–2000s townhome and single-family subdivisions. Exterior work in the downtown historic district needs Historic Preservation Commission approval, which rehab buyers factor into their offers. Buyers include flippers and landlords serving DC and Montgomery County commuters. Pull deeds from the Frederick County Clerk of the Circuit Court, estates from the Frederick County Register of Wills, and check the county’s annual tax sale list.
How to wholesale in FrederickWicomico County
Salisbury
Wicomico CountyAbout $255,000 median sale (Redfin, Jun 2026)
Salisbury is the main city on the Eastern Shore, with 1940s–1970s capes and ranches, older frame houses near downtown and many townhomes. Salisbury University and the regional hospital keep rental demand steady, so small landlords and student-rental buyers are active. The city requires landlords to register rentals, which gives buyers a way to check a property. Search land records with the Wicomico County Clerk of the Circuit Court and watch the county tax sale and Register of Wills.
How to wholesale in SalisburyWholesaling in states near Maryland
More guides for Maryland wholesalers
Step by step
How to wholesale real estate in Maryland
- 01
Pick one market
Start with a single metro so your buyer list and your comps line up. Baltimore is a strong first choice in Maryland, and you do not have to live there to work it.
- 02
Build your cash buyer list first
Pull every cash purchase in your target county from the last 12 months, find the repeat buyers and LLCs, and qualify 25 of them before you make an offer. Here is the full process.
- 03
Find motivated sellers
Driving for dollars, absentee-owner and inherited-property lists, and cold calling are the three channels that work in every state.
- 04
Run the numbers
Use the MAO formula: after-repair value times 70%, minus repairs, minus your fee. See a worked example.
- 05
Sign a compliant contract
Use an assignable purchase agreement with an inspection period. In Maryland, give an owner-occupant seller written notice that you may assign the contract before you sign, and give your buyer written notice that you hold only an equitable interest before you assign.
- 06
Assign and close
Send the deal to your A-list, sign the assignment, and close with a title company or settlement attorney experienced with investor deals.
FAQ
Wholesaling in Maryland: common questions
Is wholesaling legal in Maryland?
Yes. Maryland allows you to assign a purchase contract for a fee. Since October 1, 2025, Real Property §10-715 requires written disclosures when the property is an owner-occupied home with one to four units.
Do I need a license to wholesale in Maryland?
No license is required to sell your own contract interest. Marketing a property you do not own as if you were listing it, or negotiating sales for other people for pay, is brokerage and requires a Maryland real estate license.
What happens if I forget the Maryland disclosure?
If you do not give the owner the written notice and then assign the contract, the owner can rescind without penalty any time before closing. If you do not give your assignee the equitable-interest notice, they can rescind and are entitled to their deposit back.
Does the Maryland law apply to vacant or rental properties?
The disclosure section is written for owner-occupied residential property. Many wholesalers use the same notices on every deal anyway, since it costs nothing and removes the argument.
Other states
Wholesaling laws in other Northeast states
Working a market outside Maryland? Compare nearby states, or see the full 50-state guide and our overview of whether wholesaling is legal.
Sources. Last reviewed September 2026.
Your next step
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