If you’re reading this, something in your life probably isn’t waiting around for a normal timeline. Maybe you’re behind on payments and the calls are getting harder to ignore. Maybe you inherited a house two states away and don’t know the first thing about what to do with it. Maybe you’re tired of being a landlord, or you’re going through a divorce and just need this one piece of your life settled. Whatever brought you here, we want to slow down for a minute and walk through your actual options, plainly, before anyone tries to sell you on anything.
We buy houses for cash here at Deep Roots REI, so you might expect this post to just push you toward that. It won’t. There are three real paths to selling a house in Baltimore, and the right one depends on your situation, not on what’s easiest for us. We’ll walk through all three.
Option 1: List With a Real Estate Agent
This is the traditional path, and for a lot of homeowners, it’s still the right one. An agent lists your house, markets it, handles showings, negotiates offers, and walks you through closing. If your house is in good shape and you’re not in a hurry, this route can get you the highest sale price, because you’re reaching buyers who are willing to pay full market value and finance it with a mortgage.
The tradeoffs are real, though. You’ll typically pay a commission to the agents involved. You’ll likely need to make repairs or at least clean up and stage the place, because buyers using a mortgage often need the house to pass an appraisal and sometimes an inspection-driven repair list. And the timeline includes finding a buyer, waiting on their financing to be approved, and getting through closing, which can stretch things out longer than most people expect when they’re in a hurry.
If your house is move-in ready and you have a few months of breathing room, this is often the path that puts the most money in your pocket. We’ll say that plainly, even though it’s not us.
Option 2: Sell It Yourself (FSBO)
Some homeowners sell their house without a realtor to avoid paying a listing commission. It’s called FSBO, for sale by owner, and it’s completely legal in Maryland. You handle the marketing, the showings, the negotiating, and the paperwork yourself.
The upside is obvious: you skip the agent’s commission. The tradeoff is that you’re doing all the work an agent would normally do, and Maryland has specific disclosure and paperwork requirements for home sales that you’ll need to get right. Buyers working with their own agent may also expect a similar commission covered on their side, which cuts into the savings. And without an agent’s pricing experience and marketing reach, homes sold FSBO sometimes sit longer or sell for less than sellers expected, simply because fewer qualified buyers see them.
FSBO tends to work best for sellers who are comfortable with paperwork, have some flexibility on timeline, and don’t mind handling calls, showings, and negotiations personally. If that’s not you right now, especially if you’re dealing with something stressful on top of the sale, this route can add more weight than it saves.
Option 3: Sell for Cash to a Local Buyer
This is where we come in, and it’s also where we want to be the most honest with you.
A cash sale means a buyer like Deep Roots purchases your house directly, as-is, without you listing it, staging it, or waiting on a buyer’s mortgage approval. Here’s what that actually looks like with us:
There are no real estate commissions in a cash sale with Deep Roots, because there’s no agent involved on either side. Closing costs are covered by Deep Roots in most cases, so you’re not budgeting for that on top of everything else. We buy houses as-is, in any condition, which means no repairs, no cleanup, no getting the place “showing ready.” And the timeline typically closes in 30 days, often less, depending on your situation and what works for you.
Who is this actually good for? Homeowners who need certainty more than they need top dollar. If you’re facing foreclosure and need this resolved before a deadline. If you inherited a house full of belongings and repairs you don’t have the time, money, or desire to deal with. If you’re a landlord who’s done being a landlord and just wants out cleanly. If a divorce means the house needs to sell now, not in six months, so both of you can move forward.
Who is this not good for? If your house is in great shape, in a desirable area, and you have time to wait for the right buyer, a traditional listing will likely put more money in your pocket, even after commissions and repair costs. We’d rather tell you that upfront than have you find it out after the fact. A cash sale trades some amount of top-line price for speed, certainty, and zero hassle. That’s a fair trade for some homeowners. It isn’t for everyone, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise.
So How Do You Actually Decide?
Ask yourself a few honest questions. How much time do you actually have? Not “would like to have,” but actually have, given whatever deadline or pressure you’re facing. How much work is the house going to need before it’s sellable on the open market, and do you have the time, money, or energy to do that work? Do you want to manage showings, negotiations, and buyer financing contingencies, or would you rather hand the whole thing off?
If you’ve got time and a house in decent shape, talk to a good local agent. If you’re comfortable handling the sale yourself and want to keep more of the proceeds, FSBO might make sense. If you need this done, sold, and behind you without the repairs, the showings, or the uncertainty of a buyer’s loan falling through, a cash offer is worth exploring.
Next Step
If you want to talk through your specific situation, no pressure and no obligation, reach out to Deep Roots REI for a straightforward conversation. We’ll help you figure out which path actually fits your circumstances, and if a cash offer makes sense, we’ll put one together for you to consider. If it doesn’t, we’ll tell you that too.