When you accept an offer on a Maryland house, the signing date isn’t really the finish line. Most financed buyers write in a home inspection contingency, and for the next stretch of days the deal is only as solid as what the inspector finds. Sellers who have been through one of these know the feeling: you’ve packed half the house, and then a 40-page report lands in your inbox.
I’m Evan Weissman, and I buy houses for cash around Maryland. I also see plenty of listings that come back to market after inspection. This article explains how the contingency works from the seller’s side, where the risk sits, and how a cash purchase handles the same question.
The mechanics of an inspection contingency
An inspection contingency is a clause that gives the buyer a set period to have the house inspected and then respond. The length of that period, and what the buyer can do at the end, comes from the contract and any inspection addendum, not from a state statute. So read your own paperwork for the exact days.
At the end of the window, a buyer usually has three choices:
- Accept the house as it is and move forward
- Ask the seller to make repairs, give a credit, or lower the price
- Cancel the contract, if the addendum allows it, and in many cases get the deposit back
The seller then responds to any request. You can agree, counter, or refuse. If you refuse and the buyer has a right to walk, the buyer can end the deal.
Why listings fall apart at this stage
Most inspection problems aren’t about one dramatic defect. They come from a long list that, added together, scares a first-time buyer or a lender. In older Maryland housing stock, the items that tend to start the trouble are:
- An aging roof or signs of past leaks
- Electrical panels or wiring the inspector calls out for an electrician
- Moisture in the basement, or a sump pump that doesn’t run
- Furnaces, boilers, or water heaters near the end of their life
- Cracks in foundation walls
- Septic or well concerns on rural lots
A buyer who stretched to make the down payment often has no cash left for a new roof. Their lender may also refuse to fund a loan on a house with certain health and safety items. That combination is where deals fail, even when the price was fine.
What an as-is listing does and does not change
Some sellers try to avoid all this by listing “as-is.” That label tells buyers you won’t make repairs. It doesn’t stop a buyer from inspecting, and it doesn’t stop them from walking away if the contract gives them a right to cancel after inspection.
It also doesn’t change your disclosure duties. Under Maryland Real Property Section 10-702, a seller who uses the disclaimer statement still has to disclose latent defects they actually know about, meaning material defects a buyer wouldn’t find by a careful visual inspection that pose a direct threat to the health or safety of the buyer or an occupant. I cover that more in what as-is means in a cash sale.
How a cash purchase handles inspection
A cash buyer like me still looks at the house. I want to know what I’m buying because the repairs come out of my numbers. The difference is when and how that happens.
In a typical sale to me, I walk the house before I make an offer, and sometimes I bring a contractor. The offer price already reflects the roof, the furnace, and the basement. There’s no lender involved, so there’s no appraisal and no lender repair list. If I do write in an inspection period, it’s to confirm what I already saw, not to start a new negotiation over a list of items.
That said, I won’t pretend a cash offer has no conditions at all. Read any cash contract for these points:
- Is there an inspection or due diligence period, and how many days?
- Can the buyer cancel during it, and what happens to the deposit?
- Is the deposit held by a title company?
- Can the buyer assign the contract to someone else?
Those answers tell you how firm the offer really is. My guide on questions to ask a cash buyer goes through more of them.
Comparing the two paths for a seller
Here is a plain side-by-side of how the two approaches usually differ.
| Question | Financed buyer with inspection contingency | Cash buyer who priced repairs in |
|---|---|---|
| When are defects found | After contract, during the window | Before the offer, at the walkthrough |
| Repair requests | Common | Rare |
| Lender requirements | Yes | None |
| Appraisal | Usually | None |
| Likely price | Higher, if it closes | Lower, reflects repairs |
The financed path can net more money, especially on a house in good shape. The cash path trades some of that price for fewer surprises. Neither is right for everyone. My cash offer vs listing page and the net sheet comparison walk through the math.
Getting ahead of inspection if you list
If you plan to list, a few steps make the contingency less risky:
- Consider a pre-listing inspection so you know what a buyer will find.
- Fix small, obvious items like missing smoke alarms or dripping fixtures.
- Get quotes on big items so you can answer a repair request with real numbers.
- Fill out the state disclosure form carefully, based on what you know.
- Decide in advance what kind of credit you’d be willing to give.
Sellers who know the condition going in tend to negotiate calmly, and buyers sense that.
Can a buyer back out after the inspection in Maryland?
If the contract includes an inspection contingency that lets the buyer cancel, yes, within the time and terms it sets. Read the addendum for the exact rules on notice and the deposit.
Do I have to make repairs the buyer asks for?
No. Repairs are negotiable. You can agree, offer a credit, counter, or say no, but the buyer may be able to cancel if you refuse.
Do cash buyers still inspect?
Most do in some form. Some walk the house before offering and price the repairs in, while others include a short inspection period in the contract.
Does selling as-is mean I skip disclosure?
No. Maryland sellers who use the disclaimer statement still have to disclose latent defects they actually know about.
Is a cash sale always faster?
Usually, because there’s no lender, appraisal, or loan underwriting. Title work, liens, estates, and other paperwork can still add time.
Talk through your situation
If an inspection report just put your sale on shaky ground, call or text me at (410) 498-7473. I can tell you what I’d offer as-is so you have a fallback to compare.