Maryland Physician Loans, From the Lender
Program and regulatory figures verified October 9, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
One statutory definition decides whether a relocating physician pays double the transfer tax or none of it. Most people reading about Maryland never find it.
★★ The two words that matter: in the State
Maryland halves its state transfer tax for a first-time home buyer. Everyone knows that part. The part that goes unread is how the statute defines one.
Md. Code, Tax-Property §13-203(b)(1): "'first–time Maryland home buyer' means an individual who has never owned in the State residential real property that has been the individual's principal residence."
★★ In the State. Not "anywhere". A physician who owned a house in Pennsylvania during fellowship, sold it, and is moving to Baltimore for an attending post has still never owned residential property in Maryland.
On the statute's plain wording, that physician is a first-time Maryland home buyer. The whole rule, quoted.
★★ And the benefit is bigger than half
| Standard sale | First-time Maryland home buyer | |
|---|---|---|
| State transfer tax | 0.5% | ★ 0.25% |
| Who pays it | as the parties agree | ★★ "shall be paid entirely by the seller" |
★ The rate halves and the statute moves the whole remaining charge to the seller. That second line is directed by statute, not left to custom.
★ What we are not publishing: Maryland county transfer and recordation taxes. Those vary by jurisdiction, sit outside §13-203, and we did not read them at a primary source. They are frequently the larger line. What we do and do not know.
★★ MLARP, and the row most coverage skips
The Maryland Loan Repayment Programs guidelines, dated 3-13-26 for FY27, award by credential:
| Credential | Full-time | Part-time | Obligation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician (MD, DO) | $100,000 | $50,000 | 2 years |
| ★ Final Year Medical Resident | $100,000 | $50,000 | ★ 3 years |
| Physician Assistant | $100,000 | $50,000 | 2 years |
| ★★ APRN. CRNP, CNM, CRNA, CNS | ★★ $100,000 | $50,000 | 2 years |
| RN, LPN | $50,000 | $25,000 | 2 years |
| Nursing Support Staff | $5,000 | $2,500 | 1 year |
★★ A CRNA sits in the same row as a physician. Coverage of "Maryland physician loan repayment" almost never says so. Why that matters · The full programme.
★★ The highest loan limits in this network
- ★ $1,249,125: Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick, Charles.
- $1,209,750: Calvert.
- $832,750: the other 19 jurisdictions.
★ Three tiers inside one state, and a $416,375 gap between the bottom and the top, which is 50% more borrowing capacity. Tennessee's top tier is $1,029,250; Maryland's is higher by $219,875. Every county.
★★ A caveat about the market data, stated up front
The four counties carrying the $1,249,125 limit do not appear in Maryland's own metro housing series, because Zillow files them under the Washington, DC metro.
So Baltimore's $400,263 is a real figure and a misleading one if you read it as describing Bethesda or Rockville. We would rather flag the gap than paper over it. What the data does and does not cover.
The loan
A physician mortgage qualifies you on a signed employment contract rather than pay stubs, up to 150 days before your start date, against roughly 90 for agency underwriting. The timing rule.
★ What we are, and are not
We are the lender. MLARP is not administered by Cornerstone; the Maryland Department of Health runs it. We quote §13-203 so you can take it to your own attorney and title company. Whether a specific buyer qualifies is established by a statement signed under oath, which is not a lender's call.
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555, Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855. (480) 296-6513 · mcerto@cfmtg.com.
Frequently asked questions
Can a physician moving to Maryland be a first-time Maryland home buyer?
On the statute's plain wording, yes, even after owning a home in another state. Md. Code, Tax-Property section 13-203(b)(1) defines a first-time Maryland home buyer as an individual who has never owned in the State residential real property that has been their principal residence. The test is Maryland ownership, not ownership anywhere.What is the Maryland first-time home buyer transfer tax rate?
0.25 percent rather than the standard 0.5 percent, for a sale of improved residential real property to a first-time Maryland home buyer who will occupy it as a principal residence. Section 13-203(b)(3) also directs that the transfer tax shall be paid entirely by the seller.How much does Maryland's loan repayment programme pay?
Up to $100,000 full-time or $50,000 part-time for physicians, final-year medical residents, physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses, a category the guidelines state includes CRNAs. Registered and licensed practical nurses are awarded up to $50,000 full-time, and nursing support staff up to $5,000.Which Maryland counties have the highest conforming loan limits?
Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles at $1,249,125 for a one-unit property in 2026, with Calvert at $1,209,750 and the remaining nineteen jurisdictions at the $832,750 baseline. The gap between baseline and top tier is $416,375, or 50 percent more borrowing capacity.Does Maryland's housing data cover the DC suburbs?
Not in the Maryland metro series. Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles are filed under the Washington, DC metropolitan area, so Baltimore's typical value of $400,263 for the month ending August 31, 2026 does not describe Maryland's most expensive housing.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about physician mortgage financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax or financial advice. The Maryland Loan Repayment Programs are administered by the Maryland Department of Health, not by Cornerstone; their terms, award amounts and application cycles are set by that department and change. Md. Code, Tax-Property §13-203 is quoted so you can take it to your own attorney and title company; whether a particular buyer qualifies as a first-time Maryland home buyer is established by a statement signed under oath, not by a lender. Figures here carry the date we verified them against primary sources. Physician-loan program terms, eligible degrees and overlays are set by the lender and change. All loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.