Maine process · seller view

The Maine Home-Selling Process: Your Step-by-Step Checklist

This checklist walks you through selling a home in Maine, from picking an agent to handing over the keys.

Reading as seller. Switch to buyer

Phase 1 of 7 · typically 2-6 weeks

Pre-Offer

Get your house ready to list and find a listing agent. You'll also fill out the disclosures Maine requires before any buyer signs an offer.

  1. Interview 2-3 listing agents

    YouBefore signing a listing agreement

    Talk to a few Maine-licensed agents before picking one. Ask how they price homes, how they market online, and what their commission is. Maine agents cannot tell you a commission rate is 'standard' or 'customary'—rates are always negotiable.

    Cost: $0

  2. Sign the Maine agency disclosure form

    Your agentAt the first substantive meeting with your agent

    Before your agent does any real work for you, Maine law requires them to give you a written agency disclosure that explains who they represent and what duties they owe you. This is sometimes called the RECAD form. Read it before signing.

    You'll need

    • Photo ID

    Cost: $0

  3. Sign the listing agreement

    Your agentBefore your home goes on the market

    This is the written contract that hires your agent. It sets the listing price, how long the agent has to sell your home, the commission you'll pay, and what happens if you cancel. Make sure the commission and end date are spelled out clearly.

    You'll need

    • Deed to confirm ownership
    • Photo ID

    Cost: $0

  4. Fill out the Maine Property Disclosure Statement

    YouBefore the home is shown or before any offer is signed

    Maine requires sellers of homes with up to four units to complete a written Property Disclosure Statement and deliver it to the buyer before they sign a purchase agreement. You must disclose what you know about the roof, foundation, heating, water supply, septic, oil tanks, flood zone, shoreland zoning, and any hazardous substances. Answer honestly—'I don't know' is allowed, but lying isn't.

    You'll need

    • Past repair records
    • Inspection reports you have
    • Permits for any work done

    Cost: $0

  5. Gather records on any heating oil tank

    YouBefore completing your property disclosure

    Oil heat is common in Maine, and tanks—above-ground or buried—must be disclosed. Pull together install dates, age, tank type, and any inspection or removal records. A leaking buried tank can cost $15,000 to over $100,000 to clean up, so buyers will ask.

    You'll need

    • Tank install paperwork
    • Oil delivery records
    • Past tank inspections

    Cost: $0

  6. Check shoreland zoning and flood zone status

    YouBefore completing your property disclosure

    Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act covers land within 250 feet of great ponds, rivers, and saltwater, and within 75 feet of streams or large freshwater wetlands. Maine sellers must disclose shoreland zone status and known flood zone status on the property disclosure. Look up your property on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and check with your town code office.

    You'll need

    • FEMA flood map printout
    • Town shoreland zone information

    Cost: $0

  7. Stage, photograph, and list the home

    Your agent1-2 weeks before going live

    Clean, declutter, fix small cosmetic issues, and let your agent bring in a photographer. Your agent will then put the home on the MLS. Note that under the NAR settlement, your agent cannot advertise a buyer-agent commission inside the MLS listing—that gets negotiated separately.

    Cost: $0-500 typical for staging touches

Phase 2 of 7 · typically 1-4 weeks

Offer

Buyers tour the home and submit written offers. You review them with your agent and either accept, counter, or reject.

  1. Review each written offer

    Your agentAs offers come in

    Your agent will walk you through every offer you receive. Look at the price, the buyer's financing type, the size of the earnest money deposit, the inspection and financing deadlines, and any contingencies like the buyer needing to sell their current home.

    Cost: $0

  2. Decide how to handle buyer-agent compensation

    Your agentWhen evaluating each offer

    Since August 17, 2024, buyer-agent compensation can no longer be advertised on a Maine MLS. If a buyer's agent asks you to pay their fee, you can agree, refuse, or counter—usually as a seller concession written into the purchase contract. Talk through the tradeoffs with your agent.

    Cost: varies

  3. Counter or accept the offer

    Your agentWithin the response window written in the offer

    If an offer is close but not quite right, your agent will help you write a counter-offer that changes price, closing date, or terms. If you accept as-is, both sides sign and the home goes 'under contract.'

    Cost: $0

  4. Sign the Maine Purchase and Sale Agreement

    Your agentWhen both sides agree on terms

    Most Maine deals use the Maine Association of Realtors standard Purchase and Sale Agreement. It sets the price, earnest money, inspection period (often 10-14 days by default), financing contingency, closing date, and what personal property is included. Read every line before signing.

    Cost: $0

  5. Confirm earnest money is deposited in trust

    Escrow / titleWithin a few days of signing the purchase agreement

    The buyer's earnest money must go into a brokerage trust account or the closing attorney's escrow account—never into anyone's personal account. Ask your agent to confirm in writing that the deposit cleared and where it's being held.

    Cost: $0

Phase 3 of 7 · typically 1-2 weeks

Under Contract

The home is off the market and the clock starts on contingency deadlines. You finish delivering required disclosures and open title.

  1. Deliver the full disclosure packet to the buyer

    Your agentRight after the purchase agreement is signed (if not earlier)

    Make sure the buyer has received your signed Maine Property Disclosure Statement covering structural, mechanical, water, septic, hazardous substances, shoreland zoning, and any other known material defects. Keep dated proof of delivery in case it comes up later.

    You'll need

    • Signed property disclosure

    Cost: $0

  2. Provide federal lead-based paint disclosure if the home is pre-1978

    Your agentBefore the buyer is bound by the purchase agreement

    If the home was built before 1978, federal law requires you to give the buyer any records you have on lead paint, the EPA pamphlet 'Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home,' and a signed disclosure form. The buyer also gets a 10-day window to test for lead unless they waive it.

    You'll need

    • Lead disclosure form
    • EPA lead pamphlet
    • Any past lead reports

    Cost: $0

  3. If selling a condo, deliver the resale document package

    YouAs soon as you go under contract

    Maine's Condominium Act requires sellers of condo units to give the buyer the declaration, bylaws, rules, recent financials, current budget, pending litigation info, current assessments, and any special assessments. Order these from your association early—turnaround can take a couple of weeks.

    You'll need

    • Condo declaration and bylaws
    • Most recent budget and financials
    • Statement of assessments

    Cost: $50-300 typical for a resale package

  4. Open title and confirm the closing attorney

    Escrow / titleWithin the first week under contract

    In Maine, a licensed Maine attorney must prepare or supervise the deed and other transfer documents. Closings are usually run by a title company that coordinates with that attorney. Confirm who's handling your side and share their contact info with your agent.

    You'll need

    • Most recent deed
    • Mortgage payoff lender info

    Cost: $0 (attorney fees come out at closing)

  5. Track every contingency deadline

    Your agentFirst few days under contract, then ongoing

    Your purchase agreement lists deadlines for inspections, financing, appraisal, and other contingencies. Put each one on your calendar with a reminder a few days ahead. If a buyer misses a deadline, that may be your chance to renegotiate or back out, but only if you act on time.

    You'll need

    • Signed purchase agreement

    Cost: $0

Phase 4 of 7 · typically 1-3 weeks

Inspection

The buyer hires inspectors. You negotiate any repair requests or credits that come out of what they find.

  1. Allow the buyer's home inspection

    InspectorWithin the inspection contingency window in the contract

    The buyer will schedule a licensed home inspector to walk the property, usually for 2-4 hours. Make the home accessible, turn on all utilities, and remove pets. You don't need to be there—most sellers leave.

    Cost: $0

  2. Allow specialty inspections (septic, well, oil tank, radon)

    InspectorWithin the inspection contingency window

    Maine buyers often order separate inspections on top of the general home inspection. Septic dye tests, well water quality and quantity tests, oil tank scans, and radon tests are all common, especially for rural properties. Schedule all of them to happen during the inspection window.

    You'll need

    • Septic pumping records
    • Well water test history

    Cost: $0

  3. Review the buyer's inspection response

    Your agentWithin the response window in the contract (often a few days)

    After inspections, the buyer will usually send a written list of items they want repaired, credited, or replaced. Read it with your agent and decide what's reasonable. You don't have to agree to everything—negotiation is normal.

    You'll need

    • Inspection report from buyer

    Cost: $0

  4. Negotiate repairs or a closing credit

    Your agentWithin the inspection negotiation window

    You can accept the buyer's list, counter with a smaller set of repairs, offer a credit at closing instead of doing the work, or refuse and let the buyer walk. Credits are often cleaner than scrambling to hire contractors before closing.

    Cost: varies

  5. Complete any agreed repairs and keep receipts

    YouBetween inspection negotiation and final walkthrough

    If you agreed to repairs, hire licensed contractors and finish well before closing. Keep paid receipts and any permits or warranty paperwork to give the buyer at the walkthrough or closing.

    You'll need

    • Contractor invoices
    • Permit paperwork
    • Warranty info

    Cost: varies

Phase 5 of 7 · typically 2-4 weeks

Loan and Appraisal

The buyer's lender orders an appraisal and finishes underwriting. You may need to address an appraisal that comes in low.

  1. Let the appraiser into the home

    Your agentAfter inspections are resolved

    The buyer's lender hires a state-licensed appraiser to confirm the home is worth at least the loan amount. They'll need to walk every room and measure the exterior. Schedule it like any showing—lights on, pets away.

    Cost: $0

  2. Give your agent a list of upgrades for the appraiser

    YouBefore the appraisal visit

    Appraisers don't know your home as well as you do. Write down recent improvements like a new roof, heating system, kitchen, or windows—with dates and rough costs—so your agent can hand it to the appraiser on site. Strong recent sales nearby (comps) help too.

    You'll need

    • Upgrade list with dates
    • Recent improvement receipts

    Cost: $0

  3. Handle a low appraisal if it happens

    Your agentWithin a few days of receiving the appraisal

    If the appraisal comes in below the contract price, you have options: drop the price to the appraised value, meet the buyer in the middle, ask the lender for a reconsideration with new comps, or let the buyer walk under their financing contingency. Talk it through with your agent before deciding.

    You'll need

    • Appraisal report
    • Comparable sales

    Cost: varies

  4. Wait for the buyer's loan to clear to close

    LenderAfter the appraisal is accepted

    The buyer's lender will finish underwriting after the appraisal. Once they issue a 'clear to close,' the closing can be scheduled. Until then, the deal isn't fully locked—avoid making any big financial moves that could affect your closing payoff.

    Cost: $0

Phase 6 of 7 · typically 1-2 weeks

Pre-Closing

Get your numbers right and your paperwork in order. This is where Maine's transfer tax and withholding rules matter most.

  1. Estimate your share of the Maine real estate transfer tax

    Escrow / title1-2 weeks before closing

    Maine charges a real estate transfer tax of $2.20 per $500 of the sale price, and it's split evenly between buyer and seller—each side pays $1.10 per $500. On a $400,000 sale, that's $880 per side. Ask your closing agent for the exact line item so there are no surprises.

    Cost: $1.10 per $500 of sale price

  2. Check if Maine's 2.5% non-resident withholding applies

    Escrow / titleAt least 1-2 weeks before closing

    If you are not a Maine resident at the time of sale—or you're an out-of-state entity—Maine requires 2.5% of the sale price to be withheld at closing as a prepayment of state income tax. It's a prepayment, not an extra tax, and it credits against your Maine return. Ask Maine Revenue Services or your accountant about exemptions or reduced amounts.

    You'll need

    • Proof of Maine residency if claiming exemption

    Cost: 2.5% of sale price if applicable

  3. Check if FIRPTA federal withholding applies

    Escrow / titleAt least 1-2 weeks before closing

    If you are a foreign person (not a U.S. citizen or resident alien) selling U.S. real property, federal FIRPTA rules require withholding from the sale: 0% for sales under $300,000 used as a buyer primary residence, 10% for $300,001-$1,000,000 used as a primary residence, and 15% otherwise. This stacks on top of Maine's 2.5% withholding for non-resident sellers.

    You'll need

    • Tax ID or ITIN
    • Any FIRPTA withholding certificate from IRS

    Cost: 0%, 10%, or 15% of sale price if applicable

  4. Order a mortgage payoff statement

    Escrow / title5-10 days before closing

    Your closing agent needs an official payoff number from your current lender that's good through the closing date. The payoff is usually a little higher than your balance because it includes per-day interest. Request it about a week before closing so it doesn't expire.

    You'll need

    • Current loan info
    • Photo ID

    Cost: $0

  5. Review the closing settlement statement

    Escrow / title1-2 days before closing

    A day or two before closing, your closing agent will send a settlement statement that lists the sale price, payoffs, transfer tax, commissions, prorated property taxes, and your net proceeds. Read it line by line and ask about anything you don't recognize.

    Cost: $0

  6. Pack and prepare to hand over the home

    YouThe week leading up to closing

    Be moved out, cleaned up, and ready to hand over keys by the day of closing—or by whatever date is in your purchase agreement. Gather garage door remotes, mailbox keys, appliance manuals, and any warranty paperwork in one spot for the buyer.

    You'll need

    • Appliance manuals
    • Warranties
    • All keys and remotes

    Cost: varies

  7. Allow the buyer's final walkthrough

    Your agent1-2 days before closing

    Within 24-48 hours of closing, the buyer usually walks the home one last time to confirm it's in the agreed condition and that any negotiated repairs were done. Make sure the home is empty, clean, and that any items you agreed to leave are still there.

    You'll need

    • Receipts for any agreed repairs

    Cost: $0

Phase 7 of 7 · typically 1 day

Closing

You sign the deed and transfer paperwork, the buyer's funds come in, and the home officially changes hands.

  1. Sign the deed and transfer documents

    AttorneyOn closing day

    A Maine attorney will have prepared the deed that transfers ownership to the buyer. You'll sign it in front of a notary, along with the Maine real estate transfer tax declaration and other closing paperwork. Bring a government-issued photo ID.

    You'll need

    • Government-issued photo ID

    Cost: Attorney fees come out of proceeds

  2. Pay your share of the transfer tax

    Escrow / titleAt closing

    Your half of the Maine real estate transfer tax ($1.10 per $500 of sale price) is collected at closing and remitted to the state along with the buyer's half. It will show up as a line item on your settlement statement rather than a separate payment.

    Cost: $1.10 per $500 of sale price

  3. Make sure the non-resident withholding form is filed

    Escrow / titleAt closing

    If Maine's 2.5% non-resident withholding applies to you, the closing agent files the required Maine Revenue Services form and sends the withheld amount to the state. Confirm at the table that the form was prepared and the amount matches the settlement statement.

    Cost: $0 (already withheld)

  4. Receive your net proceeds

    Escrow / titleSame day or next business day after closing

    Once everything is signed and funded, the closing agent disburses your money—usually by wire transfer to the bank account you provided ahead of time. Confirm the wire instructions over the phone with someone you trust, because wire fraud in real estate is common.

    You'll need

    • Verified wire instructions

    Cost: $0-50 typical wire fee

  5. Hand over the keys and confirm possession

    Your agentClosing day, after funding

    Leave all keys, garage remotes, mailbox keys, security codes, and any agreed items (appliance manuals, paint cans, warranty paperwork) at the home or with your agent. Once the deed is recorded, the buyer owns the home and possession transfers per your contract.

    You'll need

    • All keys and remotes
    • Security codes
    • Appliance manuals

    Cost: $0

  6. Save every closing document

    YouAfter closing, then keep for at least 7 years

    Keep a digital and paper copy of the signed settlement statement, the deed (or recorded copy when it comes back), any withholding forms, and your final mortgage payoff statement. You'll need them for your tax return and to prove the sale if questions come up later.

    You'll need

    • Settlement statement
    • Recorded deed copy
    • Withholding forms
    • Mortgage payoff statement

    Cost: $0

Sources

  1. [1] NAR Settlement FAQs — Antitrust and Compensation Practices
  2. [2] 32 MRSA §13271 — Agency Disclosure and Written Agreement
  3. [3] NAR Settlement FAQs — Written Buyer Agreement Requirement
  4. [4] IRS FIRPTA Withholding — Real Estate Transactions
  5. [5] 36 MRSA §5250-A — Maine Real Estate Withholding
  6. [6] Maine Revenue Services — Real Estate Withholding
  7. [7] NAR Settlement FAQs — MLS Compensation Rule Changes
  8. [8] 36 MRSA §4641 et seq. — Real Estate Transfer Tax
  9. [9] Maine Revenue Services — Real Estate Transfer Tax
  10. [10] FEMA Flood Map Service Center
  11. [11] 33 MRSA §171 — Property Disclosure Statement
  12. [12] 38 MRSA §561 et seq. — Petroleum Storage Tanks
  13. [13] 38 MRSA §435 et seq. — Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act
  14. [14] Maine Real Estate Commission — Agency Disclosure Requirements
  15. [15] 33 MRSA §1601 et seq. — Maine Condominium Act
  16. [16] EPA Lead Real Estate Disclosure Requirements
  17. [17] Maine Association of Realtors — Standard Forms
  18. [18] Maine DPFR Administrative Rules Chapter 410 — Escrow/Trust Account Rules
  19. [19] Maine DPFR Administrative Rules Chapter 410 — Trust Account Rules

Last updated May 15, 2026