How to Sell Maryland Land Held in a Trust in 2026

Maryland land sits at the intersection of conservation, agriculture, and fast-growing housing demand—so selling property held in a trust can attract serious buyers, but it also requires careful planning. The state is short about 100,000 housing units today and needs to build 590,000 new housing units to meet demand and growth projections by 2045, according to the Maryland Comptroller Housing & the Economy Fact Sheet. That pressure is reshaping how buyers value buildable lots, farm acreage, and land near job centers.

At the same time, development timelines are not simple. To meet projected demand, Maryland will need to approve nearly 30,000 permits per year, but since 2014 the state has only permitted an average of 18,000 units annually (about 8 units per 1,000 households), per the Maryland Comptroller Housing & the Economy Fact Sheet. That permit gap affects buyer strategy, due diligence, and deal structure—especially when a trust is the seller.

Understanding land held in a Maryland trust

A trust is a legal arrangement that holds title to property for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries. In a typical trust sale, the trustee (or co-trustees) signs the contract and deed, but the trust document governs what’s allowed—such as whether beneficiaries must consent, whether proceeds must be reinvested, and whether there are timing or pricing rules.

Common trust types that hold Maryland land

1. Revocable living trusts (often used for estate planning and probate avoidance)
2. Irrevocable trusts (often used for asset protection, tax planning, or long-term management)
3. Testamentary trusts (created through a will)
4. Charitable trusts (used to support charitable purposes, sometimes involving conservation goals)

Identifying the trust type matters because it affects who can approve the sale, how proceeds are handled, and what fiduciary duties the trustee must follow.

Step-by-step: how to sell Maryland land in a trust

1) Review the trust document and any amendments

Start by reading the trust agreement and all amendments. Confirm the trustee’s powers, whether the trust allows a sale of real property, and whether the trustee must obtain beneficiary consent, a court order, or a professional valuation before selling.

2) Confirm trustee authority (and get signatures aligned early)

Most buyers and title companies will require clear proof that the trustee has authority to sell. If there are co-trustees, unclear successor trustee language, or beneficiary approval requirements, resolve them before you list—because unresolved authority issues can delay closing or kill a deal.

3) Price the property using today’s best land intelligence

Land value depends on zoning, utilities, access, soil, wetlands, and nearby sales—not just acreage. For properties near the Bay and its tributaries, data-driven mapping can also strengthen your listing and reduce buyer uncertainty. The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) dataset provides 1-meter resolution characterization with 95% accuracy across 56 detailed land-use classes in the 99,000 square mile watershed, according to the Chesapeake Bay Program. That level of detail can help you communicate what the land is (and isn’t) suitable for—especially in environmentally sensitive areas.

To support claims about recent land changes, you can also reference the Bay’s change layers. The 1-meter resolution Land Use/Land Cover Change Data captures 96% of land use change with 77% accuracy over the 2013/2014, 2017/2018, and 2021/2022 time periods, per the Chesapeake Bay Program. Buyers often ask whether a parcel has been affected by surrounding development, tree cover loss, or land conversion—this is one way to ground those discussions in published data.

For context, Chesapeake Conservancy notes that the Chesapeake Bay LULC data includes over 50 unique classes and provides 900 times more detail than the 30-meter resolution National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD), according to the Chesapeake Conservancy. That distinction matters when you’re answering questions about small streams, forest edges, riparian buffers, and other features that can impact permits and value.

4) Factor in Maryland’s development and permitting reality

Many buyers of Maryland land are ultimately underwriting a development timeline. Statewide supply constraints can support demand, but regulatory friction can reduce what a buyer is willing to pay or how quickly they can close. Nationally, regulation accounts for nearly 25% of the total cost of a new home, and Maryland ranks as the 6th most regulated state for housing development, according to the Maryland Comptroller Housing & the Economy Fact Sheet (citing Wharton School of Business). Expect sophisticated buyers to ask detailed questions about setbacks, stormwater, wetlands, forest conservation, and subdivision requirements.

5) Order the right due-diligence documents (before buyers demand them)

• Survey (or at minimum, a clear boundary exhibit)
• Deed, trust certification, and any recorded easements
• Zoning confirmation and allowable uses
• Septic/perc history, soil data, and well information where relevant
• Access documentation (recorded right-of-way, DOT entrance feasibility, etc.)
• Environmental items (floodplain, wetlands indicators, forest stand info)

Preparing these early reduces retrades and makes your listing easier for lenders, developers, and conservation buyers to underwrite.

6) Choose a marketing strategy that matches the parcel

Maryland land can attract very different buyer pools—builders, farmers, timber buyers, conservation organizations, and long-term investors. Your marketing should reflect the land’s highest-probability buyer:

• Buildable lots: highlight utilities, access, zoning, and nearby comps
• Farm acreage: document soils, tillable vs. wooded acres, and lease income
• Bay-adjacent land: clarify setbacks, buffers, and any shoreline constraints
• Recreation/timber parcels: show trails, timber value, and hunt/fish potential

National farm trends can also shape buyer sentiment. In 2024, total land in farms in the United States was 876,460,000 acres—down 2,100,000 acres from 2023—according to the USDA Farms and Land in Farms 2024 Summary. With farmland gradually tightening, well-documented Maryland agricultural parcels may draw more interest, especially when the trust can provide clean records and a smooth closing path.

Buyer sophistication is also rising at the top end of the market. In 2024, 9.8% of all farms had sales of $500,000 or more, per the USDA Farms and Land in Farms 2024 Summary. If your trust-held property is a premium farm or large tract, expect data-heavy negotiations and higher expectations for documentation.

7) Evaluate offers through the lens of trustee duties

As a trustee, you must follow the trust terms and act in the beneficiaries’ best interests. That often means balancing price, certainty of closing, and timeline. Land offers may include feasibility periods, contingencies, and price reductions tied to perc results, access, wetlands, or subdivision yield. Treat these as normal risk allocations in land transactions, not automatically as “lowball” tactics.

8) Prepare for buyer due diligence (and keep the process moving)

Expect survey crews, engineers, environmental consultants, and land planners. Set clear rules for access and scheduling, and keep a centralized file of documents. The smoother your responses, the less likely the buyer is to delay or renegotiate.

9) Close the sale with trust-compliant paperwork

Work with a Maryland real estate attorney (and your trust/estate attorney if needed) to ensure:

• The correct trustee(s) sign the contract and deed
• The deed matches how title is vested (trust name, dated trust, trustees listed correctly)
• Any required beneficiary consents are documented
• Settlement statements and prorations align with trust accounting needs

10) Distribute proceeds exactly as the trust requires

After closing, the trustee must handle proceeds according to the trust—distribution to beneficiaries, reinvestment, reserve funding, or other specified purposes. Maintain clean records; beneficiaries and accountants often need detailed reporting.

Maryland-specific challenges buyers will scrutinize

• Permitting constraints: Maryland’s housing demand is high, but approvals lag. The state needs nearly 30,000 permits per year to meet projected demand and has averaged 18,000 annually since 2014, according to the Maryland Comptroller Housing & the Economy Fact Sheet.
• Regulatory costs: Regulation can materially affect land value; nationally it accounts for nearly 25% of the cost of a new home, and Maryland ranks 6th most regulated for housing development, per the Maryland Comptroller Housing & the Economy Fact Sheet (citing Wharton School of Business).
• Environmental and Bay-area sensitivity: Buyers may rely on high-resolution land data. The Bay watershed’s 1-meter LULC layer is 95% accurate across 56 classes, and its change layer captures 96% of land use change with 77% accuracy across 2013/2014, 2017/2018, and 2021/2022, per the Chesapeake Bay Program.
• Land classification nuance: Chesapeake Conservancy reports the Bay LULC dataset includes over 50 classes and delivers 900 times more detail than the 30-meter NLCD, per the Chesapeake Conservancy.

Alternatives to a traditional listing (when a trust needs speed or simplicity)

• Direct sale to a land-buying company: Often faster with fewer contingencies, which can be useful when a trust needs liquidity or wants to avoid long marketing timelines.
• Auction: Can work well for unique parcels or when you want a defined sale date.
• Conservation-focused transactions: If your land has conservation value, explore easements or conservation buyers. For example, Chesapeake Conservancy raised $1.5 million to protect 533 acres of farmland in Maryland, according to the Chesapeake Conservancy. Deals like these show that conservation funding can be real—especially for parcels with strong agricultural or ecological significance.

Final thoughts

Selling Maryland land in a trust is completely doable, but it rewards preparation. Maryland’s housing shortage and long-run demand—about 100,000 units short today and 590,000 new units needed by 2045—create real opportunity, according to the Maryland Comptroller Housing & the Economy Fact Sheet. At the same time, permitting and regulation shape buyer behavior, pricing, and timelines, so a trustee who arrives with clear authority, strong documentation, and credible land data can often negotiate from a position of strength.

Align every step with the trust document, document the land like a professional, and choose the sales path—traditional listing, direct sale, auction, or conservation option—that best serves the beneficiaries and the trust’s purpose.