Keep your home in the family.
Pass your house directly to the people you choose — without probate, and without giving up your home while you're living. DIY Deed walks you through preparing a Maryland life estate deed yourself, in plain English, one question at a time.
Start my deedSee how it works first ↓Three steps, about twenty minutes
Doing this for Mom or Dad?
You're in good company — many people who find us are adult children helping a parent get this settled. You can sit down and go through the questions together, or start the deed yourself and have your parent review everything before they sign. Nothing is final until it's signed and notarized, in ink, by the owner.
One document. Two things settled.
While you're living
The home stays yours. You keep the deed in your name for life — you live there, and day-to-day nothing changes.
When you pass
The home goes directly to the people you named. Because they're already on the deed, there is nothing for a probate court to decide about the house.
That's the whole idea: you stay in control, and your family's path is already settled.
Everything you need to finish, in one download
- Your deed — prepared from your answers, formatted for recording in your county
- Signing instructions — who signs, in what order, and in front of whom
- Your county's recording checklist — where to go, what it costs, what to bring
- State forms — the intake and tax forms your county expects, where required
- A cover letter — so the clerk's office knows exactly what you're handing them
One flat price
Answer every question, review your completed deed, change your mind as many times as you like — none of that costs anything. You pay once, when you're ready to download your packet.
We'd rather tell you now than after you've paid
This is a good fit if: you own a home in Maryland, the ownership is straightforward, and you want it to pass directly to family without probate.
Talk to an attorney instead if any of these is true:
- Your estate may be worth more than $5 million
- You or your spouse is in a nursing home, or Medicaid / medical-assistance planning is a concern
- You're trying to fix a mistake on an existing deed
- The ownership itself is in dispute
The interview checks for these situations and will tell you honestly if your deed isn't one you should prepare yourself.
Small tool, serious care
DIY Deed was designed with a Maryland attorney who has practiced estate law for over 38 years. Every question in the interview, every instruction in the packet, exists because it reflects how these deeds are actually prepared and recorded in Maryland.
We only do Maryland. Deeds are local — every county records a little differently — and doing one state properly beats doing fifty states poorly.
And we keep almost nothing. Thirty days after your deed is done, your answers and your documents are permanently deleted from our system. We don't sell data, build profiles, or email you forever.
Fair questions
Do I need a lawyer to prepare my own deed in Maryland?
[ATTORNEY-REVIEW: plain-language statement that Maryland permits self-preparation, with the statutory basis. Two to three sentences, no citation jargon on the page.]
Will this keep my home out of probate?
That's the purpose of a life estate deed: the people you name are already on the deed, so the home passes to them directly. The rest of your estate is a separate question — this deed covers the property named on it.
What if I get stuck partway through?
You can stop anytime and pick up where you left off — we email you a link, there's no password to remember. If you have a question, write to us; we answer within two business days. If your question needs a lawyer rather than a website, we'll say so — legal help is available but billed separately.
What happens to my information?
It's used to prepare your documents, and thirty days later it's permanently deleted. That's the whole story.
Is $150 really the whole price?
For preparing your packet, yes. Your county charges its own recording fees when you file, and a notary may charge a small fee — the packet tells you both amounts for your county before you go.
Settle it this week, not "someday"
Most people finish their questions in one sitting, with a cup of coffee. The peace of mind lasts considerably longer.
Start my deed