Talk to the Lender
Program and regulatory figures verified October 9, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Two numbers decide a Maryland physician file. A third question decides your closing costs, and most buyers never think to ask it.
How to reach us
Call or text Mike at (480) 296-6513. Email mcerto@cfmtg.com. You reach the person who originates the loan.
★ What makes a file answerable
- Your signed employment contract: start date and compensation over at least 12 months.
- Your student loan position: servicer, balances, and whether you are deferred, income-driven or in standard repayment.
- Your target price range and the jurisdiction. Maryland has three conforming tiers, so this one is not a formality. Why
- ★★ Whether you have ever owned a principal residence in Maryland. Not anywhere. In Maryland.
★★ Why that fourth question is on the list
Because Md. Code, Tax-Property §13-203(b)(1) defines a first-time Maryland home buyer as someone who has "never owned in the State residential real property that has been the individual's principal residence."
If that applies, the state transfer tax halves to 0.25% and the statute directs that it "shall be paid entirely by the seller." A physician who owned a house during fellowship in Pennsylvania or Virginia is not excluded by that fact.
★ We do not make that determination and no lender does. It runs through your title company, your attorney, and a statement signed under oath. The reason we raise it in the first conversation is that it has to be handled during the contract. After closing it is too late. The rule and its conditions.
★ One thing we will say that a brochure would not
In Maryland, a physician loan is often not the right product.
The top agency conforming limit here is $1,249,125 and the baseline $832,750, so the "borrow more" argument barely exists. If you are already in post with pay stubs, your student debt is manageable and you have 20% down, conventional financing is usually better and we will tell you so.
The portfolio product earns its place when you are buying before the job starts, or when training-era debt is what the ratio cannot absorb. The honest comparison.
What we will not quote over email
Rates or payment figures. They move, they depend on the file, and a number sent on Tuesday is wrong by Friday. Current terms against your actual contract, on a call.
★ And what is outside our lane
We are the lender. MLARP is not administered by Cornerstone; the Maryland Department of Health runs it, decides eligibility and scoring, and sets the cycles. We cannot submit or advise on an application.
No tax advice. No legal advice on §13-203, which is why we quote it rather than interpret it. We do publish the county transfer and recordation rates we read at the state's own FY2026 exhibit, and we say which jurisdictions that covers. The rates.
Useful pages first
- The in-the-State rule, the most valuable sentence on this site.
- MLARP's full award table, including the lifetime cap.
- Three conforming tiers to $1,249,125.
- The whole thing in one read.
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555. Cornerstone First Mortgage, NMLS #173855. Equal Housing Lender. This is not a commitment to lend. Loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a physician loan in Maryland?
Contact the lender with four things: your signed employment contract showing a start date and compensation over at least twelve months, your student loan position including servicer and status, your target price range and jurisdiction, and whether you have ever owned a principal residence in Maryland. Mike Certo, NMLS #260555, at Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 can be reached at (480) 296-6513 or mcerto@cfmtg.com.Why does it matter whether I have owned a home in Maryland specifically?
Because Md. Code, Tax-Property section 13-203(b)(1) tests whether you have never owned in the State residential real property as a principal residence. If that applies, the state transfer tax halves to 0.25 percent and the statute directs the seller to pay it entirely. The determination is made through your title company and attorney with a statement signed under oath, and it has to be handled during the contract.Can you help with my MLARP application?
No. The Maryland Loan Repayment Programs are administered by the Maryland Department of Health, which decides eligibility, scoring and awards. We track the published terms because they change the debt behind a physician's file, but we cannot submit or advise on an application.Will you tell me if a physician loan is the wrong product for me?
Yes. Maryland's top agency conforming limit is $1,249,125 and the baseline is $832,750, so the borrow-more argument barely exists here. An established physician with pay stubs, manageable student debt and twenty percent down is usually better served by a conventional loan, and we will say so.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.