[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":93},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-question-maryland-contractor-simulator-the-right-way-summary":3},{"site":4,"simulation":15,"topic":23,"question":26,"siblings":53,"prev":91,"next":92},{"name":5,"tagline":6,"title":7,"description":8,"guideTitle":9,"guideDescription":10,"ogImage":11,"disclaimer":12,"practicePitch":13,"citationsTitle":14},"Free MHIC Training","Maryland home improvement exam prep","Free MHIC Exam Prep: Maryland Home Improvement Contractor Practice","Free, narrated MHIC exam prep: 147 real Maryland contractor scenarios, every choice explained, with the law cited where it applies.","MHIC Exam Study Guide","Every scenario in the free Maryland Contractor Simulator, written out as a practice question: the situation, your options, how each choice plays out, and the Maryland law where it applies.","/og/free-mhic-training.png","Free MHIC Training is free study material for the Maryland home improvement contractor exam. It is not affiliated with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission and is not legal advice.","The free Maryland Contractor Simulator puts you in situations like these across a 40-day contracting career, narrated, with your license on the line. No account needed.","Law and codes cited",{"slug":16,"title":17,"subtitle":18,"description":19,"maxTurns":20,"characterCount":21,"scenarioCount":22},"maryland-contractor-simulator","Maryland Contractor Simulator","Learn the law by living it.","You just got your MHIC license application approved and you're starting your home improvement business in Maryland. Navigate real contractor scenarios — contracts, permits, clients, subcontractors, and inspectors. Every choice teaches you the law through consequence, not memorization. Master all five exam areas to pass.",40,20,147,{"slug":24,"title":25},"running-your-business","Running a Compliant Business",{"slug":27,"title":28,"description":29,"takeaway":30,"situation":31,"speaker":34,"speakerDescription":34,"speakerAvatar":34,"audioUrl":35,"choices":36,"citations":52},"the-right-way-summary","What one habit keeps contractors out of trouble with the MHIC?","Documentation. Contracts, change orders, permits, and disclosures are all forms of it, and complaints, Guaranty Fund claims, and license hearings are…","Documentation. Contracts, change orders, permits, and disclosures are all forms of it, and complaints, Guaranty Fund claims, and license hearings are decided by who has the records.",[32,33],"You've been running your contracting business for a while now. A new contractor asks you: \"What's the ONE thing that keeps you out of trouble with the MHIC?\"","You think about all the situations you've navigated — contracts, permits, subcontractors, inspections, complaints, insurance, advertising, door-to-door sales, difficult clients, shady competitors...",null,"/media/voices/the_right_way_summary.mp3",[37,42,47],{"text":38,"verdict":39,"label":40,"explanation":41},"Documentation. Written contracts, signed change orders, permit copies, inspection records, progress photos, payment receipts, lien releases. If it's not in writing, it didn't happen. The contractors who get in trouble are the ones who skip the paperwork","best","Wisdom","Every MHIC complaint, every Guaranty Fund claim, every license hearing comes down to documentation. The contractor with complete records wins. The contractor with 'verbal agreements' and 'handshake deals' loses. It takes 5 minutes to document a change order. It takes 5 months to fight an MHIC complaint without one. The entire Maryland home improvement regulatory framework — contracts, permits, advertising, disclosures — is fundamentally about documentation. Master that, and everything else follows.",{"text":43,"verdict":44,"label":45,"explanation":46},"Just do good work — quality speaks for itself","partial","Incomplete","Quality work is essential, but it doesn't protect you legally. The best carpenter in Maryland can lose their license for operating without proper contracts, skipping permits, or failing to respond to MHIC communications. Quality work WITHOUT documentation leaves you vulnerable. Quality work WITH documentation makes you bulletproof. Both matter. But if forced to choose, documentation is what keeps your license.",{"text":48,"verdict":49,"label":50,"explanation":51},"Hire a good lawyer and don't worry about it","wrong","Wrong mindset","A lawyer is for when things go wrong. Documentation is for making sure things don't go wrong in the first place. The cost of proper documentation: minutes per day. The cost of a lawyer defending you at an MHIC hearing: thousands of dollars. Prevention is cheaper, less stressful, and more effective than litigation. Be the contractor who never needs a lawyer because the paperwork is always right.",[],[54,57,60,63,66,69,72,75,78,81,84,87,88],{"slug":55,"title":56,"topic":24},"record-keeping","What records should a Maryland contractor keep?",{"slug":58,"title":59,"topic":24},"concurrent-projects-limit","How many projects can you take on before quality suffers?",{"slug":61,"title":62,"topic":24},"flipper-fast-and-cheap","How do you estimate honestly for a flipper on a tight budget?",{"slug":64,"title":65,"topic":24},"flipper-negotiation","Should you match a lowball bid to win a job?",{"slug":67,"title":68,"topic":24},"flipper-corner-cutting","Who is liable when a client tells your crew to cut corners?",{"slug":70,"title":71,"topic":24},"diy-sticker-shock","How do you handle a client's sticker shock?",{"slug":73,"title":74,"topic":24},"diy-comes-back","How should you structure a payment plan for a returning client?",{"slug":76,"title":77,"topic":24},"attorney-project-management","Are weekly progress reports worth the effort?",{"slug":79,"title":80,"topic":24},"veteran-accessibility","What grants help disabled veterans pay for home modifications?",{"slug":82,"title":83,"topic":24},"contractor-mental-health","How does contractor burnout lead to MHIC complaints?",{"slug":85,"title":86,"topic":24},"final-exam-prep","What is the most important thing to know for the MHIC exam?",{"slug":27,"title":28,"topic":24},{"slug":89,"title":90,"topic":24},"graduation-scenario","What advice would you give a newly licensed Maryland contractor?",{"slug":85,"title":86,"topic":24},{"slug":89,"title":90,"topic":24},1792184485562]