If you are already doing home improvements, why not look into pre-sale home inspections for sale of real estate. You probably are already well positioned to enter this field.

You can also look into appraisals. The state usually requires you to complete some course work in order to get a license, and you may have to intern with a senior appraiser for a short while. Between the course work and internship you should be be well trained in a relatively short period of time (6 months to 1 year). The liability is less, but you should carry e&o insurance for it. The money is also better than abstracting fees. During the internship you will probably have to share/divide the fee for appraisals with the senior appraiser, but that is the cost of an education.

You could also look into notary closings. It is my understanding that Maryland requires licencing as a title producer. However, after you do what is necessary to get the license (training) you will find that the money is also better than abstracting fees.

In so far as abstracting is concerned, the comments of the above abstractors are all true. This is not a particularly good time to enter the field of abstracting. It requires a lot of travel time, and the price of gasoline is through the roof. The only searches that any one seems to want anymore are current owner searches. These fees for these range anywhere between $35.00 to $65.00 depending on your location. You will be in fierce cut throat competition with the more experienced abstractors in order to get business in the door, and there is the constant pressure of the vendor managers on you to reduce your prices. As many of the abstractors on this board have commented, it seems to be one of the few occupations in which the price of a title search has not risen in about the past 5 to 10 years. If anything the prices are declining, and many abstractors are either expanding the services they offer or getting out of the business entirely.