Your Selling Timeline
Planned backward from the day the money lands in your account.
One of the first questions I ask every seller is: what day do you want the funds from this sale in your bank account? Even if the answer is "immediately," I take out a calendar and we build the schedule backward from that date. This page is that calendar: every phase, what I'm doing, what I'll need from you, what we'll be talking about, and roughly when. Every sale is different, so every date here is an estimate we'll adjust together. It's your timeline, not mine.
Build Your Estimated Timeline
Pick a path and the date you'd like the funds to land. The planner works backward from there, puts the launch on a Tuesday with the open house that Saturday, and tells you honestly if the date is sooner than the math allows. These are planning estimates, not promises; the real calendar gets built with you.
Repairs, decluttering, staging. Zero is fine.
The Listing Timeline, Phase by Phase
Expand any phase for what I do, what you do, what we'll cover, and what gets ordered and tracked. Tap the status marker on each phase to keep track of where we are as we work through it together.
Status markers are saved only in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
It starts with one question: what day do you want the money from this sale in your bank account? Even if the answer is "immediately," I take out a calendar and we build the schedule backward from that date.
What I do
- Listen. Ask about the property, what's driving the sale, and the date you want the funds to land.
- Explain both paths plainly: a full-market listing, or a direct as-is purchase from me.
- Set expectations for how this calendar works and what we'll each be doing.
What you do
- Tell me the honest picture: condition, timeline, goals, anything that's worrying you.
- Pick a funds date, even a rough one. We can move it. It's your timeline, not mine.
What we'll cover
- Your goals and the date the money needs to land
- The two paths and what each would mean for you
- What "as-is" would look like on your property
- No obligation is created by talking
I walk the property myself, price it from actual closed Shore sales, and put both numbers in front of you side by side.
What I do
- Walk the home with a Class A contractor's eye. Note what actually needs attention and what doesn't.
- Build the comparative market analysis from real closed sales, not modeled estimates.
- Deliver a seller net sheet for the listing path and, when it fits, a written direct-purchase offer with the math explained, side by side.
What you do
- Review the numbers with me and ask everything.
- Choose your path. Tell me your bottom line and your ideal closing window.
What we'll cover
- Pricing strategy and where your home sits against current competition
- Which repairs change your net and which aren't worth a dime
- Your move-out plan and whether you'll need possession after closing
- The listing calendar, built backward from your funds date
Nothing moves until this is signed. No photography, no MLS entry, no marketing. That protects both of us, and it's also the day we start ordering the documents that take the longest to arrive.
What I do
- Walk you through the listing agreement line by line. You'll never sign anything you don't fully understand.
- Prepare the Virginia Residential Property Disclosure paperwork with you.
- Confirm the funds date and lock the launch week onto the calendar.
What you do
- Review, ask every question you have, and sign the listing agreement and disclosures.
- Give me authorization to request your mortgage payoff figures.
What we'll cover
- The listing agreement, term by term
- Compensation: 2.5% listing fee, no transaction or administrative fees; buyer's agent compensation is a separate line we plan on your net sheet
- My guarantee: if you're not satisfied and we can't fix it, I release you with no fee due, as long as the home isn't under contract
- What conveys with the house and what doesn't
Ordered & tracked
- HOA / POA resale package ordered (Captain's Cove and any association property). Virginia gives the association up to 14 days to deliver, so this gets ordered on day one.
- Pre-listing inspections ordered if we've chosen them: well water (coliform) test, septic inspection, termite.
- Survey and owner's title policy located.
- Mortgage payoff estimate requested.
- Septic and well records and any permit history pulled from the Health Department and county.
The short list, not the long one. Most sellers spend far more than they need to here. Some spend nothing at all.
What I do
- Give you the short repair list and a presentation plan for the home.
- Coordinate any vendors you'd like help with: cleaners, haulers, contractors, stagers.
- Decide with you whether physical or virtual staging earns its cost on this home.
What you do
- Knock out the short list. Declutter. Arrange storage if needed.
- Decide what stays with the house.
- Plan for showing logistics: pets, work schedules, anyone living in the home.
What we'll cover
- Staging, physical or virtual
- Show-ready standards and how to hold them without losing your mind
- Showing access, SentriLock lockbox, and how appointments will reach you
One week to build the marketing package: photography, drone, video, 3D walkthrough, written remarks, and entry into both MLS systems. It doesn't publish until you approve it.
What I do
- Professional photography, drone imagery, video, and a 3D walkthrough. Virtual staging where it helps.
- Written MLS remarks that sell the home's real strengths, plus full feature coding in both the Eastern Shore Association of REALTORS MLS and BrightMLS.
- Sign and SentriLock lockbox installed. Coming Soon assets, social posts, and agent outreach built and queued.
What you do
- Have the home photo-ready on shoot day: lights on, counters clear, cars out of the drive.
- Review and approve the listing. Nothing goes live without your sign-off.
What we'll cover
- Final list price confirmation
- Showing instructions and open house plan
- How feedback will reach you and how often we'll talk
The listing goes up as Coming Soon midweek so buyers and agents can see it, save it, and plan for Saturday. It goes Active on Saturday, and the first showings happen at the open house. Every buyer walks in at the same time, on the same footing, and they see each other.
What I do
- Tuesday/Wednesday: Coming Soon in both MLSs, syndicated to Zillow, Realtor.com, and the major consumer sites. Direct outreach to my agent, buyer, and investor network.
- Saturday: the listing goes Active and I host the open house. No private showings before it.
- Track online views, saves, inquiries, and agent feedback from the first hour.
What you do
- Be out of the house for the open house. Buyers speak freely in an empty home, and what they say is exactly what we need to hear.
- Keep it show-ready. Showings start immediately after the open house.
What we'll cover
- First-week traffic and what it's telling us
- Any early offers and how to handle multiple interest
The most motivated buyers see a listing in its first two to three weeks. This is where pricing, presentation, and responsiveness pay off, and where I'll tell you the truth if the market is saying "adjust."
What I do
- Manage every showing request through SentriLock. Chase feedback after every showing and report it honestly.
- A weekly call at minimum, plus a written update on showings, views, and what's newly listed or sold around you.
- Watch the two- to three-week mark closely. Strong exposure with weak showings means the price is speaking, and we recalibrate.
What you do
- Accommodate showings as best your schedule allows. Flexibility sells homes.
- Step out during showings.
- Tell me if anything in your plans changes. The calendar bends to your life, not the other way around.
What we'll cover
- Showing count versus offers, and what each buyer said
- Price position against new competition
- Whether a seller credit or rate buydown would open the buyer pool
Ordered & tracked
- HOA resale package received and in hand, ready to deliver to a buyer the day we ratify.
- Pre-listing inspection reports on file and available to buyers.
Every offer gets a net sheet, not just a headline price. The closing date on the contract is the one we already picked from your funds date.
What I do
- Analyze every offer and counter on net proceeds and terms: financing strength, contingencies, deadlines, appraisal language, and which contract form it's written on.
- Build the counter strategy and negotiate for your goals, with 40+ years of contracts behind it.
- Verify the buyer's financing or proof of funds before you commit.
What you do
- Decide. I'll arm you with the numbers and my honest recommendation, but the call is always yours.
- Respond quickly to counters. Buyers cool off fast.
What we'll cover
- Time-is-of-the-essence language and what it does to every deadline
- Appraisal gap coverage versus a true appraisal waiver
- Inspection period length, and keeping it tight
- Possession after closing if you need it
- Confirming the closing date matches your funds date
Deadlines, inspections, appraisal, title. My job is to see every problem before the week of closing, not during it.
What I do
- Track every contract deadline and confirm each one in writing as it's met.
- Manage the inspection response and any repair negotiation. Handle appraisal issues if they come.
- Watch the title work with a licensed title agent's eye. Unreleased old deeds of trust and other clouds surface here, and this is where they get fixed.
- Review your preliminary settlement statement with you, line by line, before closing day.
What you do
- Respond fast when signatures are needed.
- If you won't attend closing, set up a remote closing or appoint your own Power of Attorney early, not the week of. I can't serve as your POA, but I'll coordinate it with the settlement company ahead of time.
- Schedule utility transfers, plan the move, and leave the home in the agreed condition.
What we'll cover
- Each deadline as it approaches
- Inspection response strategy
- The settlement statement draft and your final net figure
Ordered & tracked
- Days 1–5: Earnest money delivered to escrow. Buyer's loan application made. HOA disclosure packet delivered to the buyer, which starts their 3-day review period.
- Days 1–10: Home inspection (I keep the window tight, typically 5–7 days), plus well, septic, and termite inspections. Repair request, if any, and our response.
- Days 7–21: Appraisal ordered and completed. Title search run and title commitment issued.
- Day 21–30: Buyer's written loan commitment due. Clear to close. Preliminary settlement statement reviewed.
- Final days: Utility transfers, move-out, keys and codes gathered.
The buyer walks the home the day before or the morning of. Then we close with the settlement agent, or your attorney if you choose one. I'm in the room.
What I do
- Confirm the walkthrough went clean and resolve anything that didn't.
- Attend closing with you, or coordinate the remote or POA closing we set up weeks ago.
What you do
- Bring your ID, all keys, garage openers, gate and alarm codes.
- Leave the home broom-clean and in the condition the contract calls for.
What we'll cover
- Final numbers, confirmed against the net sheet we started with
- Wire instructions verified by phone, never by email alone
The deed is recorded with the county. Once recording is confirmed, your proceeds are released, typically within two business days of closing. This is the date we planned everything else around.
What I do
- Confirm recording and confirm the wire has been released.
- Follow up after closing. The relationship doesn't end at the settlement table.
What you do
- Watch for the deposit. Call me with any question, that day or a year later.
What we'll cover
- Anything left open after closing
- A review, if you feel I earned one
Rough total: 11 to 14 weeks
From "go" to money in the bank, most listings on the Shore run somewhere in that range, depending on how much prep you want to do and how quickly the right buyer shows up. Well-priced homes in good condition often move faster; unique or premium properties can take longer. What I won't do is promise a timeline I can't control. I'll tell you what the data says for your specific property, and keep telling you the truth as we go.
The Direct Purchase Timeline
The whole point of Path 2 is that most of the calendar above disappears. No photography, no showings, no inspection period, no appraisal, no repair negotiations, no waiting on a buyer's lender. Typical total: three to five weeks, or as long as you want it to be.
The same first question: what day do you want the money? On this path, the answer can be a lot sooner.
What I do
- Learn the property and your situation. Walk it myself, or review it remotely with photos, records, and a local visit I handle if you're out of the area.
What you do
- Tell me the honest condition and your ideal closing date.
What we'll cover
- Your timeline
- What stays and what goes
- How the offer will be calculated
A written, no-obligation, as-is offer with the reasoning explained, and a listing comparison beside it so you can see exactly what convenience costs.
What I do
- Deliver the written offer: after-repair value, real renovation costs, carrying and transaction costs, and my margin, all shown.
- Show you what listing would likely net instead, and tell you plainly if listing is the better answer.
- Disclose in writing that I'm a licensed Virginia broker buying as a principal.
What you do
- Take your time. Have it reviewed by an attorney or another agent if you'd like. There's no pressure and no obligation.
What we'll cover
- Every line of the number
- The listing alternative, side by side
A straightforward purchase contract, a closing date you choose, and professional title and settlement work. No inspection period, no appraisal, no repair negotiation, no showings.
What I do
- Prepare a clean, recordable-transaction-ready contract with your closing date on it.
- Order and monitor the title search. Resolve clouds before closing, not at the table.
What you do
- Sign. Take what you want from the house. Leave the rest.
- Set up a remote or POA closing if you won't attend.
What we'll cover
- Possession after closing, if you need time to transition
- Your exact net figure, in writing, before you sign
Ordered & tracked
- Title search and commitment
- Mortgage payoff figures
- HOA account status if it applies
- Settlement statement review
We close on the date you picked. The deed records, and your proceeds are released, typically within two business days.
What I do
- Attend closing and confirm the wire is released.
What you do
- Hand over the keys. Watch for the deposit.
What we'll cover
- Anything left open after closing
Let's Put Your Date on the Calendar
Tell me the day you want the money to land. We'll build the real schedule together, with both paths and both numbers in front of you.
Call or text me directly: (540) 729-7801my cell, not a call center.
I take on a limited number of listings and purchases at a time. If you have a date in mind, reach out early to get on the calendar.