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Seller's Guide

Top-producing Senior Vice President and real estate visionary, Jeff Lockard, is redefining the ultra-luxury buying and selling experience across Annapolis, Maryland, and the Washington Capital Region. Jeff represents the pinnacle of performance, innovation, and personalized client service. He is dedicated to guiding you through every step of your real estate journey, and to being your trusted advisor well beyond the closing.

A Step-by-Step Seller's Guide

Putting your home on the market can be a stressful process, especially when you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately, with the help of an experienced agent, like Jeff, and this easy to follow guide, you can smoothly complete the process. Following these steps will help you prepare so you can get organized and sell your home for the best price possible.​​​​​​​

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Step 1: Understand Why You're Selling

Why are you selling your home and what do you hope to achieve? Whether you're pursuing a dream upgrade, relocating for a new opportunity, or simply ready for a change, being clear on your goals is the first step. Your timeline and priorities will shape everything from pricing to marketing. If speed is essential, a competitive offer price can accelerate the sale. If maximizing profit is the focus, a strategic top-of-market retail listing price can boost your bottom line. Whatever your vision, share it with Jeff and he’ll tailor a business plan and strategy to make it happen.

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Step 2: Determine Selling Price

Pricing your home correctly is a key step in the selling process. Setting an accurate price from the start helps attract attention from both potential buyers and other Real Estate Agents. If your home is priced too high, it may sit on the market longer with little interest, while pricing it too low could mean leaving money on the table. That’s why partnering with a highly seasoned agent like Jeff Lockard is so valuable… he will analyze comparable sales, assess current market conditions, and provide you with an accurate current market value. In cases of unique estate properties he may even recommend and partner with a professional appraisal to help you land on the right price.

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Step 3: Start Preparations

Once your home is priced, it's time to prepare it for the photographer and videographer. This involves decluttering, depersonalizing, and often staging or painting to enhance visual appeal. Ensure all light bulbs match in color temperature.  Jeff’s pro tip: avoid compact fluorescent bulbs, as they produce poor photo and video quality. Don’t forget to make minor repairs, clean the windows inside and out, and give the entire home a deep clean so it presents at its absolute best. If you prefer, Jeff has a team of painters, gardeners and stagers ready to assist.

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Step 4: Develop a Marketing Strategy

Jeff will create a fully customized, written marketing strategy and business plan tailored to promote your home with precision and impact. This includes a strategic property listing supported by targeted SEO, a dedicated property-specific link, Google AdWords, dynamic social media campaigns, agent-to-agent referrals, and traditional advertising. Our goal is to generate maximum exposure and drive qualified buyer traffic, especially during the crucial first weeks when interest is at its peak.

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Step 5: Evaluate Offers

Receiving an offer is an exciting part of the process, but it’s not the end of the journey. With over 25 years of experience successfully negotiating on behalf of my clients, Jeff carefully evaluates each offer to ensure the buyer has been thoroughly vetted and the terms are in your best interest. He’ll assess every situation strategically and negotiate from a position of strength to achieve the most favorable outcome for you. Jeff will be your eyes and ears throughout the entire process, focused on protecting your goals and maximizing your results.

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Step 6: Accept an Offer

  • Once Jeff determines that the offer is fair and in your best interest, he’ll thoroughly review the proposed contract to ensure everything is in order. He’ll make sure all key elements are included and clearly outlined, such as:
     • Deposit amount
     • Down payment
     • Financing terms
     • Inspection rights and repair allowances
     • Contingencies
     • Settlement date
     • A breakdown of fees and who is responsible for each
    You can rest assured that every detail will be carefully checked to protect your interests.
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Step 7: Get Ready to Close

It’s great news when you’ve accepted an offer, and you’re almost at the finish line! Before you can officially close, there are a few final steps to take care of. You and Jeff will put together a list of what needs to be done, which might include things like an inspection, appraisal, or some repairs. Don’t worry, Jeff will  handle coordinating everything, making sure each task is completed by the right party and staying on top of the timeline. A few days before closing, he’ll check in with the closing company to confirm we’re all set. And if you haven’t already, it’s a good time to start planning your move so the buyer can take over without a hitch.

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Step 8: Close

You’ve reached the final step in selling your home and it’s closing day! This is when you’ll legally transfer ownership to the new buyer by signing the final paperwork including the deed with the closing attorney. Jeff will be there to help review everything and address any last-minute details. This is also a great time to work with Jeff to wrap up important tasks like transferring all keys and garage door openers, making sure the house is delivered clean and free of debris, updating account names for anything the new owner will keep, such as security company and alarm codes.

Congratulations!

You’re free to take the next step on your journey.  Whether this is moving into a larger home, or downsizing and enjoying your life, knowing all your selling responsibilities have been taken care of will help you achieve peace of mind moving forward.