5 Top Tips to Sell Your Real Estate in San Francisco

Since the pandemic lockdown, have your real estate needs changed?  Working at home, extended family needs, privacy, health and safety, etc…for many of us the answer is YES!  Now is the time to look into selling or buying property(s) to better serve our family needs.  The San Francisco and Bay Area housing market continues to be strong and now is a great time to consider selling. With many homebuyers interested in shopping different properties, it’s essential to know the tricks you can easily do to sell your property quickly for the best price and terms.

What are the best ways to attract qualified buyers? Do you really have to renovate your current house, give it a coat of paint, or will selling “AS-IS fixer-upper” make the most economic sense?  With equity on the line and questions of how to get the best possible outcome, we’ve compiled some quick tips to help you out!

1. Always price your home for the market

Pricing your San Francisco property directly influences the quality of traffic/interest how quickly the house sells. Remember the buyer’s first impression of a property is usually related to pictures that “pop” on their phone, curb appeal and the neighborhood market value. 

How to price your home correctly? First step is to do your research and identify market changes! Check the value of surrounding properties on the market that are listed or recently sold within the last after 90 days strike (maximum, 60 days or less is preferred).  Check months of inventory available, what % of sales sold above asking price, how much over asking did they go and days on market (DOM).  Our current DOM market is 14 days for single family homes, 30 days for condominiums and 45 days for tenants-in-common (TIC).  Create a spreadsheet with listing price or what they went for or closing price.  Then consider the pluses and minuses of your property details: location/view? Square footage of your property? Access to transportation and shopping? How many beds and baths? What other amenities does your property offer?

Pro Tip: Working with a trusted real estate agent can surely address your concerns in advance when it comes to pricing. You will get insider knowledge and professional opinion on what the marketing and target sale price range should be.

2. Invest in staging your property for potential buyers

Staging will pay for itself.  When the time comes to sell your home, it’s important to showcase the property with great pictures because many buyers are shopping on their phones. Staging offers more definition/dimension and makes your pictures “pop”.

Staging is the process of preparing your home by investing in color upgrades, decluttering, removing heavy dark low furniture and storage items or simply removing and rearranging furniture. Investing in simple upgrades can maximize the ROI of your sale and certainly make a difference in making the pictures of your property more attractive.

If your home has a great feature like the view of the San Francisco skyline and/or large level yard, focus on those features because we are selling “lifestyle” more than just beds and baths. The ultimate goal of staging is to enhance the appeal of your home, making it more inviting and relatable to a larger group of potential buyers. Taking the time to stage your property before listing it on the market does not only increase its chances of selling quickly but also drives up the price because more buyers will identify with your lifestyle theme.

Pro Tip: Staging your property is made easy when you hire a professional stager. They will visit your home and assess the top things they can do to transform it into a haven for future owners. The best thing when working with a stager is their experience with color and space—they are experts with delivering lifestyle accents while sticking to a budget without compromising results.

3. Don’t take offers personally

Never let your emotions rule your judgment! This is one of the most common mistakes home sellers in San Francisco and the Bay Area can make. They often make emotional decisions that would likely leave money on the table.  We understand that your home means a lot to you. However, when selling, your home becomes an asset to sell or a house of plaster, concrete  and wood “Home” goes as smoothly with you to the next address.  Avoid making rash decisions and stick to the plan.  Don’t take too long in making a decision when you get an offer; some buyers may keep second-guessing themselves and possibly withdraw time is the enemy of all real estate transactions.

4. Set realistic expectations

What’s your timeline for selling your home? How fast do you think it would sell? Perhaps, a month or two? Well, the average time your property sits in the market is just 22 days and 49 days to close on a home purchase, according to the Ellie Mae Origination Insight Report.

Given such a timeline, it’s essential to be open to minor inconveniences because every day counts. Remember, the sale will go significantly smoother if you have already moved out of the house. However, this is not entirely the case for homeowners who need to occupy their homes during the home selling process.

Marketing, home viewing, and scheduling open houses can be difficult.  Whenever a prospective buyer wants to look at the property, you’ll want to comply if at all possible!  Therefore it’s suggested to work out a showing schedule that compliments your lifestyle and include this schedule in your marketing so all interested parties can respect your needs while getting access and viewing the property.

Pro tip: To avoid timing hastles, look into a short-term rental for you and your family. This can reduce the inconvenience you’d encounter during the process.

5. Team up with a local realtor in San Francisco

The last tip: choose and work with a realtor who you can trust.  With their expertise and knowledge, you will avoid mistakes as they lead you through the process. They can also competitively market the property, ensuring everything goes as smoothly as possible.

More than anything, they can also help you avoid any potential pitfalls that could delay the sale. Make sure to choose a realtor who knows and understands your values and how to position your property and market to your target buyer group whether it’s tech academic, business professional or another buyer pool.

Planning to Sell Your Property? Speak with Us Today!

Selling your home involves thorough planning. It might feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be extremely stressful. Follow these tips to help sell your home faster and easier than you’ve expected!

If you need an experienced top realtor in San Francisco, Redmond Realty is here to help!  We have helped hundreds of clients capture their equity and move on to the next chapter of their lives.  We ensure that the process of selling a property, buying a property, or exchanging property is easy and nearly stress-free.

Need to know what your real estate is worth in today’s market?  You can contact us at (415) 4606-4484 or visit our San Francisco office at 2010 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94127.