Practical Advice : How To Help Your S.F. Bay Area Home Sell Faster

Thank you Michael for the post.

If you are thinking about selling your home in the S.F. Bay area I’m happy to set up a time to view your home & provide input as to value & how to prep it for market so that it sells for top dollar.

Keep in mind when watching this clip that the market is being generalized as a whole (nationwide) vs. looking at specific markets.

The S.F. market place is made up of  several micro-markets. While it’s true that the Super Bowl for some can be a huge distraction, there certainly are S.F. Bay Area buyers out shopping; I wrote offers for 2 buyers in January & have been actively showing property to 3 other buyer groups.

The 2011 San Francisco real estate market is off to a busy start!

Here is an example of how I market clients properties:  http://cbower.com/2010/10/14/spanish-med-center-patio-home-sale-outer-sunset-s-f-ca/

As part of my listing services, I pay for all marketing costs including hiring a professional photographer.  I distribute pics & the property profile to several online sites in addition to creating a video for YouTube.
This beautiful home in the Outer Sunset sold in late 2010 with multiple offers.  My clients were thrilled with the results as well as with my recommendations to service professionals who helped prep the property (floor installer, landscaper, plumber).

Barbara is absolutely correct, buyers won’t step through the door unless they’ve been able to view online property details.  As an aside, a major pet peeve is when agents don’t post interior photos or really poor quality photos which leads me to think (as well as buyers) that they are hiding a  highly unattractive property; come on now, if we decide to venture out for a look we will see what you’re hiding anyway…..

Typically I recommend a pre-sale pest inspection (which is different from a home inspection) for listings so that it’s known in advance what that dollar amount is.  This then is factored in to pricing strategy; the buyer typically will choose to handle any pest related work after close of escrow.

vIn San Francisco or with any older home for that matter which has had some deferred maintenance it’s not unusual to see $20k pest reports which impacts value/pricing more than a $1500 pest report.

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Post from Michael Haigh:v

In December, home sales reached an 8-month high, recovering from the losses of last summer. Market momentum is positive , but that doesn’t mean every home is selling quickly — only some of them are.

So, if you’re a home seller and want (or need) to get your home sold quickly, take a listen to this 3-minute interview from NBC’s The Today Show. It’s loaded with practical sales advice for sellers.

As examples:

• How to price your home relative to comparable homes for sale
• Using home inspections to keep your contract on-track for closing
• How much should be spent on your “home photos” that are shown online

The interview also covers about the 3 key places of a home on which to spend money — the kitchen, the living area, and the front facade. And for good reason — they’re emotional hooks for buyers that help sell homes.

In any market, selling a home can be a challenge. It can be easier by applying common sense.