You might not think of your home as a supermodel but for a few weeks, we can make it feel like one. Unless it's a legit fixer in which case: don't waste lipstick. Getting a SF home ready to sell comes down to three things: fix what buyers will find objectionable, present the home well, and document everything.
Fix What Bothers Buyers
The question before any project is whether buyers will pay for it, not whether you would like it. Fresh paint, working fixtures, a repaired step or a clean roof report tend to earn back their cost because buyers would otherwise mark them down as problems. A new kitchen right before you sell usually does not, because the next owner would rather choose their own.
We walk the house with you and sort the list into three piles: worth doing, worth disclosing instead, and worth leaving alone.
Some Houses Should Sell As Is
A house that needs a full renovation is usually best sold as one. Trust and estate sales in particular tend to do better with good disclosures and a clean presentation than with a rushed cosmetic remodel.
Staging Is Strategic
First impressions start online and last until buyers walk out the door. Furnishing a home to sell is a different job from furnishing it to live in. Staging ignores your taste on purpose: it shows the home's strengths, keeps its flaws in proportion and makes the photos and the rooms read clearly.
Whether that means a full stage, a partial one or simply editing what you own depends on the house and whether you are still living in it.
Inspect Before Buyers Do
In San Francisco, most sellers commission inspections before listing, usually a general property inspection and a structural pest inspection. It costs you something up front. It saves you more at the negotiating table, because buyers can review the reports before they write and have less reason to keep an inspection contingency or ask for credits after ratification.
Document As Verb
We help you assemble the disclosure package: the state and city forms that tell buyers about the home's condition and history, and that keep you on the right side of California's disclosure laws. Complete disclosures lead to stronger offers with fewer contingencies. Incomplete ones lead to questions, and questions can lead to credits. Our guide to the San Francisco disclosure package covers what goes in one.
Want a walk-through and a punch list for your home? Call or text (415) 416-4699 or email fullerteam@compass.com.
