How to Sell My House Fast in San Francisco: Cash Offer Options

Who else will buy your San Francisco house for cash?

You can also find other cash buyers in San Francisco, such as house flippers, iBuyers, and investors, who will buy your house for cash. In these next sections, we’ll provide examples of these businesses, how they operate, and the benefits and drawbacks you can expect.

• House flippers: House flippers buy homes with good bones in dire need of repair to remodel and resell as turnkey for a maximum profit. Flippers typically make offers well below market value to account for the cost of needed repairs.
• iBuyers: iBuyers use a proprietary algorithm that compares many data sets, including price history, lot acreage, a home’s square footage, tax valuation history, and other data points to determine the home’s automated valuation model (AVM). While historically offering more than flippers, iBuyers typically charge sellers a fee between 5% to 6%.
• Buy-and-hold investors: Buy-and-hold investors buy houses as long-term investments, often converting properties into rental units to build equity.
• Franchising/homebuying companies: These investors will buy your house as-is for cash, and renovate and sell them as turnkey homes for a significant profit. Like flippers, these investors offer sellers below market value.

Additionally, there are traditional resident homebuyers in the Bay Area with cash in their pocket who are able to expedite the home sale process.

Kevin Cruz, a top San Francisco real estate agent who sells homes 73% quicker than the average agent in the market, says that cash offers from these more typical home shoppers are prominent in the Bay Area, especially because it gives them a chance to buy a new home before selling their existing home without the headache of closing and opening mortgages.

“The Bay Area is very, very appreciation-friendly,” Cruz says. “When they put [cash] offers on properties, it’s much more competitive than putting twenty percent down or less.”

We’ll share expert tips on attracting traditional buyers later in this post. First, let’s look at some examples of fast-sale house-buying companies in the San Francisco area.

Cash buyers in San Francisco

San Francisco house-buying companies, also known as We Buy Houses companies, typically buy houses in need of repairs or properties owned by people who need a fast closing. Most of these companies will conduct a walkthrough within 48-72 hours, pay cash, and strive to close the sale in around seven to 10 days.

Here are examples of some of the established house-buying companies in San Francisco.

*Service plans can change. Check the company’s website for current fees and costs.

Pros and cons of selling a house for cash

Selling for cash isn’t the right decision for everyone. It can be very helpful when you need to sell your house as soon as possible, but there are also some downsides. Here are the pros and cons to consider before selling your San Francisco home for cash.

Option 2: Work with a top agent to sell fast in San Francisco

If you have a little more time and want to focus on getting your home’s maximum value, you might consider working with a top San Francisco real estate agent.

Top agents can not only get you more money for your home but can also sell your house 10%-50% faster than an average agent.

HomeLight data shows that top California agents sell homes faster than most agents, and the top 5% of agents sell homes for up to 10% more than average agents. Working with a top agent can lead to a speedy sale for top dollar to help you move past a divorce, sell a loved one’s estate, or get out of debt.

Cruz and his business partner Ed Barreto both agree that working with a knowledgeable real estate agent can be your ticket to a smooth and successful home sale in the Bay Area.

“I think definitely hiring a professional — especially in a unique market like San Francisco — is really important,” says Barreto. “It’s really important for a professional Realtor to conduct and analyze what needs to be done before the house goes on the market.”

How to find a top San Francisco real estate agent

Finding the right real estate agent for your needs is crucial. HomeLight’s Agent Match platform can help. By analyzing over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews, we can match you with a top-rated agent in your San Francisco market. Whether you’re selling or buying, let HomeLight introduce you to the best agent for your needs.

To get started, simply answer a few questions about your property and your needs. We’ll then match you with top-rated agents in the Bay Area. You can then interview each agent to find the best fit for you.

What’s happening in the San Francisco housing market?

Local market conditions can determine how quickly or slowly your house sells in California. San Francisco is generally a seller’s market, though there is a shift to a slightly more balanced market as prices continue to rise at a moderate pace. As the city became a huge tech hub, it attracted transplants from across the country. However, Cruz notes his team is seeing more people originally from the Bay Area buying in the city.

In 2024, fewer people are buying homes due to increased mortgage interest rates. Since rates have increased, fewer buyers on the market have helped those who were looking to buy – including many investors – pick up property.

“That’s how we’re seeing it,” Cruz says. “A lot of people are relocating because due to the market contraction that happened. A lot of people had an opportunity to sell and buy something and upgrade, and just refinance later on when the rates go down.”

While waiting for rates to go down, some people have started looking into their options and getting pre-approved, with the hope that the Fed will cut rates before 2024 ends so they can refinance to a lower rate.

For houses put on the market by experienced real estate agents with a clear marketing plan, bidding wars have become increasingly popular again, Cruz says.

“We’re seeing people overbidding now. We’re seeing properties all over the Bay Area that they’re offering a lot. We like twenty offers, thirty offers, fifteen offers — we’re seeing that now,” Cruz says.

How fast are houses selling in San Francisco?

Houses are selling quickly in San Francisco now that demand for homes is increasing and inventory in the state is still low.

According to SFGATE.com, most experts predict inflation continues to cool, which would help both buyers and sellers.

San Francisco real estate conditions and trends

As Cruz notes, supply and demand coupled with high interest rates in San Francisco are creating a tense market. Here is a snapshot of current real estate conditions in San Francisco:

Source: California Association of Realtors®

7 strategies to sell a house fast in San Francisco

Top-performing San Francisco agents have an arsenal of successful strategies that attract buyers and make homes sell faster.

Kristen Stuecher, a top real estate agent in San Francisco with 18 years of experience, says, “San Francisco buyers want to see turnkey properties with smart features, open floor plans, and close proximities to the [tech] peninsula.”

But no matter what floor plan or features your home has, you can still make some small changes to help your house sell quickly and for higher proceeds.

1. Sell your house vacant

One of the best ways to sell your San Francisco house quickly is to sell it vacant. This can require a bit more planning, but if you’re able to move into your next home before you sell, it can pay off.

“So when sellers sell, the first thing is we highly recommend it to be vacant and staged,” Cruz advises.

When you vacate your home before selling, you can speed up the closing process considerably. The buyer doesn’t have to wait for you to move out to move in, which can help condense the timeline. Plus, when you move all of your stuff out of the house, prospective buyers can better imagine themselves living there.

2. Stage your home to sell

Of course, once you vacate your home, you’re going to want to stage it. Photos of an empty house aren’t the worst thing, but staging it can help buyers envision what their life might look like in the home, how much furniture can fit, and the home’s greater potential.

“It is common for homes that are not staged to sit on the market longer because there’s still a big market in San Francisco where the typical avatar of someone moving in is like a tech employee who just landed a job in San Francisco and now works in the financial district,” Barreto says. “And they’re looking for a home to buy and settle into, and considering that they’re first-time home buyers, it’s really important that they can imagine themselves living in that home before moving in.”

A real estate agent can help you with staging. Many work with staging companies that can bring in furniture and handle the entire process for you. If you don’t want to take the time to stage, you can also use a virtual staging service. It’s also possible to stage your home while you’re still living in it.

“So I think when you have such a beautiful property like a high rise in the financial district, and you don’t stage it, sometimes that can impact the end result of the sale of your home,” Barreto says.

3. Update your flooring, lighting, and paint

It’s typically not necessary to do a full-scale remodel, especially in a seller’s market like San Francisco. But some changes are worth making. Cruz recommends updating flooring, lighting, and paint where possible.

“Those three things will change the ambiance and the look of the property because you want to make it look prepared and remove the wear and tear,” Cruz recommends. “Do a cosmetic renovation, and deep clean and stage it.”

Don’t underestimate the power of a fresh coat of paint in a neutral color. You may not need to refurbish your entire home’s flooring, but look for areas that are dated or worn out, such as drab carpeting or peeling linoleum.

4. Do a deep clean

San Francisco buyers want turnkey properties, and there’s nothing turnkey about a dirty or messy house. Putting your best foot forward also means cleaning the house from top to bottom.

If you don’t have the time to do a proper cleaning, bring in a professional cleaning company to do a move-out clean. Your real estate agent can also help you find a company.

5. Price strategically

“And I think in addition to flooring, painting, and lighting, pricing strategy is key as well,” Barreto says, especially if you are looking for a quick sale.

Pricing too high for the area can slow down your sale for the expected reasons: buyers won’t want to meet you at your price point. But if you price too low, you’ll leave money on the table – even if it means your sale might move quicker. Finding the right price can make or break your sale.

That’s where a real estate agent can help. An agent can conduct a comparative market analysis (CMA) using similar properties’ pricing histories to find the best price for your home.

6. Use the right technology to market your home

It’s clear that real estate has come a long way since putting an ad in the newspaper and putting out a “For Sale” sign. Using the right technology to market your home can help get it the attention it needs for a quick sale in San Francisco.

By working with a seasoned real estate agent who values marketing and technology, you don’t have to do the brunt of this work. For example, Cruz and Barreto use technology not only to communicate with clients but also to market their properties across the entire agency.

“So when we have a listing, it’s not just like that [one] listing agent who is representing the seller posting about it on social media,” Cruz says. “It’s going to be the whole company. We’re going to promote it on our social links and our social pages.”

7. Curb appeal – take care of your lawn

Don’t take curb appeal for granted – it can make a big impact on your San Francisco home sale. Outdoor space is clearly important to San Franciscans, as their city was ranked #7 in the U.S. News & World Report’s list of cities with the best park systems.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money or time to improve your curb appeal. Adding some flowers, sod, or outdoor furniture can all help improve a buyer’s first impression of your home.

Ready to sell your San Francisco home?

As you can see, a top real estate agent in San Francisco can help you navigate the many nuances that you might not otherwise discover until you’re swamped in the process. Their organizational efficiencies and marketing expertise can help you sell your San Francisco house fast.

If you need an even faster sale, HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform provides cash offers for homes in almost any condition in San Francisco. If you don’t have the time or the means to prepare your home or move through the traditional listing process, you can skip the repairs and showings and close in as few as 10 days. Complete a short questionnaire and receive a no-obligation cash offer in as little as a week.

Writer Stacy Sare Cohen contributed to this story.

Header Image Source: (David Vives / Unsplash)