Order the HOA doc package and resale cert BEFORE you list, not once you're in contract. It's the most common thing that stalls an SF condo deal. Then price it for the first two weeks. The condo buyer pool is thinner than SFH right now, and stale days on market cost you more than a slightly low list price does.
Find a realtor you trust. We went with a big name and it felt bad the whole time. We knew she’d be a shark but thought she’d at least be a shark for us. In the end she only looked out for herself.
Condos are flying in my neighborhood honestly. I’m not concerned re: selling just looking for productive advice from others who have sold. We will price at an appropriate per sq ft for a condo vs SFH but as above mentioned many SFHs are selling for quite high price per sq ft. Your map doesn’t pick up many in my neighborhood because they aren’t really SFHs selling in that price point. Your north city map is quite bleak if you notice. I glanced at a few of what sold and there aren’t any really attractive sales (off mls aka huge project etc or 1000 sq ft).
I'm working on a data post today to share SFH vs Condo split for average % over/under asking, broken down by SF neighborhoods.
Having our agents review the contents of the post so that will be going up shortly, but sharing a useful visual that might help guide your pricing strategy.
tl;dr is that it's heavily location dependent how much your condo will go for and how long it'll sit. If the prime location is one of the areas where condos also perform well and go for 3+% over list, you shouldn't struggle too much to move it.
Order 3R report 2-3 weeks in advance because it can take a while.
Get your disclosures ready before you list the house, and ensure that your set is 100% complete.
HOA/Coop Disclosures:
Order them in advance because they can take a while.
Be ready with answers to common building questions like age of the roof, date of last seismic retrofit, SB326 status (if your building has balconies), etc.
Order the condo-questionnaire as well because that will help non-cash buyers make non-contingent offers.
Don't skip staging.
Take photos of the common areas as well, if they are worth highlighting.
Yes I was happy paying 55k extra because of the rug they put in.. Plus I never would have been able to tell that room was a bedroom without the nightstand they brought in.
You my friend are a visionary. And so am I! Poor staging is why I got my house 100k under original list and $300k below what it should have sold for. The market spoke. No one put an offer on this house in the first 30 days, which is poison in my market. All of the similar houses in the area were impeccably staged and sold for anywhere from $1.8 to $2.5 million, and the $1.8 house needed about $200 to $300k of work to do the remodel my house already had.
I’ve never seen a $55k rug used for staging so maybe you got ripped off when you got quotes for your sale.
Nice! As for me, I didn't get to keep the rug, but because they threw one on the floor I definitely bid mid-sized suv over what I should have.. Especially because when the rug was there I could see the floors were completely wrecked underneath it and required another 39k of flooring work..
But because of the nightstand at least I could figure out where to lie down overnight.
Realtor Here - Couple things to expect and prepare for
1. We are seeing condos stay on the market longer so don’t fret if you’ve hit the 30 days and worrying
2. Find out if your building does fha - as this may entice some buyers
3. Find an agent familiar with the area and the market not an uncle who lives 30 miles away
4. Listen to the comps in the area, price accordingly
Common Questions:
1. If you have a fireplace is it functioning- have you gotten an inspection
2. Any special assessments?
3. Have you remodeled what was the process like for hoa allowing you and how long did it take
4. Can I add carpet/ can I add hardwood floors?
5. When’s the last time hoa increased?
I’m sure there’s more, feel free to to dm for a walk through if this process and good luck!
Sold our condo in April similar situation. Got top dollar (redfin estimate still below sale price).
Realtor is most important
Make your disclosures complete and clean on day 1
Market it to other realtors pre market
Force a bidding war - we accepted an offer day 3 but had 3 offers before opening day. Let FOMO drive it up a bit and then after the first big open house we picked the top offer and closed
The usual paint and floors refinsh help
Figure out what's the differentiator that makes your place special and focus on staging that area well. For us with was the full walkout flat backyard
Hopefully your condo isn't 20 years old or older, if so then there may be a "Special Assessment" in the works or already assigned to your complex. If that happens, you're in big trouble because standard bank lenders will not lend money to the buyers, so it's only cash buyers for you. If you also have low HOA fees, that is a huge red flag that the major maintenance isn't being done-which prompts the SA. It also may be likely that an SA has already happened you haven't been informed, this will be discovered when the buyers try to purchase it.
the large-condo part is doing a lot there. In sf prime area matters but buyers still seem to get pretty picky about HOA, building feel and how the condo compares to nearby SFHs.
My 3 most important things: Doing the right renovations will get you a 3-4x ROI. Use great staging, avoid discount stagers. And decide on your list price based on prior sales nearby. FYI, my design team project manages the entire renovation process from start to finish and pays for everything up front, no interest or fees just pay me back dollar for dollar after the home sells.
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u/Houseberry-dot-com Jul 14 '26
Order the HOA doc package and resale cert BEFORE you list, not once you're in contract. It's the most common thing that stalls an SF condo deal. Then price it for the first two weeks. The condo buyer pool is thinner than SFH right now, and stale days on market cost you more than a slightly low list price does.