How to Choose a Realtor to Sell your Investment Property in San Francisco: 5 Essential Tips
San Francisco real estate is always in hot demand, making this a popular area for investment properties, but what about when the time comes to sell the property? In this post, I want to share a 5 tips on how to choose a realtor to sell an investment property for maximum value.
5 Tips To Find The Right Realtor For Your Investment Property Sale
#1 Find a Local Realtor.
Selling an investment property requires all of the same skills and services needed to sell your main residence. That means you'll want to work with a local San Francisco realtor to sell your investment property. Local realtors have current, insider knowledge of area market conditions – what homes are selling for, where they are selling, who is buying, what buyers are looking for in a property, etc. This knowledge can be incredibly useful as you sell an investment property because it will help you price the property correctly and get it on the market - especially during a pandemic!
#2 Check the Realtor's Experience.
As you research and speak with local realtors, be sure to find out what kind of experience they have with selling investment properties in particular. Investment property buyers are a different category of buyer from the usual and investment properties may hold their value differently than traditional properties in the area. You'll want a realtor who knows his or her way around investment buyers and how to work with them. You'll also want to take into account the type of investment property that the realtor has sold in the past. Is it commercial? Industrial? Residential? Make sure the realtor has the experience or knowledge with the type of property you want to sell. Ask for references or to see examples of investment properties the realtor has sold recently so you can get an idea of the kind of properties sold, to whom, and for how much.
#3 Look For a San Francisco Realtor With Connections to the Investment Community.
As you think about how to choose a realtor to sell your investment property, think beyond simply having sales experience. Ideally, the realtor you choose will have strong ties with the San Francisco investment community. Real estate is very much about building connections and relationships with other professionals in the industry. In traditional property sales, those professionals may be mortgage lenders, real estate attorneys, appraisers, title companies, and even handymen. In an investment property sale, you'll want a realtor who knows people who are interested in investment properties – either for themselves or for their own clients. Your realtor's relationships with these interested parties can help you sell a property faster and for more money than you may be able to get with a realtor who does not have the same connections.
#4 Do They Have Personal Investment Experience?
It never hurts to use a realtor who also invests in properties. Realtors who are investors themselves will have first-hand knowledge and experience that they can draw on to streamline the process and explain it to you. They are less likely to make guesses and more likely to spot red flags than someone who does not have this personal experience. You might even gain some tips that can help you become a more successful property investor!
#5 Find Out What's Included in the Real Estate Fees.
Real estate agents work for a licensed broker or brokerage in order to sell properties and represent buyers and sellers throughout the process. There are a few different ways brokerages charge for these services so it's best to ask about fees and commissions up front and the services you'll receive in exchange so you know what you'll be paying for. Your options include:
Fee-For-Services Brokerages. Think of this as an ala carte service. You'll only receive the services you pay for. Sometimes that is just the bare minimum of listing the property or helping with contract negotiations. You may have to handle most of the marketing, open houses, showings, and buyer questions by yourself.
Flat-Fee Brokerages. These brokerages offer more services than the fee-for-service brokerages, but still leave you to handle a lot of the process and marketing of the home on your own.
Full-Service Brokerages. These types of services will help you at every step along the way. They will oversee all of the marketing, staging, listing, open houses, buyer contact, and negotiations involved in selling an investment property.
There is no right or wrong answer as to which brokerage you should choose; it all depends on how much time and effort you are able to put into selling the property yourself. Some people love to be in the thick of it while others want to hand it all off to a professional. The point is to be aware that different kinds of brokerage services exist and make sure you're comparing apples to apples when you explore how to choose a realtor to sell your investment property.
Still have questions about how to choose a realtor to sell an investment property in San Francisco? Call (415) 854-2224 or email me at crystle@ckwproperties.com to get answers to all of your questions and see if I can help you sell your property.
LINKS TO OTHER BLOG ARTICLES
QUICK GUIDE TO BUYING A HOUSE IN SAN FRANCISCO
THINGS YOU CAN DO WHILE QUARANTINED AT HOME
HOW TO BUY A HOME DURING COVID-19
GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM’S EXECUTIVE ORDER EFFECTS ON REAL ESTATE
TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY IN SAN FRANCISCO DURING SHELTER-IN-PLACE
WHAT THE CARES ACT MEANS FOR YOU (CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT)
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES FOR SHELTER-IN-PLACE
CONFIRMING WITH THE IRS WHERE TO SEND YOUR STIMULS $$$
SAN FRANCISCO: IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO SELL A HOUSE?
HOW SAN FRANCISCO REAL ESTATE GOT SO EXPENSIVE AND WHY SF REAL ESTATE VALUES HOLD
ABOUT OUR FOUNDER, CRYSTLE WONG
As the CEO of a San Francisco founded, global tech startup, Crystle understands from experience what it takes to succeed. Her real estate experience spans from successfully managing multiple properties over the last 10 years including residential, commercial, and mixed-use, as well as her time spent actively investing in flipping properties, tax liens, tax deeds, and other property types. As a native born and raised in San Francisco, you can trust that you’re in good hands of a local who can help you navigate the micro neighborhoods of San Francisco. Crystle invests in relationships and you can count on her to walk with you through the process of buying or selling your property.
You might ask yourself, “What does a tech startup have to do with real estate?”
Good question! Everything about Crystle exudes intention. Her ultimate goal is to grow her tech company so that she can utilize its philanthropic arm to fund micro-housing for the homeless in partnership with key, long standing and successful social services organizations in San Francisco. Real Estate gives her the ability to network and learn about developing land to purchase in the future to develop the micro housing. Her time serving on boards for these non profits gives her the knowledge of what these organizations really need to be able to get more people off the streets for good.
The same cornerstones that drive success in her tech company are the same cornerstones that make her the best real estate agent to work with: honesty, transparency, integrity, and a relationship- focused mindset toward life.
Crystle was born and raised in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond district and continues to choose to establish her future life in San Francisco as well. She is a woman of her word. She not only financially supports several not-for-profits, but also regularly serves in her community helping the homeless, youth, and those in poverty.
In her spare time, she is an active and current member of the Board of Directors of Lutheran Social Services of Northern California, the APA Heritage Foundation Committee of San Francisco, and volunteer for Mobilize Love. She has previously and faithfully served on the Board of Directors for Zion Lutheran Church and School of San Francisco, the Board of Directors for Designing a Difference, the Board of Directors for APAPA San Francisco, a member of the Friends of Smuin Ballet, and as a Co-Chair for the Princess Project.