Selling your home in the Bay Area
I read the buyer's financing before you accept it, so you pick the offer that closes and not only the biggest number.
The highest offer and the best offer are not always the same
Selling your home in the Bay Area usually comes down to two moments. The first is the price you launch at. The second is the morning you have offers in front of you and have to pick one.
I'm Chaitali (CeCe) Cherian of KeysWithCeCe, a REALTOR® with eXp Realty and a licensed loan officer. Most listing agents can tell you which offer is highest. Because I write loans too, I can tell you which one is most likely to survive underwriting, and that is the number that actually ends up in your account.
The full method, step by step, is on how I sell your home. This page covers what it means for you.
I read the buyer's financing before you accept it
An offer arrives with a pre-approval letter attached. Most sellers see a letterhead and a number. A pre-approval can mean a full underwrite with documents checked, or it can mean somebody typed figures into a form, and the two look almost identical on paper.
So when offers come in I look at who the lender is and how they work, what the buyer is putting down, whether the loan type fits your home, and what in that file could move once an appraiser or an underwriter sees it. On a condo I also look at whether the building itself will pass, because an association can end a buyer's loan on a home that is in perfect shape.
Then I tell you which offer I would take and why. A fallen-through escrow costs you weeks on market, and a home that comes back on looks worse than one that never left.
What I actually do to sell it
Your price comes from what has really sold near you, not from a guess or an automated estimate. That is the part most sellers want to argue about and the part that decides the outcome, so I show you the data and we set it together. The detail is in how I price your home.
Then the home gets presented properly and put in front of buyers everywhere they look:
- Professional photography and video
- The MLS and Zillow
- Open houses
- Social media posts and paid ads
- A printed flyer for the home
- Direct email to other agents with buyers in your price range
Staging when the home needs it. My Tracy listing was owner occupied and well kept, so it did not need staging and I did not sell you something you did not need. The marketing side in full is on how I market your home.
If you are buying as well as selling
Most sellers I work with are not only selling. They are moving somewhere, and the two have to line up. That is a different job from a straight sale, and it is the one where things go wrong quietly.
I have closed a sale and a purchase for the same client inside a 24-hour span, with a one-week rent-back so they only moved once. If that is your situation, start on selling and buying at the same time.
If you are only trying to find out where you stand, start with what your home is worth. There is no obligation attached to a number.
Where I help sellers
I list homes across the Bay Area, including Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, Castro Valley, Dublin, Pleasanton, Newark, San Jose, and Tracy.
Pricing is local in a way that surprises people. Two homes of the same size a few miles apart can need different launch prices, different timing, and a different kind of buyer. So the plan for your home starts from your street, not from a county average.
I work with clients in English, Hindi, and Bengali.
Your next step on selling your Bay Area home
You do not have to be ready to list to find out where you stand.
- Book a free home value and game plan session, about 30 minutes on Zoom.
- Ask me what your home is worth or call (510) 610-0124. I'll reply personally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I just take the highest offer?
Not automatically. The highest offer is only the best one if it closes. I read the buyer's financing before you accept, and tell you which offer I would take and why. An escrow that falls apart costs you weeks, and a home that comes back on the market looks worse than one that never left.
Do I need to stage my home?
Only if it needs it. A home that is occupied and well kept often does not. I will tell you where money is worth spending before we launch and where it is not.
How do you decide my list price?
From what has actually sold near you recently and what is competing with you right now, adjusted for your home's condition. I show you the data and we set the number together, rather than me handing you a figure to agree with.
Can you help me sell and buy at the same time?
Yes, and it is a large part of what I do. I have closed a sale and a purchase for the same client within 24 hours, with a rent-back so they moved once. Both sides go on one timeline with a fallback behind each dependent date.
Keep exploring
Ready to make your move with KeysWithCeCe?