It’s complicated. I just came back from an amazing adventure in Cuba so I thought I’d pass on some of what I learned. I went there with my husband on an educational cultural tour with City College of San Francisco. Until the last few years, you could not buy a home in Cuba; however, you could swap homes with someone else. A three bedroom apartment in Havana today costs between $30,000 and $50,000. While by SF standards, this sounds like …
Carol Solfanelli | Compass | DRE License # 01347033 |
415-297-7031 | carol.solfanelli@compass.com
2022 and 2025 Real Trends America’s Best Real Estate Professional
Top 1.5% of Agents Nationwide
2022 and 2025 Real Trends America’s Best Real Estate Professional
Top 1.5% of Agents Nationwide
Blog Posts
You never know what you are going to find when you enter a home for sale that is in probate and on lockbox. I took my client to see what in its day must have been a very charming Victorian cottage-like home in the central Sunset near the park. The owner had died and now the home was being sold. We entered after the sun had gone down so it was dark and the first light switch did not work. …
If you live in San Francisco, you know that closet space comes at a premium. There aren’t very many and the ones that do exist are way too small. On Broker’s Tour recently, I came upon a unique solution to this problem. The owners of an Ashbury Heights condo which is on the market turned one of the bedrooms – a smaller one but still a bedroom – into a walk-in closet. It was adjacent to the master bedroom. Although …
In real estate, when buying or selling property, everything is done in anticipation of the finale, known as the “close” or “closing.” California closings are very different from closings back east. For people who move to the west coast expecting a closing like they have on the east coast, they are in for a bit of a surprise. On the east coast, this is the day 60 to 90 days after the contract is signed where a half dozen people …
It is not uncommon that first time buyers who are buying a home or condo want at least two bathrooms. This makes sense, especially when they are living with a partner or have people over often. However, suppose they cannot afford to buy a property with two bathrooms, what can they do? I had clients who were a nice couple who were determined to buy a property with two bathrooms but it soon became apparent that it was out of …
When taking a sweet first time buyer couple out looking at properties a while back, the wife remarked to me that the process of buying wasn’t exactly like HGTV, which she watched a lot. While the shows on this channel are entertaining, they certainly do not reflect reality. For one thing, most buyers are looking at many more than three homes before they make a decision on what they are going to buy. In a recent episode on HGTV, the …
I had to smile to myself when a colleague recently stood up in my office at our sales meeting and announced a new listing for a two bedroom home in Mission Terrace for $710,000. Mission Terrace is a neighborhood south of the Glen Park and Sunnyside neighborhoods, containing the Balboa Park BART stop. Until recently, it wasn’t a neighborhood that was as sought after as its neighbors to the north. However things are changing. I smiled because clients of mine …
The San Francisco market over the past year has continued to be very strong, and Presidio Heights is no exception. With its proximity to top restaurants, hip boutiques and the Presidio, this neighborhood remains a coveted place with luxury values. Home Sales Over the past year (October 2012 – October 2013), 22 homes have sold “on the market” in Presidio Heights. There have been a number of sales “off market” as well. These “off market” sales are sales of properties …
It’s Not Just About the Price! The 10 Things You Need to Do To Prevail in a Multiple Offer Situation
What are the ten things a buyer and agent need to do to prevail in today’s competitive multiple offer market? Study what the most recent comps sold for, including properties that are “pending,” and make an offer higher than the closest comparable property, if you can. However, the highest price doesn’t always prevail. By following the next 9 steps, you may “win” without being the highest offer. If the buyer can pay in cash, do that. After, she closes, she …