The Hunt

My approach to the home buying cycle begins before we ever tour our first property together.  To best utilize our valuable time, I find it most efficient to meet for an discussion about your ideal home.  Understanding what you want and need from a home is very important, as is putting that information on paper.  While everyone reserves the right to have their interests evolve as we go through the process, my experience tells me it is most efficient to funnel as much of this information as possible into an effective search.

Where you want to live, what style of property, and what features most appeal to you are among the broad topics we cover in this initial meeting.  The goal is to establish a baseline and evaluate your criteria objectively in comparison to the market.  As a skilled San Francisco Real Estate agent who closely watches available inventory, I serve as a sounding board to help hone your outlook.  The clearer you are with realistic criteria, the more productive our course of action.  For many, finding the perfect home is either the art of compromise or the art of broadly defined desires.

Naturally, all of this early work is framed by your budget and, I can say plainly after working with individuals and families of all means, everyone always has a budget.  Some are big, and some are small.  Since I love helping committed home buyers at all levels with their San Francisco real estate needs, I take very seriously my role of balancing my clients' goals with what they want to spend.

Negotiating a San Francisco Real Estate Deal

Retail transactions are relatively simple.  You select your merchandise and pay the specified price.

Buying a home has the appearance of a retail transaction, given you choose one and it has a stated price, and many buyers are led to believe through their limited experience with real estate that retail protocols apply.  Rarely is a transaction that simple, and it is for this reason that many novice home buyers are seduced into feeling they should have all of the skills required to negotiate a home purchase independent of a professional real estate agent.

Apart from the technical and legal aspects of a real estate transaction, from the onset homes are often imbued with a certain measure of emotional attachment either from the seller, the buyer, or both.  That heightened level of sensitivity can make or break a deal.  It can reduce every decision to a bottom line price or it can open opportunities previously undiscovered.  The key is to have an objective and trusted advisor reminding you of your dispassionately stated goals while capitalizing on opportunities presented by a seller.

Ultimately, when a transaction isn't all about money, nuances emerge that can strengthen a buyer's hand and give everyone what they want.  Experience makes all the difference in discovering these and knowing best how to work with them.

Closing Escrow

You've found the house, negotiated a deal, and plan to slide toward escrow.  However, once in motion, there are so many moving parts, any one thing can interrupt the progress, delay the closing date, or, in a worst case, derail the whole transaction.  My job isn't done until I can hand you the keys and say it's yours.  To make that happen, my transaction coordinator and I remain vigilant until the very end.

The exact length of time of the escrow period is established during initial negotiations along with specific deadlines; typically it is thirty days.

During that window between ratification (all parties agreeing to the terms of a deal) and the property's transfer of title (the close of escrow), many things have to occur.  These may include professional inspections, such as property, pest, and underground tank; appraisals; repairs; and further negotiating, depending upon how parties react to these events.  Your deposit is held by the title company and, should you not perform according to the terms of your contract, a portion could be subject to forfeiture.  It is a serious period of time and requires attention to detail and prompt response. Meanwhile, as the buyer, you've got to confirm your financing, review disclosures, and, if you plan to live in your purchase, organize a move.

It is critical to have the guiding hand of a trusted professional with you every step of the way; I take this responsibility to heart.

                                                                                                                              
* It is very important for me to add that I truly believe many people have the capacity to learn the business of real estate and, therefore, execute their own transaction. I think of this in the same way I believe many people have the talent to learn basketball, a foreign language, or the guitar, for example.  The question becomes, do you want to do all that work to play one game, have one French conversation, or to rock out at one big gig? Like these other subjects, the mechanics come relatively easily.  However, it is practice that makes all the difference.  I'm immersed in the real estate market every day and regularly negotiate.  Someone on the sidelines can't be expected to have the same depth or breadth as a professional. While you could learn everything I know, it's much more efficient to hire me.