Most homeowners believe a top dollar sale requires months of preparation, expensive staging, and constant disruptions. That wasn’t the case for your San Rafael Hills neighbor at 412 Elmwood Drive.
Her home quickly sold for $200,000 above asking price with eight offers received, no professional staging, and no open houses held. Here is the exact strategy I applied to deliver that outcome.
1. HOME PREPARATION
When I first walked the property, I immediately recognized it as a diamond in the rough. The mid-century architecture, the hillside privacy, the views—all were great selling points. The bones were exceptional. At the same time, the home needed attention and care before it would be market ready. I delivered that in a focused two-week sprint. A speedy process was important to my client.
My team handled the heavy lifting. We moved furniture and personal items to open up the spaces for photography. We rearranged and styled the rooms using the seller’s existing pieces to avoid the added expense of home staging. Finally, we brought in our trusted service providers to address basic touch ups along with exterior and yard cleanup. Vendor costs were processed through escrow at the close of the sale, so there was no upfront financial burden on my client.
2. PRICING
The market rate for comparable homes in San Rafael Hills was in the low $900 per square foot range. I priced slightly below that to generate immediate buyer activity and create the conditions for competitive offers. The goal was never to settle at the list price; it was to use the list price as a starting point and allow market forces to push the final sale price up to its peak level.
3. MARKETING
The seller preferred no open houses. Rather than treat that as a limitation, I turned it into a strategy. I curated the professional listing photos carefully, presenting a limited photo set with only the strongest and most enticing images of the home. The goal was to create enough curiosity that buyers felt compelled to view the home in-person through a private showing. I focused the marketing on what made this home genuinely special: the modern aesthetics, the hilltop privacy, and the views. Everything pointed toward those strengths.
4. NEGOTIATING
Eight offers came in within 14 days of listing. I set an offer deadline to concentrate attention and create a sense of urgency. I then countered only the most serious buyers, evaluating both price and terms to secure the strongest overall position for my client.
There are generally two rounds of negotiations that happen during a home sale. The first round is focused on the sale price and terms (i.e. duration of the escrow period, timing of contingency periods, etc.). This is when the winning buyer is selected. The second round occurs after the buyer has completed their various inspections and then comes back to the seller to negotiate on repair credits, based on the inspector’s findings.
To protect my client from a precarious situation during the second round of negotiations, I advised that she invest in a pre-emptive professional home inspection before listing. She followed my advice and we disclosed the inspection report to all the prospective buyers before they submitted their offers.
Because we provided this inspection report up front, my client was able to navigate the second round of negotiations without conceding to any repair credits. This meant she preserved the strong sale price that was initially agreed to. We proceeded to a smooth closing.
THE OUTCOME
412 Elmwood Drive was listed at $1,200,000 and sold at $1,400,000. The sale price translated to $999 per square foot of living space. Eight offers were received. The home was on the market 14 days. No open houses were held. No repair credits were conceded. My client trusted the process, worked with the timeline, and achieved a strong outcome. I was honored to protect her interests and help her execute a successful sale on her terms.
IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING A HOME SALE…
I would be happy to provide you with a complimentary consultation. You can call or text me at 626-807-6581 or email me at eva@linrealtygroup.com.