San Francisco Real Estate: Escrow Out Loud

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#26: Strange Terms

Re-cleaning carpets, installing cabinets and adjusting tracks for closet doors. This week on Escrow Out Loud, our San Francisco Real Estate podcast, we are talking about strange terms in contracts that we’ve either received or written or heard about before!

And now, based on your requests, some time markers to help you find your favorite part of the episode quickly!

No Contingencies, Please!

[00:59] In San Francisco’s competitive property market there is usually no contingencies, so we don’t often see strange terms in contracts – the cleanest terms possible are typically your best bet in a competitive market! Price and terms are the two basic factors that affect how a seller will view an offer, and in a market with rising prices and multiple offers, how “clean” the terms are will often be one of the first items considered.

[01:51] Having said that, we do have some interesting stories to share of terms we have come across during our years in real estate. Would you agree to let the buyer sleep in the house before writing an offer? Clean the carpets two or three times? Make dinner for the seller after they move out?

[06:59] These types of requested terms might sound quirky and entertaining, and often they are easily handled in the context of one deal. However, when the contingencies included within one contract depend on the purchase or sale of another property, an issue with one escrow can have a serious cascading effect. We see this when the buyer’s offer on a property depends on a sale a property that the buyer currently owns. The Real Estate business can be very difficult at times, but from a project management software for creatives, it can be very easy if it is well organized.

Thank you for tuning in! We hope you join us again next week, when we will be welcoming our first podcast guests. Josh and Carlos take us on a tour of their home and talk about buying and owning in San Francisco.

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