How Our San Francisco Cash-Offer Process Works (City)

Our San Francisco overview page walks through the basic four steps of selling to us. This page goes deeper into the San Francisco-specific mechanics behind each one — how we actually price a property, who handles the closing, and what it means for what you walk away with.

Step 1: A Property Evaluation Built on Your Actual Neighborhood

San Francisco doesn’t have one housing market — it has dozens of them, and values can shift meaningfully between neighborhoods like the Sunset, the Richmond, the Mission, Bayview, Bernal Heights, and the Excelsior, sometimes block to block. Rather than applying a citywide formula, we pull recent comparable sales specific to your neighborhood, adjust for the property’s condition, size, lot, and any repair needs, and build the offer from those real, local numbers.

Step 2: A Written Offer and a Licensed Escrow Company

Once we agree on a price, the purchase agreement goes into escrow with a licensed San Francisco title and escrow company — a neutral third party, not us and not you. The title company runs a full title search, clears any liens, judgments, or unpaid taxes against the property, and holds the funds until every condition of the sale is met.

Step 3: Signing — Remote or In-Person

California allows remote online notarization (RON) for real estate closings, so if you’ve relocated out of state or simply prefer not to travel to a title office, you can sign the closing documents remotely with a live online notary. If you’d rather sign in person, that’s available too, either at the title company’s office or with a mobile notary who comes to you.

Step 4: Recording With the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder

Once signing is complete and funds are ready, the deed is recorded with the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder, located at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place — the office that makes the transfer official and public. Because San Francisco is a consolidated city and county, this single office (rather than a separate county recorder) handles recording for the entire city. Recording usually happens the same day funds are confirmed, which is the moment the sale is actually complete.

What You Net: Transfer Tax Still Applies, Commission Doesn’t

One cost that doesn’t go away no matter who you sell to is San Francisco’s real property transfer tax. Unlike many California cities that charge a single flat rate, San Francisco uses its own tiered transfer tax structure, where the rate increases at higher sale-price thresholds — reaching roughly 6% on very high-value transactions. The important thing to understand is that this is a transfer tax owed on the sale itself, not a commission tied to using an agent, so it applies the same way whether you sell to us or to a retail buyer. Because the exact dollar thresholds for each tier are adjusted periodically, confirm the current rates that apply to your sale price with your title company. What you do avoid selling to us is the 5-6% agent commission and any repair credits, which is where most of the actual savings comes from.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is my offer actually calculated?
From recent comparable sales in your specific San Francisco neighborhood, adjusted for the property’s condition and any repairs it needs.

Do I have to sign in person?
No. California permits remote online notarization for real estate closings, so signing remotely is an option.

What is San Francisco’s transfer tax rate on my sale?
San Francisco uses a tiered structure where the rate rises with the sale price, up to roughly 6% at the highest tiers. Confirm the exact rate for your specific sale price with your title company, since thresholds are adjusted periodically.

Do I pay any commission if I sell to you?
No. There’s no agent commission on a direct sale, though standard transfer taxes still apply as they would on any sale.

Transfer tax rates and thresholds are set by the City and County of San Francisco and adjusted periodically; confirm current figures with your title company or a tax professional before closing.

Get a free, no-obligation cash offer from Cash Home Buyers CA today.