San Francisco is a consolidated city and county, so the city's own offices handle what a county would elsewhere.
San Francisco sellers often face a house that needs a seismic retrofit, a foundation or a full rewire — or a building with tenants protected by the city's rent rules. A cash buyer can take on that work and those tenancies without the months a retail sale would need.
Instead of calling buyer after buyer, send one request. Cash buyers who work in the City and County of San Francisco compete for the house, and we match you with the one that fits your price and your timeline.
How it works
- 1. Tell us about the house in one form.
- 2. Cash buyers who work in the City and County of San Francisco make offers.
- 3. We match you with the best fit. More
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Selling a house in San Francisco
The city's housing is mostly Victorian and Edwardian row houses and flats, plus the 1930s–50s stucco homes built over garages in the Sunset, Excelsior and Ingleside. Knob-and-tube wiring, brick or undersized foundations, soft-story ground floors, dry rot in old siding and leaky flat roofs are common.
Buyers make offers on houses across the City and County of San Francisco, including:
- Bayview-Hunters Point
- Excelsior
- Visitacion Valley
- Outer Sunset
- Richmond District
- Mission District
- Bernal Heights
- Portola
- Ingleside
- Oceanview
Common situations in City and County of San Francisco
How each one works locally — and why a cash sale can help. General information, not legal advice.
Probate and inherited houses
Because the city and the county are one, San Francisco estates go to the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. Court-supervised sales there can draw overbids at the confirmation hearing; a representative with independent authority can often avoid that step.
More on probate and inherited houses →Behind on the mortgage
San Francisco foreclosure notices — the notice of default and then the notice of trustee's sale — are recorded with the city's Office of the Assessor-Recorder, and the trustee then holds a public auction. You own the house until the sale, so you can usually still sell.
More on behind on the mortgage →Behind on property taxes
Property taxes in San Francisco are collected by the city's Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector, which can put long-delinquent property into a public tax sale.
More on behind on property taxes →Code violations and city orders
San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection investigates complaints about unsafe or substandard housing and unpermitted work, and issues notices of violation that stay attached to the property until they're cleared.
More on code violations and city orders →Tired of being a landlord
Unlawful detainers in San Francisco are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. Most older rental units are covered by the city's rent ordinance, administered by the Rent Board, which limits eviction reasons. You can sell with tenants in place — paying, behind, or mid-eviction.
More on tired of being a landlord →No fees or commissions, no showings or repairs, and buyers never see your contact details until you choose one. How DealSherpa works.
Selling for cash in San Francisco: questions
My San Francisco building has an open notice of violation from the city. Can I still sell?
Yes. Disclose the notice. A cash buyer can buy with the violation open and take on clearing it with the Department of Building Inspection after closing, so you don't have to pull permits and do the work yourself.
How fast can I sell my house for cash in San Francisco?
California sales close through an escrow company, with a title company insuring the title; escrow pays off the loan and any liens before you're paid. Once you accept an offer, most the City and County of San Francisco cash sales close in one to three weeks — sooner if there's no estate or lien paperwork to clear, or later on a date you choose.
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