Sell Your Home in Lafayette, Orinda and the East Bay
I'm Sarah Marcus, a Compass real estate agent based in Lafayette, with more than 25 years of real estate experience and more than 200 East Bay home sales. My approach is strategic, hands-on and candid. Preparation, presentation and pricing have to agree, so I don't treat them as separate jobs.
One strategy, four steps
1. Home Preparation
Strategic guidance on improvements, repairs, staging, and presentation to position your home for the strongest possible launch.
For eligible sellers, Compass Concierge may also provide an option for funding certain pre-sale expenses, subject to the program's current eligibility requirements and terms.
Read Preparing Your Lafayette or Orinda Home for Sale: Where to Invest Before Listing.
2. Pricing Strategy
Data-driven pricing informed by comparable sales, current competition, buyer behavior, and the realities of today's market.
The list price isn't necessarily the value. It is part of the strategy. Read Pricing an East Bay Home: Why the List Price Isn't the Value.
3. Targeted Marketing
Strategic positioning and targeted exposure designed to reach the right buyers and create urgency.
4. Negotiation
Experienced negotiation and advocacy from offer strategy through inspections, contingencies, and closing.
Where I sell
Lafayette is where I work every day, and Orinda is nearby. Oakland is where I built my seller experience over many years, and I also represent clients in Berkeley. Pricing behaves differently on each side of the Caldecott Tunnel, and I plan for that. West of the tunnel, the asking price may be an opening position. East of it, in Lafayette and Orinda, the list price generally sits much closer to anticipated market value. See my Lafayette real estate page and my Orinda real estate page.
Selling in Oakland or Berkeley and moving to Lafayette or Orinda
If you plan to use the equity from your Oakland or Berkeley home to buy on the other side of the tunnel, the sale, the financing and the timing need to work together. I've spent years representing buyers and sellers in Oakland and Berkeley, and I now work from Compass's Lafayette office, so I can plan both sides as one move.
Whether it makes sense to buy first or sell first depends on your financing, your comfort with risk, and the market conditions on both sides of the move. I help clients evaluate their options and build a realistic plan before they start looking.
Read Selling in Oakland or Berkeley and Buying in Lafayette or Orinda: How to Make the Move.
A recent result
In 2024, I listed 488 Bonnie Drive in El Cerrito for $995,000. Eight days later, the property was pending. It ultimately sold for $1,800,000. I would never tell another seller that theirs can do the same. The $995,000 list price was part of the launch strategy for that particular property in that particular market, and the house had been thoughtfully prepared and presented. Read the full story in Pricing an East Bay Home: Why the List Price Isn't the Value.
"Sarah was clear, decisive and confident throughout the sales process, which gave us confidence. Ultimately, she negotiated a price that was well above our expectations. We couldn't be happier with her and her team's service and how the process went."
Seller · El Cerrito · April 2024. Originally posted on Redfin and republished verbatim on my site.
Let's talk about selling your home
Thinking about selling in Lafayette, Orinda, Oakland, Berkeley, or elsewhere in the East Bay? Tell me a little about what you're considering.