Forming part of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, South Gate is the 17th largest city in the county and encompasses 7.4 square miles of residential, commercial, and industrial development. Nine parks also occupy 170 acres of the city, making it a boon for families.
Through the years, the local government of this ethnically diverse community has ramped up its green initiatives, winning awards and grants for its Sustainability Best Practice Activities. As a participant of the Beacon Project, South Gate has worked to build a “more vibrant and sustainable” community.
The Urban Orchard is also underway, a 30-acre passive park envisioned to “host hundreds of fruit trees, a constructed wetland, an education garden, walking paths, native landscaping, and a mile long extension of the Los Angeles River Trail,” according to the project brief. In addition, South Gate will see the rise of the Southeast LA Cultural Center, one of seven projects of the Lower L.A. River Revitalization plan, with renowned architect Frank Gehry designing the center. (The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao with its irregularly-shaped winged panels is one of Gehry’s most iconic buildings.)
As such, buyers looking for homes for sale in South Gate, CA will have plenty of things to look forward to in this community. The development plans also serve as further impetus for home sellers to put their properties on the market.
South Gate, CA Quick Facts
- Population: 90,926 (US Census, 2022)
- Year of incorporation: January 20, 1923
- Nickname: Azalea City
- Accessibility:
- 20 miles north of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
- 13 miles east of the LA International Airport
- 7 miles south of downtown LA
To make sure sellers get optimal returns, consider the following strategies for success.
Table of Content
Learn about the South Gate real estate market
Homes for sale in South Gate, CA fetch higher prices compared to the national average. However, prices remain reasonable compared to some of the most expensive areas in California like San Mateo County, Marin County, and Santa Clara.
In August 2023, the median sale price of an average home in South Gate was around $625,000, a decrease from August of the previous year. But homes in the city are selling faster than they did last year; in some instances, a home can sell in only 25 days, as opposed to almost 40 days in 2022. Some homes even sell as quickly as 7 days.
Another positive thing to note is that homes for sale in South Gate, CA have a sale-to-list price ratio of 100%, which means that home sellers get offers that correspond to their asking price. sometimes even higher. In fact, more than 50% of homes sold above their listing price. In some cases, homes can generate offers of up to 4% more than their asking price, with some homes getting multiple offers.
In August, South Gate, CA was also a seller’s market. This means that there were more buyers looking for properties than there were sellers. In such a market, sellers stand to gain several advantages, such as:
- More leverage for negotiating prices, concessions, etc
- Potential multiple offers that might come with better terms (higher earnest money offer, and so on)
- A potentially faster closing time
While this is encouraging, it will be even more helpful to learn about a variety of strategies that will help you sell your house in whatever type of market you find yourself in. Here are some of the best tips for selling your house in South Gate, CA.
7 HOME SELLING TIPS AND STRATEGIES
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Create a checklist
When adding your property to the list of homes for sale in South Gate, CA, it helps to have a list of some of the most important elements that can make or break the sale. In this way, you have a concise look at what you need to do before you put your house on the market. These include the following:
- Revamp your curb appeal. Did you know that many believe that a shabby exterior is the ultimate deal breaker when it comes to buying a home? This is why curb appeal is important. How your home looks to a potential buyer is instrumental to whether they’d like to find out more about it and, eventually, make an offer. Homes with a nice exterior sell 7% more than homes that did not invest in their curb appeal.
- Repaint walls a neutral color. Among the most useful tips for selling a home is painting your walls a neutral color. This allows buyers to imagine what the house will look like with their personal touch. Among the most preferred wall colors are gray and beige.
- Depersonalize your home. After working on the two above elements, the next step is to take out personal fixtures and furnishings, such as photographs and trophies.
- Repair, declutter, and refine. It’s also critical to touch up signs of wear and tear, replace broken handles, and clean all living areas to make sure they look appealing. Whenever possible, it’s helpful to enhance interior features, such as adding plants, to invite more interest and drive up your home’s potential value.
- Do a smell test. Don’t forget to conduct a smell test! Lingering odors like those that come from your pets can dissuade buyers from wanting to purchase your house. In addition, spritz your home with citrus scents before showing to encourage offers; according to a 2016 survey, homes that smell like citrus can drive up the price by as much as $100,000.
- Stage your home for professional photos. Finally, commission a professional photographer to take photos of your staged home. Home staging can help you sell your home 73% faster, while adding up to 23% to its value.
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Learn how to set the right price
Even if South Gate, CA is a seller’s market, you still need to set the right listing price for your home. Too low an offer might make buyers think that there’s something wrong with your house, while too high of a price can discourage interest. And the longer your house is on the market, the less appealing it looks to a homebuyer.
When deciding on your asking price, here are some of the key factors you should look into:
- Consider the school district your neighborhood is in. Is your home located near schools like Bryson Avenue Elementary School, Hollydale School, or South East High School? Do you have walkable or bikeable access to the Azalea Shopping Center, top-rated restaurants like Palos Comida and TH Teriyaki House, or entertainment venues like Dodger Stadium, Universal Studios Hollywood, or Venice Beach? These markers can drive up your home’s value, which merits a higher listing price.
- Consider the rate of appreciation of your neighborhood. Similarly, certain neighborhoods in the city have steadily appreciated since 2000. So if you live in any of these neighborhoods, your listing price should reflect the historical increase in the home value of these areas:
- Liberty Boulevard/Cypress Avenue
- Long Beach Boulevard/Illinois Avenue
- Duane Way/San Juan Avenue
- Long Beach Boulevard/Orchard Place
- City Center
- Hollydale
- Iowa Avenue/Truba Avenue
- Workman
- Elizabeth Avenue/Missouri Avenue
- Seminole Avenue/Pescadero Avenue
- Consider the condition of your home. How your home looks and performs is also a top criterion in determining its listing price. Homes that are still in their original condition might sell less than those that have had upgrades. Similarly, the specific type of home upgrade directly impacts its home value. Renovations that net the most increase in resale value include:
- Finishing a basement: Up to $50,000
- Adding a pool: Up to $27,000
- Adding a home office: Up to $10,000
- Repainting your home’s exterior: Up to $7,500
- Replacing your garage door: Up to $3,000
- Consider the selling price of similar homes for sale in the neighborhood. Using “comps” or real estate comparables allows you to price your home based on similar homes for sale in the neighborhood. Competitive pricing helps sell your home a lot faster.
Market your home effectively
After preparing your home, having professional photographs taken, and deciding on the listing price, the next thing to do is to post your home for sale and market your home.
There are several avenues to choose from, when it comes to marketing. These include:
- Local multiple listing service (MLS) websites
- Facebook groups targeting homebuyers in South Gate, CA
- Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
On top of these, you should also consider traditional ways to advertise your home. Pitching a “For Sale” sign outside your house, for instance, is still considered beneficial, as:
- 91% of buyers believe such a sign is an important source of information
- 9% of buyers find a home through such a sign
- 6% of buyers drive by neighborhoods they’re interested in and look for a “For Sale” sign
Additionally, do an open house. While this might not lead to an immediate sale, it can nevertheless raise awareness among interested homebuyers, give them a firsthand look at your property, and generate foot traffic.
Brush up on negotiation techniques
When you see offers coming in, negotiation is up next. In a seller’s market, it may not be uncommon to get multiple offers. To come out ahead during this phase, remember these tips:
- Aim to start a bidding war. One of the best tips for selling a house that you should incorporate into your process is to strive to start a bidding war. In a seller’s market, this is something fairly easy to achieve: all you need is a listing price that’s a little less than that of your competitors.
- Reject offers that don’t meet your needs. It’s also important to recognize your power as a seller. Don’t entertain any offer that does not match your needs. In fact, you can reject it outright. Far from discouraging a buyer, a quick rejection communicates that:
- You’re confident that your home is worth more than their offer
- There are other interested buyers, compelling the buyer to make a better offer
- Stick to your list price when making a counteroffer. If you do decide to entertain an offer that doesn’t meet your listing price, your first counteroffer should be your listing price. This ensures that you’re not getting less than what your property deserves – and a buyer who’s really interested will not want to lose out on a great house.
- Include a deadline on your counteroffer. Another useful seller’s tips for selling a home is to create a sense of urgency in negotiations by putting a deadline on your counteroffer. This lets a buyer know that you’re ready to move on to the next offer if their offer fails to impress you. A deadline is also an ethical add-on for managing multiple offers. While it isn’t illegal to entertain many offers, it’s necessary that buyers are apprised of where they stand – if there are many of them – in terms of acquiring your property.
- Prepare to swap personal items for closing costs. Finally, prepare a list of things that you’re willing to substitute for certain stipulations. For example, if the buyer wants you to shoulder the closing costs, you might want to offer something that may have the same value, such as a hot tub.
Choose the best offer
When it comes to choosing the best offer, the answers to the questions below will help you arrive at the right decision:
- Is the buyer pre-approved for a mortgage? A mortgage pre-approval letter is a vote of confidence from a lender to a buyer. And as the seller, you want to make sure that if your property goes under contract, you’re doing it with someone who has the ability to pay for the sale with a loan that’s been provisionally guaranteed.
- What type of loan is your buyer applying for? The specific type of loan that the buyer is securing should also factor into your decision-making. Government-backed loans typically come with specifics that need to be met, which might take up a lot of time. For your convenience, it’s best to consider offers from buyers who plan to go with a conventional loan.
- Is your buyer paying in cash? In some cases, a buyer might be willing to pay cash. This is especially ideal for sellers of homes for sale in South Gate, CA who are looking to sell quickly. The caveat, however, is that the price may be a little lower than what you’d get if you were to go with just an earnest cash deposit.
- What kind of contingency is your buyer looking for? Finally, check the contingencies. Contingencies are stipulations that must be met before a sale goes through. The most common of them include:
- Appraisal contingency, which verifies that the sale price corresponds to the actual value of the property
- Title contingency, which accords a buyer with the right to search for the property’s title and check whether it’s clean
- Home inspection contingency, which ensures that the house is in sound condition prior to the sale
As the seller, the fewer contingencies, the better.
Disclose everything that’s required
All homes in South Gate, CA must declare any known defect so that buyers can better determine whether a property is worth their money. This declaration covers anything that will remain in the house after the transfer of the property, such as:
- Household appliances
- Insurance
Previous upgrades or remodeling must also be specified, including:
- Roof repairs
- Bedroom add-ons
- Structural modifications
As a seller, you also need to disclose if your house:
- Complies with smoke detector regulations
- Is less than two miles away from an airport
- Is situated in a zoning area
- Is in a protected area
- Has been affected by an industrial facility
- Has been used to manufacture methamphetamine
A Natural Hazard Disclosure report must also be filled out, which contains questions about risks for natural hazards, including fires, floods, and earthquakes.
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Make sure your documents are complete during closing
During closing, you and the buyer will be required to furnish forms and documents required for all transactions involving homes for sale in South Gate, CA. These include:
- A copy of the Purchase Agreement and any Addendums
- A closing statement
- A signed deed
- A bill of sale
- An affidavit of title
Additionally, you might be asked to submit:
- Home warranty information
- Home inspection results
- Proof of repairs or renovations
- Copies of relevant wills, trusts, or power of attorney letters
- Relevant affidavits
- HOA forms and guidelines
- Your closing disclosure
Once all these have been fulfilled and submitted, the buyer will do a final walkthrough of your property to verify that it’s in good condition. Once they’re satisfied, you will sign the final forms to begin a Verification of Property and file them in the county office.
At this phase, you and your buyer will also settle the closing costs. Then the transfer of the property will be finalized, the buyer will take ownership of your home, and you will get your money.
FAQs
Q: When is the best time to sell my home?
According to market data, homes in South Gate, CA sell quicker and for more money in April. Since listing to closing typically takes three months, the best time to list your home is in January.
Q: What’s the difference between working with an agent and doing it yourself?
Central to successfully selling a home in South Gate is deciding whether you’ll work with an agent or do it yourself. Owners usually resort to FSBO or For Sale By Owner transactions to save on commission fees. However, it might take longer to close the deal because homeowners typically don’t have the skills or the expertise of real estate professionals. Thus, working with an agent saves time and money, avoids costly mistakes, and allows sellers to leverage the agent’s knowledge of the market to their advantage.
Thus, if you’re selling your home in South Gate, CA, working with an agent can help you with every aspect of the process. They can advise you on everything from staging your home, doing a pre-sale home inspection, putting your listing on the MLS, complying with requirements, and closing the sale.
WORK WITH THE BEST REAL ESTATE PARTNER IN SOUTH GATE, CA
To make sure you sell your house fast and at the best price in South Gate, CA, there’s no one better to work with than Michael Berdelis and his team. We have the expertise to help you find the best buyer or investor for your property. Call 562.818.6111 or contact us here to get started.