Why the market doesn't move
It costs $110,000 to sell a condo.
It costs $35,000 just to find out if you can.
Commission and transfer tax come out of the proceeds — they are only ever paid by someone who already got what they wanted. Strip them out and what remains is the number that actually stops people: the money you spend before anyone has told you whether they'd buy.
| On a median $1,300,000 sale | Low | High | When |
|---|
| Paint & repairs | $3,000 | $5,000 | Before listing |
| Staging | $4,000 | $6,000 | Before listing |
| Renting elsewhere — 2–4 months at $4,000–$6,000 | $8,000 | $24,000 | While it sits |
| Commission — 5%, split 2.5% each side | $65,000 | $65,000 | At closing |
| SF transfer tax — $3.75 per $500 | $9,750 | $9,750 | At closing |
| Total | $89,750 | $109,750 | 6.9–8.4% |
The cost of asking the question
$15,000–$35,000
Paint, staging and rent. Spent before anyone names a price, and gone whether or not the unit sells. If it doesn't, a public price history follows it for years.
The cost of a yes
$74,750
Commission and transfer tax, paid out of the proceeds and only on a close. Nobody has ever declined to sell because of this column.
That is the illiquidity. Not a shortage of buyers — a toll gate in front of the question. Of the 12,183 units we index, 471 traded last year. The other 96% weren't unavailable. Nobody had asked, and finding out cost too much to risk.
So we removed the toll gate. An owner here receives a written offer on the home they already live in, having spent nothing — no move-out, no staging, no listing, no public price history — and simply decides.
The marketplace
Every unit. Every building. Open to an offer.
Condo Market is the only place where every unit in every catalogued building — listed or not — accepts an Expression of Interest. You don't need the unit to be on the MLS. You don't need a listing agent to be involved. You just need a real number.
12,183
Units · all open to an EOI today
The three tiers
A ladder, not a cliff.
Three ways to put a unit on the market — each with progressively more reach, effort, and commitment. You don't have to start at the top. Most sellers shouldn't.
Recommended start
Make Me Move
Float the number you'd actually sell for. No agreement, no obligation, no public footprint.
Reach
~1,400
Active Private Marketplace buyers
Agreement
None
Walk away anytime
- Sets a price you'd accept — no commitment to actually sell at that price.
- Visible only inside Condo Market's Private Marketplace. Not on the MLS. Not on Zillow. Nowhere public.
- Pre-vetted buyers can submit an Expression of Interest at or below your number. You see who's interested before deciding to engage.
- Change, pause, or remove the number anytime. No public history, no stale-listing penalty later.
- Why most owners say yes: the downside is zero, the optionality is yours, and the buyer pool already exists.
Set my Make Me Move →
Coming Soon
Off-market in the MLS. Every California agent sees it. The public doesn't.
Reach
~30,000
CA agents with MLS access
Agreement
Required
Non-MLS listing agreement
Public
No
Not on Zillow / Redfin
- Listed in the MLS with "Coming Soon" status — every California agent can see it, the public cannot.
- Does not syndicate to Zillow, Redfin, Compass, or any consumer portal. No public price history starts.
- Requires a signed listing agreement so the MLS submission is fully compliant.
- Used when you're committed to selling and want to test agent demand before going fully public.
Talk through Coming Soon →
Active Listing
Zillow, Redfin, Compass, the works. Roughly 100× the reach of Coming Soon.
Reach
~3M+
Monthly Zillow visitors in market
Agreement
Full MLS
Standard listing contract
- Full MLS submission. Syndicates to Zillow, Redfin, Compass, Realtor.com, every other consumer portal.
- About 100× the impression volume of Coming Soon — the standard path when you're ready to maximize buyer competition.
- Public price history begins the moment it goes live. Pull it without a sale and it shows as "withdrawn" to every future agent for years.
- Best for owners who've already validated demand at Tiers 1 and 2 and now want speed.
Plan an Active Listing →
Tap any tier to expand details · Tier 1 expanded by default
The no-brainer
Float a number. Cost yourself nothing.
You're not listing. You're not signing. You're not committing to a sale. You're just telling Condo Market's pre-vetted buyer pool what number would make you take the call. If nothing happens, nothing happens. If a real buyer steps up at your number — you decide whether to engage. The downside is zero, the optionality is yours, and the buyer pool already exists.
Special situations
Tenant in place? Investor exit? There's a playbook.
Two deeper guides for owners whose condo is a rental — how to sell with a tenant in place (or unlock a compliant vacancy), and how a 1031 exchange rolls the proceeds into a hands-off asset with the tax deferred.