Sarah and Mike faced exactly this situation when their corporate rental lease was set to expire with a significant rent increase. They had just 2-3 months to find and close on a San Francisco home while juggling busy work schedules and limited ability to visit the city.
Coming from San Diego’s new construction market with a $1.4M budget, they knew SF’s older housing stock would be completely different. What they accomplished demonstrates how the right preparation can compress a typical year-long home search into just eight weeks.
Sarah and Mike couldn’t afford to waste weekends on unproductive house tours or get caught in bidding wars with 6-8 other offers. Living out of the area with busy work schedules, they needed every trip to San Francisco to count.
Their home criteria was specific: they wanted a property with proper interior stairs that felt “normal” by traditional standards. This immediately ruled out many of the narrow Parkside and Sunset properties that dominate the SF market in their price range.
When you can only visit the city occasionally and have just a few months to close, how do you make confident decisions in an unfamiliar market?
Instead of jumping straight into property showings, the process began with market education. Through the Krishnan Team’s YouTube content and working with them directly, Sarah and Mike developed a comprehensive understanding of San Francisco real estate:
Understanding SF’s Older Housing Stock
Setting Realistic Expectations
This educational foundation transformed their ability to evaluate properties quickly and make strategic decisions with confidence.
Over two months, Sarah and Mike submitted exactly two offers. Not six, not eight—just two strategic, well-researched offers based on tight comparable analysis.
The winning property was located in Parkside, listed at the lower end of their budget range but requiring some updating. Before submitting their offer, they took a crucial preparatory step: arranging contractor bids for the kitchen remodel they were considering.
This advance planning – securing reliable, trustworthy contractor estimates – gave them complete confidence in their financial analysis and renovation budget.
The final negotiation came down to a clear decision point. The seller had a firm number in mind: $1.375M. Despite negotiation attempts, it became clear this was their bottom line.
The conversation was straightforward: “If we bring you your price, we need this done today.” Because Sarah and Mike had done their homework, understood the market, and had their financing ready, they could move decisively. They closed quickly on a home that met their needs.
This success story isn’t about luck. It’s about a systematic approach that combines broad market education with personalized guidance. Sarah and Mike accomplished in two months what typically takes buyers a full year because they:
If you’re relocating to San Francisco with limited time, success isn’t about seeing more houses—it’s about understanding the ones you do see.
When you combine market education with strategic planning, you can make confident decisions quickly instead of spending months touring properties you’ll never buy.
The right preparation transformed what could have been a stressful, drawn-out search into an efficient two-month process with a successful outcome. If you’re considering a move to or within San Francisco we’d love to help.
“My wife and I first discovered the Ruth Krishnan Team through their YouTube channel, which I still watch from time to time—even though we’re not planning to buy or sell again anytime soon. The videos were very helpful in learning more about different areas of San Francisco and the SF real estate market in general. That first impression online led us to reach out, and within ten minutes of our introductory call with Ruth Krishnan and Valerie del Valle, we knew we were in good hands.
Valerie and Ruth immediately stood out for their depth of knowledge, professionalism, and clear, thoughtful approach to working with buyers. They understood that we were relocating and completely new to the San Francisco housing market, and they tailored the experience to help us feel confident and informed.
This was our second home purchase, but our first had been a new build in Southern California. Buying an older home in San Francisco was an entirely different experience. Valerie took the time to educate us on various neighborhoods and housing styles, explaining the pros and cons of different construction eras, what kinds of maintenance issues to expect, and how to distinguish between what’s normal and what should raise concerns.
After a few weeks of searching, we found the home we wanted. During the negotiation process with the seller, Valerie was completely on top of everything. She addressed any delays or issues immediately, kept us updated on what was happening, and always had a clear plan for moving forward. Her calm, proactive approach gave us a lot of confidence.
The document review process was far more complex than our first purchase, but Valerie and her team were incredibly thorough. They walked us through every detail and made sure we understood everything clearly.
Valerie helped us see the potential in homes and imagine how they could evolve. Most importantly, she always put our interests first. We never felt pressured, and we always felt truly cared for throughout the process. Her team was organized, responsive, and supportive every step of the way.
We’re incredibly grateful to have worked with Valerie and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her and the Ruth Krishnan team to anyone navigating the San Francisco housing market. If you’re new to the area or just want a team you can truly trust, they’re the ones to call. We closed on our home in October last year and really couldn’t see ourselves living anywhere else.”
— Sarah and Mike, Parkside Homeowners
