San Francisco Pre-Listing Inspection Checklist: What Sellers Need to Know

Written by Oliver Burgelman — Broker Associate, Vanguard Properties · DRE #01388135 · 23 years and 300+ sales across San Francisco and Marin

In 23 years I've watched far more deals get renegotiated over a surprise in an inspection report than over the list price. A pre-listing inspection is how you find those surprises while they're still yours to solve — on your schedule, with your contractor, at your price, rather than in the middle of escrow with a buyer holding the pen.

What repairs should I make before selling in San Francisco?

What repairs should I make before selling my house in San Francisco?

Make the repairs that are legally required at point of sale, and disclose the rest with a written bid attached. In San Francisco that means water heater seismic strapping and working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms get fixed — they're cheap, fast, required regardless, and an inspector noting them missing sets a tone for the whole report you don't want set. Larger items like knob and tube wiring are usually better disclosed with a firm quote from a licensed electrician than opened up mid-prep, because that timeline is unpredictable and a stalled escrow costs more than the repair. Cosmetic work — paint, flooring, landscaping — is the one category where spending reliably returns more than it costs.

Should I repair everything the inspection finds?

No. Repairing everything is how sellers spend money that doesn't come back. After 23 years and more than 300 San Francisco and Marin sales, I sort every finding into three piles: fix it, disclose it with a bid, or price for it. The test is whether fixing it removes a buyer's reason to renegotiate, or whether a documented quote does the same job for less. The fix-it-or-disclose-it table below shows how that call goes item by item.

What is required before you can sell a home in San Francisco?

San Francisco adds local requirements most national selling guides miss: point-of-sale items including the Water Conservation Inspection and water heater bracing, the 3R Report documenting your permit history and legal unit count, sewer lateral condition, and soft-story retrofit status for multi-unit wood-frame buildings. These are the items that actually stall escrows here, and they're all resolvable before you list. Everything you'll need in the packet is in the checklist below.

Not sure which pile your house falls into? Start with a free home valuation and pre-sale plan, and I'll walk the house with you before you spend anything.

Why a Pre-Listing Inspection Matters

A pre-listing inspection is a proactive diagnostic. It helps you decide whether to repair, price accordingly, disclose, or offer credits. Buyers may still order their own inspections, but your upfront work builds trust and can shorten escrow. The practical benefit is leverage: a buyer who learns about a problem from your disclosure packet is evaluating a known quantity, while a buyer who discovers the same problem during their own inspection is negotiating from the assumption that there may be more you didn't mention.

Your San Francisco Pre-Listing Checklist

Structure and Seismic Basics

• Look for cracks, sloping floors, underfloor moisture, or signs of movement.
• Consider a structural engineer if anything looks significant.
• If you own a multi-unit wood-frame building, check whether the Mandatory Soft-Story Retrofit Program applies and confirm compliance. These records are public and often reviewed by buyers and lenders. Review the city's retrofit program.

Roof and Exterior Envelope

• Check roof age, flashing, chimneys, and attic for leaks.
• Confirm gutters and downspouts drain properly.
• Inspect decks and balconies for sound railings and proper flashing. If your building has exterior elevated elements, the state inspection laws may already apply to you — see SB 721 and SB 326 balcony and deck inspections.

Plumbing and Water Heater

• Run fixtures to check water pressure and drainage. Look for visible leaks.
• San Francisco requires a Water Conservation Inspection before close of escrow. This checks whether fixtures like toilets and shower heads meet current low-flow standards. If they don't, they must be replaced unless the buyer agrees to assume responsibility. Buyers may choose to do this in competitive offer situations or when purchasing a fixer, where replacing fixtures upfront would be unnecessary.
• Confirm your water heater is seismically braced, as required by California Health & Safety Code §19211.

Sewer Lateral and Drainage

• Ask about any history of backups or slow drains. If you suspect issues, consider a CCTV inspection.
• Sewer lateral rules vary across Bay Area districts. Some require inspection or certification at sale. Check with SF agencies and your local utility early.

Electrical Safety Check

• Review the main panel and visible wiring.
• Note older or obsolete systems and confirm GFCI protection where required.
• Knob & tube wiring: in today's insurance landscape, it's important to determine whether any knob and tube wiring remains in the home. If it does, obtaining a quote for its removal is a smart step, as many insurers are reluctant to cover homes with active knob and tube systems.

HVAC and Ventilation

• Check furnace or boiler operation and past service records.
• Address leaks, unusual noises, or airflow issues.

Pest Inspection

• For older homes or where lenders may ask, order a wood-destroying organism inspection from a licensed Branch-3 pest control company.

Environmental Hazards and Lead Compliance

• For pre-1978 homes, provide the federal lead hazard pamphlet and disclose known lead-based paint. Buyers typically have a 10-day window to test unless waived.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

• Ensure devices are installed and working per California requirements.

Permits and Unpermitted Work

• Pull your permit history early and resolve open permits where possible.
• Use San Francisco's Property Information Map to check records.
• If resolving an open permit means pulling a new one, budget realistically — see how long an SF or Marin building permit actually takes before you commit to a listing date.

The San Francisco 3R Report

The 3R Report (Report of Residential Building Record) is a San Francisco document that summarizes a property's recorded permit history, occupancy classification, and number of legal units. It's ordered from the Department of Building Inspection and is a required disclosure in SF home sales, and I include it in every disclosure package. Reviewing your 3R Report early lets you confirm that completed work was permitted and finalized, and surface any open or missing permits before a buyer's agent does.

Point-of-Sale Requirements (Energy, Water & Local Certificates)

San Francisco has several point-of-sale requirements, rules triggered by the transfer of the property, most notably the Water Conservation Inspection and energy/water efficiency compliance tied to the sale. Confirm which point-of-sale inspections or certificates apply to your property type before you list, so nothing stalls escrow at the last minute.

Fix It or Disclose It: How I Decide

This is the question every seller actually asks once the reports come back, and the honest answer is that repairing everything is usually the wrong move. The test I use has three parts. Fix it if a lender or insurer will flag it, if the repair costs clearly less than the credit a buyer will ask for, or if it's visible and cheap. Disclose it if fixing it requires a permit you can't finalize before listing, if opening the wall is likely to reveal something larger, or if the buyer pool for your property will discount it by less than the repair would cost you. Here's how that plays out on the items that come up most often in San Francisco.

Required Disclosures Sellers Should Expect

Timeline and Planning

• 30–60 Days Before ListingOrder general and pest inspections, pull permit history and your 3R Report, and verify point-of-sale programs.
• 3–4 Weeks Before ListingGet bids for priority repairs and schedule work as needed. Get written bids even for the items you decide not to fix — those bids go in the packet.
• At ListingAssemble reports, permits, receipts, and certificates for buyer agents.
• During EscrowBuyers may still inspect, but your documentation reduces surprises and renegotiation risk.

Press Cmd+P (Mac) or Ctrl+P (Windows) and you'll get just these two checklists on paper — the rest of the page drops away. Take it with you when you walk the house.

Final Thoughts

A well-prepared listing builds buyer confidence and keeps your timeline on track. In San Francisco, that means checking permits, your 3R Report, safety items, and local certificates before you go live — and then making a deliberate decision on each finding rather than reflexively repairing all of them.

Pre-Listing Inspection FAQs

Thinking About Selling in SF or Marin?

Inspections are one piece of preparing a sale. Here are the three places I'd point you next.