Peninsula & East Bay Estate Transition Specialists
Selling to Metis Assets vs. Listing With an Agent
Both options have real trade-offs. The right one depends on your situation — your timeline, the property’s condition, your appetite for uncertainty, and what matters most to the estate. Here’s an honest comparison so you can make an informed decision.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Selling With an Agent | Selling to Metis Assets | |
| Commission / Agent Fees | 5–6% of sale price paid by seller — $50,000–$75,000+ on a typical Bay Area property | None |
| Seller Closing Costs | ~2% of sale price (title, escrow, taxes) | Standard closing costs apply (title, escrow, property taxes through closing date) |
| Financing Contingency | Yes — up to 15% of sales fall through when buyer financing fails | None — we purchase using cash or private financing, with no loan contingency |
| Appraisal Required | Yes — sale is often subject to bank appraisal | None — cash or private financing requires no appraisal contingency |
| Property Condition | Expected to be in showable condition — repairs and staging often required | As-is — no repairs, cleaning, or staging required |
| Showings | Multiple — buyers, agents, inspectors, appraisers | One — our team visits before making an offer |
| Average Time to Sold | 60–120+ days including listing period and escrow | Offer after property visit; close in as little as 7 days |
| Closing Date | Set by buyer and their financing timeline | Set by you and the estate |
| Process Privacy | Public MLS listing, open houses, yard sign | Completely private — no public listing at any stage |
| Certainty of Closing | Subject to buyer financing, inspection, appraisal | Cash purchase — no contingencies that can cause a fall-through |
Financing contingency: A clause that gives a buyer the right to back out of a purchase if they cannot obtain a loan or if the property doesn’t appraise at the required value. We purchase using cash or private financing — not traditional bank financing — which means we carry no loan contingency or appraisal contingency. The seller’s risk of a deal falling through due to financing does not exist in our process.
What the Numbers Actually Mean
The table above tells part of the story. Here’s what it means in practice for the situations we most commonly work with.
Commission is the biggest variable most people underestimate
A 5–6% agent commission on a Bay Area property is significant. On a $900,000 property — which is not unusual on the Peninsula or in the East Bay — that’s $45,000–$54,000 paid directly out of the sale proceeds. Add the ~2% seller closing costs that exist regardless of how you sell, and you’re looking at 7–8% off the top before you account for any repairs, staging costs, or carrying costs during the listing period.
We don’t charge commissions or fees. Sellers do pay standard closing costs — title insurance, escrow fees, and property taxes owed through the date of closing — but there are no agent fees on top of those.
The traditional timeline carries real costs for estates
A traditional Bay Area sale takes 60–120+ days from listing to closing. During that time, the estate continues to pay property taxes, insurance, utilities, and any HOA fees. For a Peninsula or East Bay property, those holding costs can easily run $3,000–$6,000 per month or more. Multiplied across a 90-day listing period, that’s $9,000–$18,000 in costs that reduce the net proceeds regardless of the sale price.
We close on your schedule. When speed matters to the estate, we can close in as little as seven days, eliminating those ongoing costs entirely.
Certainty matters differently in estate situations
For a typical home seller, a deal falling through is an inconvenience. For a trustee managing an estate, it can create real problems — delayed distribution to beneficiaries, extended fiduciary exposure, additional court involvement. Buyer financing failures cause roughly 15% of traditional sales to fall through after the property has been taken off the market.
We purchase using cash or private financing — with no loan contingency and no appraisal contingency. There is no bank lender whose approval can pull a deal apart. When we make an offer and it’s accepted, the transaction closes — barring title issues that would affect any sale.
Privacy isn’t just a preference — it’s sometimes a requirement
A traditional listing puts the property on the MLS, generates a public record of price reductions if they happen, and brings buyers, agents, inspectors, and appraisers through the home. For some families and trustees, that level of exposure is simply not acceptable — for personal, professional, or legal reasons.
Our process is private from start to finish. No MLS, no public record until closing, no strangers walking through the property repeatedly.
When a Traditional Listing Makes More Sense
We’d rather give you an honest picture than win a comparison we shouldn’t win. A traditional listing is likely the better choice if:
- The property is in excellent condition and move-in ready
- You have the time, flexibility, and local presence to manage a listing process of 90–120+ days
- Maximizing the top-line sale price is the primary goal and the timeline and uncertainty are acceptable trade-offs
- The estate has already been settled and the sale is straightforward
If that describes your situation, a good local real estate agent may serve you better than we can. We’ll tell you that honestly if it comes up in our conversation.
When Selling to Metis Assets Makes More Sense
Our process is the right fit when one or more of the following is true:
- The property needs significant repairs or deferred maintenance that make a traditional listing impractical
- The estate needs to close on a specific timeline
- You’re managing the property from out of state and can’t be present for a traditional sale process
- The property is full of belongings that haven’t been cleared
- Privacy is important — to the family, the trustees, or the beneficiaries
- Certainty matters more than squeezing the maximum price
See How It Works for Your Property
The best way to know if our offer makes sense for your situation is a short conversation. There’s no obligation and nothing to prepare beforehand.
Request a Private Evaluation
Or call us directly: (650) 360-2527