Selling the home you've held for 15, 20, 30 years is different. Your agent should be too.
This isn't a starter-home flip. It's decades of equity, a §121 exclusion, a Prop 19 decision, and probably some deferred projects — all wrapped in one address. I sell these homes with a broker's strategy and a CFO's math.
Three kinds of longtime-owner sales — each with its own playbook
Moving to the next chapter
Sequencing the sale and purchase, carrying your tax base with Prop 19, and making the equity fund the life you actually want.
The Downsizing Roadmap →Selling as trustee or heir
Date-of-death valuations, step-up in basis, fiduciary documentation, and coordination with your attorney and CPA.
How trust sales work →Just ready to sell — well
Street-level pricing, prep that returns more than it costs, and honest numbers from listing day to closing table. The rest of this page is for you.
Start with a Seller Plan →Your Seller Plan, step by step
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The numbers meeting
Realistic value from street-level comps (what actually closed near you and why), your estimated net after commissions, transfer tax, and capital gains — and if you're 55+, your Prop 19 options. You'll leave knowing your walk-away number before you commit to anything.
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Prep that pays — and only that
Homes held for decades usually need something. I recommend the projects that return more than they cost in your micro-market, skip the ones that don't, and manage the crews. Sorting decades of belongings? My estate-sale and senior-move network handles it.
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Launch with full exposure
Professional staging and photography, MLS launch timed to your market, and marketing that reaches both sides of the hill — Silicon Valley buyers and Santa Cruz lifestyle buyers.
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Negotiate from strength
Offer strategy, term-by-term comparison (price isn't everything — contingencies, rent-backs, and certainty matter), and a broker doing the negotiating, not an assistant.
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Close clean
Escrow managed, Prop 19 filing coordinated, closing package your CPA will thank you for, and your proceeds where they belong: with you.
"He managed the entire pre-listing preparation with a flawless rhythm—handling everything from painting and deep cleaning to gorgeous staging… Lance's communication is stellar; he relies on hard data rather than empty sales pitches." — Melissa W., sold a single-family home, 2026 · ★★★★★ verified Zillow review
Know your number first
Ten minutes with the Net Proceeds Calculator and you'll walk into every agent conversation — including ours — knowing what actually matters.
Open the CalculatorWhat’s your home actually worth?
Not an algorithm’s guess from public records — a real analysis of your house, by hand, with the comps that actually compare. Free, and no obligation to do anything with it.
Request Your Home Value AnalysisNot ready to move? Stay in the loop anyway.
Once a month: what actually sold on both sides of the hill, what changed in California property-tax law, and the occasional honest “don’t sell yet.” No listings spam. Unsubscribe whenever.
Request your free Seller Plan
Street-level valuation, net-sheet estimate, prep recommendations with expected returns, and a timeline built around your life. No cost, no obligation, no hype.
Request Your Free Seller Plan