How do I sell my Silver Lake house when I'm relocating?

1. Choose the order: sell before you go, list as you leave, or list after the house is empty.
2. Walk the house with me before you move, and agree on the prep list and the budget.
3. Name a local contact for keys, vendors and deliveries.
4. Set up brush clearance and yard care on a schedule that continues after you leave.
5. Order the Residential Property Report and start disclosures while the details are still fresh.
6. List and show, with photos, video walk-throughs and written updates sent to you.
7. Sign with escrow in person, by mobile notary or electronically, as escrow allows.

You do, through a vendor, because the duty stays with the owner. Parts of Silver Lake are mapped as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, but not every street is. Check the specific parcel on ZIMAS or the CAL FIRE map, and confirm with the natural hazard disclosure in escrow. Where the zone applies, LAFD requires clearance year-round, within 200 feet of structures and 10 feet of combustible fences and driveways. LAFD inspects, and its site lets you view a parcel's brush clearance status. Ask your vendor for dated photos after each visit.

They can move an open house or a delivery. Some hillside streets have posted Red Flag No Parking signs; on declared Red Flag Days, cars parked there are towed. LAFD declares those days for wind of 25 mph or more with humidity of 15% or less, and says the program has been active since January 1, 2006. The City's layer shows posted segments in Silver Lake such as Riverside Place, Corralitas Drive and Fair Oak View Terrace. I watch lafd.org/redflag and reschedule showings and vendors when a day is declared.

Only what you can see finished before you leave, or what a trusted vendor can do while you're gone. Good candidates are small and verifiable:

• ☐ Paint touch-ups and patched holes
• ☐ Gutters cleaned and downspouts pointed away from the slope
• ☐ Burned-out bulbs, sticky doors and dripping faucets
• ☐ Terraces, stairs and the path from the street cleared
• ☐ Utilities left on for showings and the buyer's inspection

Larger work, such as a roof or a retaining wall, is often better priced into the sale than managed from another state. I'll show you both options.

Plan it in writing. Many hillside houses sit up a stair or down a long drive, and street parking can be tight. The Bureau of Engineering's Glendale-Hyperion Bridge project, which links Silver Lake and Atwater Village, lists February 2026 as its construction start and five to six years of phased work; the Bureau says the bridge will not be fully closed. I include current directions and parking notes in the listing packet and the movers' instructions.

The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, certified on February 11, 2003, is listed on the City's EmpowerLA site, and its meetings and notices cover City projects in the area. The Bureau of Engineering posts updates on the reservoir and bridge projects. I'll send you anything that affects the listing.

From recent nearby sales on similar streets and slopes, adjusted for condition, parking and views. An empty, well-kept house is easy to show, but rooms can look smaller in photos; a few staged pieces often help. My home review is a broker opinion of price, not an appraisal.

LA County's documentary transfer tax is $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price; some cities add their own tax, and your escrow estimate shows the exact figure. For qualifying transactions closing after June 30, 2026, Los Angeles Measure ULA imposes an additional 4% tax when the value conveyed exceeds $5,400,000 but is below $10,900,000, or 5.5% when the value conveyed is $10,900,000 or more. The applicable ULA rate is calculated on the full gross value conveyed, not just the amount above the threshold. The City's 0.45% base transfer tax and the County documentary transfer tax are separate charges. Confirm the calculation and any applicable exemptions with your escrow officer.

LADBS requires the seller of residential property in the City of Los Angeles to give the buyer a Residential Property Report before the sale or the close of escrow (LAMC Section 96.300; $70.85 per report as of October 30, 2026). The LADBS Form 9 application says no new report is needed for six months after one is issued, and it lists exceptions, including property exempt from the documentary transfer tax and the first sale of a home in a subdivision whose final map was recorded not more than two years earlier. Check your transfer with LADBS before ordering.

The amount or rate of real estate commissions is not fixed by law. They are set by each broker individually and may be negotiable between the seller and broker.

What to bring to your CPA or attorney: your purchase and improvement records, the dates you lived in the house, any employer relocation paperwork, and the estimated closing statement (IRS Publication 523 covers selling a home).

• How to sell a house in Silver Lake
• Downsizing from a Silver Lake home
• Relocation services
• Showings and open houses
• The seller roadmap
• Nearby: selling a house in Glassell Park

Sidney Manzo, CA DRE #01108914
In real estate since 1990 · RE/MAX Hall of Fame · Member, Pasadena Foothills Association of REALTORS® and California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.)
Brokerage: RE/MAX Dream Properties (ASLG Inc), CA DRE #02142193