The costs at a glance
Seven lines cover almost everything a seller pays. Here they are in one place, with how each changes if you sell for cash instead of listing.
| Cost | How it's set | When you pay it | In a cash sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent commission | Negotiated. For years it ran about 5 to 6 percent in total in many California markets | At closing | Usually none, if no agents are involved |
| Transfer tax | County $1.10 per $1,000, plus a city tax in some cities (0.33% to 2.5%) | At closing | Still due. Who pays is negotiable |
| Escrow and title | County custom. The seller pays in Santa Clara County, the buyer in most others | At closing | Negotiable |
| Repairs, cleaning, staging | Whatever the inspection and the market call for | Before you list | Skipped. The price reflects the work |
| Holding costs | Mortgage, property tax, insurance, utilities | Every month until closing | Fewer months, with no buyer's loan to wait for |
| Local point-of-sale items | Sewer lateral certificate (EBMUD cities, Berkeley), 3R report (San Francisco), water heater and smoke alarm certifications | Before closing | Still apply |
| Tax on the gain | Up to $250,000 excluded on a main home, $500,000 on a joint return. California withholding of 3⅓% unless an exemption applies | When you file, and at closing for withholding | Same rules |
Agent commissions
Commission is usually the biggest line. For years, total commissions in many California markets landed around 5 to 6 percent of the price, split between the listing and buyer's agents. After the 2024 settlement involving the National Association of Realtors, offers of buyer-agent compensation no longer appear on the MLS, and what the buyer's agent is paid is negotiated separately. NAR's summary of the changes explains the new rules. Commissions have always been negotiable, and they are now more visibly so.
Transfer taxes: county plus city
Every California county charges a documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of the price. Some Bay Area cities add their own, and the differences are large:
- Oakland: 1% up to $300,000, 1.5% to $2 million, 1.75% to $5 million, 2.5% above, on the whole price.
- Berkeley: 1.5% up to a yearly threshold (about $1.7 million recently), 2.5% above, with higher tiers from January 1, 2027.
- San Francisco: 0.68% from $250,000 to $1 million, 0.75% from $1 million to $5 million, much more above that.
- Richmond: $7 per $1,000 up to $1 million, 1.25% from $1 million to $3 million.
- San Leandro 1.1%, Hayward 0.85%, San Mateo 0.5%, San Jose 0.33% (plus a Measure E tier from $2 million), Vallejo 0.33%.
On a $1,000,000 sale in Oakland, that's $15,000 to the city plus $1,100 to the county. In Fremont or Concord, which add no city tax, it's just the $1,100. Each city page has its own rate and an example.
Here's the same comparison on a $900,000 sale:
Rates from the city pages on this site (WFG Title rate table and city websites, checked October 2026). At $900,000 none of these cities reaches a higher bracket. Who pays follows local custom and the contract.
Escrow, title and who customarily pays
Escrow fees and the owner's title insurance policy follow county custom, which varies across the Bay Area. In Santa Clara County the seller customarily pays both. In most other Bay Area counties the buyer customarily does. Custom isn't law, and in a cash sale who pays what is part of the negotiation.
Repairs, staging and prep
Listing a house usually means fixing what inspectors will flag, cleaning, painting and often staging. On an older Bay Area house that can be the second-largest cost after commission, and it's paid before you sell. Selling as-is skips it, but the price reflects the work the buyer takes on.
Holding costs while it sells
Every month on the market you keep paying the mortgage, property tax, insurance and utilities. If a house takes three months from prep to closing, those months are a real cost. The calculator on the main page includes them.
Local point-of-sale costs
Some cities add requirements at sale. Oakland and other cities in EBMUD's program need a sewer lateral certificate, Berkeley runs its own lateral program, and San Francisco requires a 3R report. Statewide, the seller certifies that the water heater is braced (Health and Safety Code 19211) and that the house has a working smoke alarm.
Taxes on the sale
If you owned and lived in the house for two of the last five years, you can usually exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 on a joint return. IRS Publication 523 has the details. California also requires escrow to withhold 3⅓ percent of the price on many sales unless an exemption applies, such as the sale of your principal residence. The Franchise Tax Board's real estate withholding page lists the exemptions.