For Bay Area home sellers
Most online calculators show you a single number that is wrong by 5-15%. This page walks through every line item: commission, closing, prep, mortgage payoff, transfer tax, capital-gains. Use it with the net-proceeds calculator for an accurate take-home estimate.
California listing commission is negotiable. Common total: 5-6% split between listing agent and buyer agent. On a $1M sale: $50-60K. Roger negotiates total commission with you based on transaction complexity. The buyer agent commission is typically paid by the seller from sale proceeds.
Title insurance: ~$1,500-3,000 (varies by county). Transfer tax: $1.10 per $1,000 in most CA counties (some cities add city transfer tax — Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, San Mateo charge extra). County recording fees: $50-200. Escrow fees: $1,500-3,000. Documentary stamps, HOA transfer fees, miscellaneous: $500-1,500. Typical total on a $1M home: $15-22K.
Paint, clean, repairs, landscaping, staging, photography. Bay Area typical: $8-25K depending on home condition. Some vendors take payment at close from sale proceeds; some require upfront. Roger has access to multiple concierge programs that defer payment.
Outstanding loan balance + accrued daily interest through close date + payoff statement fee ($30-100). Some loans have prepayment penalties — uncommon on modern loans but check your note. The escrow officer wires the payoff to your lender at close; you do not write a check.
You owe property tax through close date. If you have paid through June 30 and close April 15, you get a credit. If you have not paid and close in November, you owe a debit. Pro-rated daily. HOA dues handled the same way.
For a primary residence: federal exclusion of $250K single / $500K joint of gain. California: same rule applies to state tax. For Bay Area homes purchased decades ago, gain often exceeds the exclusion — federal long-term cap-gains tax (up to 23.8% incl. NIIT) + CA state income tax (up to 13.3%) on the excess. Roger refers every long-held seller to a CPA before signing.
Home warranty for buyer ($500-1,000), final utilities, mail forwarding, moving costs, post-close cleanup. Not part of escrow but real out-of-pocket.
Worked example
| Sale price | +$1,100,000 |
| Listing commission (3%) | -$33,000 |
| Buyer-agent commission (2.5%) | -$27,500 |
| Title insurance + transfer tax + escrow + misc closing | -$18,000 |
| Pre-listing prep (paint, stage, clean, landscape) | -$15,000 |
| Mortgage payoff | $0 (paid off) |
| Pro-rated property tax credit (closing Mar 15) | +$1,800 |
| Gross proceeds at close | $1,008,300 |
| ...minus federal cap-gains if applicable (est.) | -$0 (within $500K exclusion) |
| Net to seller (cash to bank) | $1,008,300 |
Numbers approximate; your specific situation may vary. Run yours through the calculator for an address-level estimate.
For a typical $1M sale with a paid-off mortgage and standard prep: roughly $920-950K. For a $1M sale with a $400K mortgage: roughly $520-555K. The variables are mortgage balance, prep costs, and any capital-gains tax.
Yes. Roger negotiates total commission based on price, complexity, timeline, and concurrent transactions (e.g., listing + helping you buy). On larger sales the rate is lower.
Typically yes — paid from sale proceeds. Recent NAR settlement (2024) changed how this is disclosed but in the Bay Area sellers still typically offer 2-3% to the buyer agent to compete in the market.
$1.10 per $1,000 of sale price ($1.10 per $1K) statewide. Some Bay Area cities add city transfer tax: Berkeley 1.5%, Oakland tiered up to 2.5%, Richmond 0.7%, San Mateo 0.5%, others vary. Big-ticket item in some cities.
On a primary residence held 2 of last 5 years: $250K single / $500K joint of gain is excluded from federal. Above that, federal long-term cap-gains rates (15-23.8%) apply. CA state tax applies to the full gain (no exclusion). For Bay Area sellers who bought decades ago, this can be significant — Roger refers to a CPA every time.
Only on investment property — not a primary residence. If you are selling a rental, see the /1031-exchange-bay-area page.
Roger does not charge upfront fees. Vendors (paint, stage, etc.) may require deposit or full payment — Roger has access to concierge programs that defer payment to close in many cases.
That is a short sale. The lender accepts less than full payoff and (usually in California) forgives the deficiency. See /short-sale-bay-area for the specifics.
Typically same-day or next-day wire. Most escrow officers wire by end of close day; some banks hold incoming wires until the next business day.
Roger runs a tailored net-proceeds projection with real comps and your actual mortgage balance in the free 20-minute consultation.