San Francisco, CA local closing costs

Cost to sell a house in San Francisco, CA.

On a typical $405,000 San Francisco sale, total seller costs to list and close traditionally run about $33,545 roughly 8.3% of the sale price. Here's the line-item breakdown.

Median DOM: 24 days
Median income: $116,250
Total transfer rate: 0.79%

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List with an agent

$405,000 sale price

Agent commission (5.5%)$22,275
State + local transfer tax (0.79%)$3,200
Owner's title insurance (0.4%)$1,620
Recording / settlement / attorney$1,200
Pre-listing repairs (1%)$4,050
Staging + photography$1,200

Total costs$33,545

Net to seller$371,456

Time to close varies with market demand, financing, inspections, and title work.

Home Posted cash offer

$315,900 offer (~78% of retail)

Agent commission$0
Transfer tax(Buyer pays)$0
Title insurance(Buyer pays)$0
Closing / attorney fees(Buyer pays)$0
Repairs(As-is, buyer's problem)$0
Staging / photography(Not needed)$0

Total costs$0

Net to seller$315,900

Timing, contingencies, and seller costs are stated in the written offer.

Net difference

Listing nets you more: $55,556

The trade is time, certainty and effort vs the last few percent of retail. If your house needs repairs or you can't wait 90 days, the cash path usually wins on the math too.

Attorney required?

Not required in California, but title companies handle most closings.

Transfer tax

California state documentary tax is $1.10/$1,000; many cities add their own.

Repair credits

On a traditional listing, post-inspection repair credits in San Francisco commonly cost sellers another $2-8k beyond the budget above.

San Francisco adds a local surtax

SF transfer tax, +0.68%

San Francisco's documentary transfer tax is tiered from 0.5% to 6% above $25M, typical SFR sales hit 0.68–0.75%.

Result: on a $405,000 sale, San Francisco's transfer tax line is $3,200 instead of $446 at the state baseline.

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