Seller closing costs in Sacramento, read the way escrow reads them
A seller's settlement statement has two columns, credits and debits, and the debits do most of the talking. Below is every line I used to see on the seller side in a Sacramento escrow, what drives it, and where you can check it. A worked example at the end compares a listed sale with repairs against an as-is direct sale.
None of the rates for title, escrow or the hazard report are printed here, because those are quotes, not laws. Where a number is set by statute or by the county, I give it.
Loan payoffs and reconveyance
The first debit is usually the payoff, and if there's a second loan or a home equity line, each gets its own. Escrow orders a payoff demand from each lender. Under Civil Code section 2943, the lender has 21 days from a written demand to deliver it, and it must include what's needed to figure the payoff per day, since interest keeps running until the money arrives. The same section caps the lender's charge for each statement at $30, though that cap doesn't apply to FHA-insured or VA-guaranteed loans.
Once the loan is paid, the lien has to come off the record. Civil Code section 2941 gives the lender 30 days after payoff to send the paperwork to the trustee, and the trustee 21 days after that to record the reconveyance. It also allows a "reasonable fee" for the work, so a reconveyance charge on the demand is normal.
Agent compensation after August 2024
The National Association of Realtors settlement changed how buyer-agent pay is handled, with MLS practice changes that took effect on August 17, 2024, according to NAR's settlement FAQ. Two of the changes touch a seller directly. Offers of compensation to buyers' agents can no longer appear on the MLS. And a buyer working with an agent now signs a written agreement with that agent before touring homes, so the buyer's side of the pay question gets settled in writing early.
You can still offer to pay a buyer's agent. NAR's consumer guide to offers of compensation says the offer can go out through flyers, signs or brokerage websites, or you can skip advertising it and negotiate it in the purchase agreement. Your agent needs your written approval to make one.
What I won't give you is a "typical" percentage. NAR's guide to listing agreements says it flatly: "Agent compensation is fully negotiable and not set by law." Your listing agreement sets your agent's pay, the purchase contract sets anything you agree to pay the buyer's side, and the statement should match those two documents to the dollar.
Title insurance and escrow fees
These two lines vary from one statement to the next, and for a dull reason. The California Department of Insurance's title insurance guide explains that every title insurer, underwritten title company and controlled escrow company files its own schedule of rates with the Insurance Commissioner. Their costs differ, so their rates differ.
The same guide says who pays the title premium "is determined by local custom and practice rather than by law," and the premium can fall on the buyer, the seller, or both. The owner's policy protects the buyer. The lender's policy protects only the lender. Escrow fees are divided however the purchase contract says. Get a written quote for both, and read the purchase contract to see which share is yours.
Transfer tax
Sacramento County charges $0.55 per $500 of price when the deed records. Inside City of Sacramento limits the city adds $2.75 per $1,000. Either side can pay by agreement. The transfer tax article has the full math at six prices.
Prorated property tax
California property tax runs on a fiscal year. Sacramento County's tax calendar shows it starting July 1 and ending June 30. The first installment is due November 1 and can be paid without penalty through December 10. The second is due February 1, with April 10 as the last day without penalty.
Escrow splits the year at the closing date. If you've paid ahead, the buyer credits you back. If you haven't, the unpaid days come out of your side. An example, using actual days over a 365-day year: a $5,840 annual bill, first half paid, closing at the end of February. You owe January 1 through February 28, which is 59 days, and $5,840 times 59 divided by 365 is $944. Escrow offices use their own day-count conventions, so expect your figure to differ by a few dollars.
HOA documents and transfer fees
If the house is in an association, California makes you pay for the paperwork the buyer receives. Under Civil Code section 4530, the association has 10 days from a written request to deliver the required documents, and it may charge the seller a reasonable fee based on its actual cost. It has to give you a written estimate first, and those document fees must be separately stated from any other fees billed in the sale. If you see a lump labeled "HOA transfer," ask for the itemized form.
Natural hazard disclosure report
California requires a Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement. The form in Civil Code section 1103.2 asks whether the property sits in a FEMA special flood hazard area, a dam failure inundation area, a high or very high fire hazard severity zone, a wildland fire area, an earthquake fault zone, or a seismic hazard zone. The statute lets a third-party consultant supply the information. If you buy a report from one, the price is whatever that company charges, and it lands on your side of the statement.
Recording fees
The county's recording fee schedule lists $20 for the first page of a standard document and $3 for each additional page. Some documents also carry a $75 Building Homes and Jobs Act fee, capped at $225, unless they qualify for an exemption, such as being recorded with a transfer that is subject to documentary transfer tax. Who pays to record which document depends on the escrow instructions.
Repairs, credits and the home warranty
After the buyer's inspection, repair requests turn into one of two things: work you pay for before closing, or a credit off your proceeds. NAR's consumer guide to seller concessions defines a concession as paying certain costs for the buyer, home repairs included, and notes that concessions usually aren't binding until they're in a contract. A home warranty for the buyer is optional. It shows up only if you agreed to it.
A worked example: listed with repairs vs sold as-is
Every number below is an example I made up to show the arithmetic. They are not quotes, and they are not typical rates. The house is inside City of Sacramento limits with a $210,000 payoff. Route A lists at $525,000 after $18,000 of repairs, pays 5% total agent compensation as an example input, and gives a $5,000 credit after inspection. Route B is an as-is direct sale at $460,000 with no agent. Title, escrow and the hazard report share one placeholder in both columns, so they don't tilt the comparison.
| Seller line (example) | A: listed after repairs | B: as-is direct sale |
|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $525,000.00 | $460,000.00 |
| Loan payoff | -$210,000.00 | -$210,000.00 |
| Agent compensation (example 5%, negotiable) | -$26,250.00 | $0.00 |
| Repairs before listing | -$18,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Repair credit after inspection | -$5,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Title and escrow (placeholder, get a quote) | -$3,500.00 | -$3,500.00 |
| County transfer tax | -$577.50 | -$506.00 |
| City transfer tax | -$1,443.75 | -$1,265.00 |
| Property tax proration | -$944.00 | -$944.00 |
| Hazard report, recording, notary (placeholder) | -$400.00 | -$400.00 |
| Home warranty for buyer | -$600.00 | $0.00 |
| Extra carrying costs, 3 months at $1,900 | -$5,700.00 | $0.00 |
| Net to seller | $252,584.75 | $243,385.00 |
Worked example with assumed inputs, including a $210,000 payoff in both routes. Transfer taxes use county and city rates.
| Example route | Dollars |
|---|---|
| A listed, sale price | $525,000 |
| A listed, net to seller | $252,585 |
| B as-is, sale price | $460,000 |
| B as-is, net to seller | $243,385 |
Source: Arlene Whitcomb's example; tax rates from the Sacramento County Clerk-Recorder and City of Sacramento.
A $65,000 gap in price becomes a $9,199.75 gap in net. The listing wins in this example, and it buys that $9,200 with three extra months of carrying the house and the risk of the repairs running over. Change one input and the answer moves. If the repairs come in at $27,200 instead of $18,000, the two routes net about the same. If the house would sell for $540,000 after repairs, the listing pulls further ahead.
That's the point of doing it on paper. Run your own numbers through both columns, and read a comparison of selling fast versus listing before you choose. If you want a real figure for column B instead of my guess, ask for a written cash number and put it in the table.
Before you sign the final statement
- Match the payoff to the lender's demand, including the per-day figure for the actual closing date.
- Match agent compensation to your listing agreement and the purchase contract.
- Check that both transfer taxes appear only if the house is inside city limits, and only on your side if you agreed to pay them.
- Find which tax installment the proration assumes you paid.
- Ask for the HOA's itemized fee form if there is an association.
- Total the debits yourself and subtract from the price.
If the buyer pays cash, the closing paper may be escrow's own settlement statement. When the buyer has a mortgage, federal rules require the settlement agent to give you a seller's Closing Disclosure no later than the day of consummation, under 12 CFR 1026.19(f)(4). Either way, the last line should equal the wire you receive. In my office it always did by the time we closed, even on the nights that meant I stayed late.