Who pays what in California
California custom varies by county — in Northern CA buyers often pay title/escrow; in Southern CA sellers typically pay owner's title. Transfer tax is seller-customary but negotiable.
Closing costs by county in California
Rates and medians vary widely inside California. County-level breakdowns: Los Angeles County (Los Angeles) — 0.82% effective property tax, median $830,000; Orange County (Irvine / Anaheim) — 0.78% effective property tax, median $1,100,000; San Diego County (San Diego) — 0.76% effective property tax, median $900,000.
Prop 13 caps taxes — until you buy
California's effective property-tax rate (~0.75%) looks low, but your assessed value resets to purchase price at closing. Prepaids are based on the NEW assessment, not the seller's old bill. Also watch city transfer taxes: LA's ULA 'mansion tax' adds 4–5.5% above $5M, and SF's graduated rate reaches 6% at the top.
Negotiation levers in California
Three moves that actually work: (1) get Loan Estimates from 3 lenders — origination and points vary by thousands; (2) ask for seller concessions (3% conventional under 10% down, 6% above, 6% FHA) credited at closing; (3) close at month-end to shrink prepaid interest from ~30 days to ~2. In California, transfer-tax custom is negotiable too — everything is a contract term.
FAQ
How much are closing costs in California?
Budget 2–4% of the purchase price for buyer closing costs in California, plus your down payment. On the $780,000 median California home that's roughly $19,500–$31,200. State/county documentary transfer tax ≈ $1.10 per $1,000 (0.11%); LA, SF and other cities add their own layers.
Does the buyer pay transfer tax in California?
Yes — buyers in California customarily pay about 0.11% of the price in transfer/recordation taxes. State/county documentary transfer tax ≈ $1.10 per $1,000 (0.11%); LA, SF and other cities add their own layers.
Can I roll closing costs into the loan in California?
Not directly, but you can trade a slightly higher rate for a lender credit that covers costs, or negotiate seller concessions. The break-even on a lender credit is typically 3–5 years — only worth it if you'll sell or refinance before then.
How much should I save to buy a house in California?
Down payment + closing costs + 2–3 months of reserves. On the California median $780,000 home with 10% down, that's roughly $101,400 before reserves — the calculator above gives your exact stack.
How this calculator is built
Independently maintained
Written by Sam Doshi and the RevenueLab editorial team. We don't sell the data feeds this tool is built on.
Sourced from primary data
Benchmarks come from public AdSense / Stripe / IRS disclosures and reader-submitted data — never third-party "$X per view" claims. Full methodology.
Last editorial review
Reviewed on a rolling quarterly cycle. Dated reviews are published on the methodology record for each calculator.
Editorial standards
See our editorial policy and disclaimer. Results are estimates, not advice.