Los Angeles Closing Cost Calculator: Seller Averages
This free calculator can help home sellers in Los Angeles estimate their closing costs and net proceeds. To get a ballpark idea of the cost of selling a house in the City of Angels, enter the information for each of the input fields above. You can see typical or state averages for most Los Angeles seller closing costs below.
Home Selling Price: $997,000
How does your home compare to the area’s median selling price of $997,000? To determine your listing price, you can:
1. Get a preliminary estimate with HomeLight’s free Home Value Estimator
2. Request a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) from a top Los Angeles agent
3. Purchase a pre-listing home appraisal (typically about $400 in Los Angeles)
4. Visit this HomeLight map link to compare recently sold homes in Los Angeles
Mortgage Payoff Amount: $544,641
According to Experian, the average homeowner in California has a mortgage balance of $544,641. To find the exact payoff amount for your Los Angeles home, check your latest mortgage statement or contact your mortgage provider.
Listing Agent Fee: $24,925–$29,910
A typical listing agent commission in Los Angeles is 2.5% to 3% of the home’s selling price. On a $997,000 house, your agent’s fee might range from $24,925–$29,910.
Get the Highest Proceeds: HomeLight data shows that the top 5% of agents sell homes faster and for up to 10% more than average agents. Try HomeLight’s free Agent Match platform to consult with the highest-performing agents in your Los Angeles market.
Buyer’s Agent Fee: $24,925–$29,910
In the past, most home sellers covered both the listing agent and the buyer’s agent commissions. However, following an industry-changing court settlement by the National Association of Realtors, buyers are now expected to negotiate compensation directly with their own agents. If you’re offering to pay this fee to attract buyers or help close a deal, on a $997,000 median-priced Los Angeles home, you can expect to pay $24,925–$29,910.
Detailed Closing Costs: $9,970–$29,910
Closing costs in Los Angeles typically average 1.0%–3.0% of the home’s sale price. Whether your property falls in the high or low end of this range depends on its value, condition, the purchase agreement, and what services you end up paying for. On a median-priced home of $997,000, you might pay $9,970–$29,910. Below are some of the typical types of closing costs you can expect in a Los Angeles home sale:
- Home Preparations: To help make your Los Angeles home stand out, you’ll want to invest in curb appeal improvements such as professional cleaning, landscaping, or home staging..
- Renovations/Repairs: Fixing or updating your Los Angeles home to meet buyer expectations or inspection requests.
- Title Service Fees: Title company work required to verify legal ownership and help manage the transfer of the home.
- Owner’s Title Insurance: A one-time insurance premium paid by the seller in Los Angeles to protect the buyer from title issues or ownership disputes. While it’s customary in LA for the seller to pay this fee, it can be negotiated in the purchase contract.
- Transfer Taxes: Los Angeles home sellers pay a real property transfer tax of $2.25 for every $500 of the property’s value (equivalent to 0.45%). There is also a seller-paid state transfer tax of 0.11% of the home price. Who pays these fees can be negotiated in the purchase contract. For higher-priced homes within city limits, there can be an additional transfer tax. (See more below.)
- Recording Fees: This is a relatively small fee you’ll need to pay to the local city or county recording office to officially record the change in property ownership.
- Buyer Incentives: With buyers being more hesitant in the current Houston market, you may need to offer concessions or credits to sweeten a deal, such as paying the buyer’s agent fees or funding an interest rate buydown.
- Other Costs: You’ll likely have some miscellaneous expenses that are not covered in other categories, such as attorney fees and HOA transfers. (An attorney is not required to sell a house in California.)
- Moving Expenses: While paying for movers or a rental truck is not technically a closing cost, you might want to include this expense in your budget, which can range from $883 to $7,000.
Along with a traditional transfer tax, if you are selling a higher-value home, you will be subject to the Measure ULA, officially named “United to House LA.” This is a real estate transfer tax in Los Angeles commonly referred to as the “mansion tax.” It’s an additional tax on top of the existing real estate transfer tax. The chart below is a summary of the transfer tax rates you can expect based on your home’s price:
| Value of Property Conveyed | Base Rate* | ULA Rate | Applicable Tax Rate |
| > $100; ≤ $5,150,000 | $2.25 / $500 | 0% | 0.45%* |
| > $5,150,000; <$10,300,000 | $2.25 / $500 | 4% | 4.45%* |
| ≥ $10,300,000 | $2.25 / $500 | 5.5% | 5.95%* |
*This tax only impacts sellers with homes directly within the City of Los Angeles. It does not cover the cities in the Los Angeles area that have their own governments, such as Burbank, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and Long Beach. These communities may levy their own local transfer taxes.
Note: Los Angeles County also levies a county transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 (or $0.55 per $500), which is equal to the state rate. However, it’s customary in California for the buyer to pay the Los Angeles County transfer tax.
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