San Diego​ Seller Closing Cost Calculator

Closing Cost Calculator for San Diego: Seller Averages

This free calculator can help home sellers in San Diego estimate their closing costs and net proceeds. To get a ballpark idea of the cost of selling a house in America’s Finest City, enter the information for each of the input fields above. You can see typical or state averages for most San Diego seller closing costs below.

Home Selling Price: $1,036,500

How does your home compare to the city’s median selling price of $1,036,500? 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 San Diego agent
3. Purchase a pre-listing home appraisal (typically $400 in San Diego)
4. Visit this HomeLight map link to compare recently sold homes in San Diego

Mortgage Payoff Amount: $445,250

According to Experian, the average homeowner in California has a mortgage balance of $445,250. To find the exact payoff amount for your San Diego home, check your latest mortgage statement or contact your mortgage provider.

Listing Agent Fee: $25,912–$31,095

A typical listing agent commission in San Diego is 2.5% to 3% of the home’s selling price. On a $1,036,500 house, your agent’s fee might range from $25,912–$31,095.

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 San Diego market.

Buyer’s Agent Fee: $25,912–$31,095

In the past, most home sellers covered both the listing agent and the buyer’s agent commissions. However, following a landmark 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 $1,036,500 median-priced San Diego home, you can expect to pay $25,912–$31,095.

Detailed Closing Costs: $10,365–$31,095

Closing costs in San Diego 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 $1,036,500, you might pay $10,365–$31,095. Below are some of the typical types of closing costs you can expect in a San Diego home sale:

• Home Preparations: To help make your San Diego home stand out, you’ll want to invest in curb appeal improvements such as professional cleaning, landscaping, or staging the property.
• Renovations/Repairs: Fixing or updating your San Diego 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 property.
• Owner’s Title Insurance: A one-time insurance premium paid by the seller in San Diego to protect the buyer from title hiccups or ownership disputes. Sellers traditionally pay for this in SoCal, but this can be negotiated.
• Transfer Taxes: San Diego home sellers pay a state transfer tax rate of $0.55 for every $500 of the property’s value (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 San Diego 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 should include this expense in your budget, which can range from $883 to $7,000.

In San Diego, the documentary transfer tax is levied at a rate of $0.55 per $500 (or $1.10 per $1,000) of the property’s sale price, or a fraction thereof.