Typical Fees and Taxes Paid for a Real Estate Sale
The following items are customary charges in Santa Clara County. However, almost all charges are negotiable and will be specified in the Purchase Agreement.
Buyer's Charges
- Lenders Title Insurance Policy
- 50% City Transfer Tax: Cities of San Jose, Palo Alto & Mt. View $3.30 per $1,000 of sales price. (City taxes are usually split 50/50 between buyer and seller)
- Recording Fees: Deed and Deed of Trust
- Notary Fees
- Drawing Fees: Deed, Private Notes & Deeds of Trust
- Lenders Fees: May include loan origination fee, appraisal fee, credit report, tax service fee, prepaid interest, processing fee, document prep fee
- First Year Fire Insurance Premium
- Termite Inspection
- Roof Inspection
- Property Inspection
- Proration of Real Estate Taxes
Seller's Charges
- Owners Title Insurance Policy
- Documentary Transfer Tax: County $1.00 per $1,000 of sales price. Cities of San Jose, Palo Alto & Mt. View $3.30 per $1,000 of sales price. (City taxes are usually split 50/50 between buyer and seller)
- Escrow Fee
- Proration of Real Estate Taxes
- Drawing Fees
- Notary Fees
- Recording Fees: Reconveyance
- Real Estate Commission
- Home Warranty Contract
- Environmental/Geological Reports
- Termite Repairs
- Payoff of Existing Loans: Principal balance, interest, statement fee, reconveyance fee
Who Pays What
How much is paid and who customarily pays for escrow fees, title fees, and transfer taxes varies from city to city. See the table below to see customary costs for both buyer and seller.
Table of California Closing Costs for Local Counties
| County | Escrow Charges | Title Policy | Documentary Transfer Fee | City Transfer Tax | City ($ per $1,000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alameda | buyer | buyer | seller | buyer 50%, seller 50% |
Alameda: $12, Hayward: $4.50 |
| San Francisco | buyer | buyer | included in city | seller |
0-$250,000: $5, 250,001-$999,999: $6.80, $1,000,000-$5,000,000: $7.50, $5,000,001+: $15.00 |
| San Mateo | buyer | buyer | seller | buyer 50%, seller 50% |
San Mateo: $5.00, Hillsborough: seller $0.30 |
| Santa Clara | seller | seller | seller | buyer 50%, seller 50% |
Mountain View: $3.30, Palo Alto: $3.30, San Jose: $3.30 |
| Santa Cruz | buyer 50%, seller 50% |
buyer50%, seller 50% |
seller | none |
Visit the link Old Republic Title - Who Pays to see who pays which closing costs for all California counties.
