There are several fees that take place when selling a home in San Diego known as “Closing Costs” and can get a bit confusing. Both Home Buyers and Home Sellers have their own closing costs and some fees are negotiable and some are not. Having an experienced and savvy Realtor on your side will save you money and aggravation throughout this process. So, make sure to contact us right away so we can go over how we can help.
Who Pays Closing Costs When Selling a House?
Both the seller and the buyer have their own closing costs. However, the buyer has fees associated with their loan, while the seller has fees associated with their house, and their mortgage, and home equity lines if one has been taken out,
Typical Closing Costs When Selling a House
In California, there is a Property Transfer Fee that comes out to $1.10 per thousand dollars of the purchase price. This gets split between the City and the County and is typically paid by the seller. However, in a Seller’s market, this is a good negotiating tool that we have used and has saved our sellers money. While working with buyers, we have used this item to get our offer accepted in a tough multiple offer situation. There are also fees that your bank will charge you, the seller to close your loan and release the lender’s interest in the property. Yep, you heard it right. There is a fee to loan you money when you bought your home and there is a fee to stop loaning you money:-). This is what we call a “Demand Statement Fee and Reconveyance Release Fee”. Of course, your Real Estate Taxes must also be paid off during the sale.
Sellers are the one’s who pay the Realtors commissions as well as 50% of Escrow Fees and Title Insurance. Of course, this is not set in stone but in Southern California, this is usually how it looks financially.
List of Closing Costs When Buying a House
As a homebuyer, there are lots of fees that you will have upfront. Make sure that you have teamed up with a great Realtor and Lender that will go over all of the fees involved when buying a home so that there are no surprises. Below is a breakdown of closing costs when buying a house in San Diego.

- Title Insurance-(Lenders title fee on the loan)
- Escrow Fee
- Homeowner’s Insurance
- Wire and Courier Services
- Credit Check
- Appraisal Fee
- Loan Origination Fees
- Loan Processing Fees
- Underwriting Fees
- City Recording Fees
The final dollar amount on fees paid out depends on the cost of the home that you are either buying or selling and what you and your Realtor have negotiated in the sales contract. In Real Estate, nothing is set in stone and most everything is negotiable. All of the fees mentioned above are simply what it cost to buy or sell a home. Besides this, there are costs that come with negotiating repairs and with termite clearance. Having an experienced Real Estate team on your side will make the process a lot smoother and keep more money in your pocket.
If you are thinking of selling a house or buying a house in North Park, South Park or any area in San Diego, contact the McT Real Estate Group. We are highly experienced Real Estate negotiators that will work hard on your behalf and are committed to making it a fun and great experience through the process.