Selling a home in California runs in five stages: price the home and sign a listing agreement, settle any ownership or tenant issues, prepare the home and complete the seller disclosures, market it and negotiate offers, then manage escrow through inspections, contingency removals and closing. Most of the legal work sits in the disclosures and the contract, and most of the money is decided by pricing and by which offer you accept.
This hub follows that order and links each Diamond Real Estate Group selling guide where it applies. Some requirements are local: transfer tax rates, sewer lateral rules and point-of-sale inspections differ by city and county across Sonoma, Napa, Marin, San Francisco, the wider Bay Area, and the inland and coastal counties Diamond serves, from Placer and El Dorado to Monterey and Santa Cruz.
Stage 1: Set the price and the plan
Start with a pricing analysis built from recent comparable sales and current competition, then turn that price into an estimate of what you will actually net after costs and any tax on the gain. A home valuation request is the quickest way to begin.
The listing agreement sets the term, the marketing plan and the broker’s compensation, all of which are negotiable. Read how offers of compensation to buyers’ agents will be handled before you sign.
Guides for this stage
- Comparative market analysis (CMA): how agents choose comps and adjust them, and how a CMA differs from an appraisal or an online estimate.
- Seller net sheet: what it costs to sell a house in Northern California and how to estimate your proceeds.
- Capital gains on a home sale: how the federal home-sale exclusion works and how California taxes any gain above it.
- Listing agreements after the NAR settlement: terms, compensation and how to cancel a California listing agreement.
Stage 2: Settle ownership and special situations first
Before you list, confirm who has authority to sign. A home held in a trust, an estate in probate, a property owned with a spouse who has died, or a parent’s home sold under a power of attorney each needs different paperwork, and gaps can delay escrow by weeks. Estates and trusts are a core part of our probate and trust sale services.
Tenants, unpermitted units and property tax planning also belong at this stage. Owners 55 and older who are moving may be able to carry their assessed value to a replacement home, and heirs need to understand Prop 19 before deciding whether to keep or sell.
Guides for this stage
- Inherited a house?: comparing keeping, renting and selling, with stepped-up basis, reassessment and a carrying-cost worksheet.
- Prop 19 and inherited homes: the family home exclusion, its value cap, the move-in requirement and the BOE filing deadlines.
- Selling after a spouse dies: clearing title, community property and the tax basis question for a surviving spouse.
- Selling a parent’s home with a power of attorney: what an agent under a power of attorney or a conservator can sign, and when court approval comes in.
- Selling a tenant-occupied home: showing notice, when a tenancy can end before closing, deposits and estoppels.
- Prop 19 base year transfers: how owners 55 and older, disabled owners and disaster victims move their assessed value to a new home.
- Unpermitted ADUs and conversions: whether to disclose and sell as is or legalize the work before listing.
Stage 3: Prepare the home and the disclosures
Civil Code section 1102.3 requires the seller to deliver the transfer disclosure statement as soon as practicable before title transfers. A required disclosure that arrives after the offer opens a termination window for the buyer: three days after hand delivery, or five days after mailing or agreed electronic delivery. Completing disclosures and reports before you list avoids handing buyers that late exit.
Pre-listing inspections let you price around known issues instead of renegotiating in escrow. Local rules add to the list: Marin towns have their own point-of-sale requirements, East Bay sellers often need an EBMUD sewer lateral certificate, and several Peninsula cities enforce sewer lateral rules at sale. Diamond can help with preparation through its concierge services, some handled in-house and some through vendor partners.
Guides for this stage
- Pre-listing inspections: which inspections to order before listing and what you must disclose once you have the reports.
- California seller disclosures: the TDS, SPQ and AVID, and which sellers are exempt from which forms.
- Lead-based paint disclosure: the federal lead disclosure for older homes and how it fits with the California forms.
- Point-of-sale requirements checklist: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, water heater strapping and low-flow fixtures.
- Selling as is: what an as-is sale changes about repairs and negotiation, and what it leaves unchanged.
Stage 4: Market the home and negotiate offers
Compare offers on net proceeds and certainty, not price alone: the financing, the deposit, the contingencies and their lengths, the closing date and any rent-back request. When several buyers are interested, a seller can counter more than one at a time, but the form and the order of acceptance matter.
Diamond markets listings through the MLS and also reaches likely buyers through its own client database and targeted campaigns. Sellers who want a quieter sale should read our guide to pocket listings in California, because MLS rules, including NAR’s Clear Cooperation policy, limit how a home can be marketed outside the MLS.
Guides for this stage
- Comparing multiple offers: weighing net proceeds, terms and the likelihood each buyer will close.
- Multiple counter offers: how the Seller Multiple Counter Offer form works and the order in which acceptances bind.
- Can a seller back out?: when a California seller can cancel a signed contract and what it costs to try.
Stage 5: Escrow, taxes and closing
Under Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911, the county documentary transfer tax is $0.55 per $500 of value, and a city may levy half that amount; some cities set their own rates on top. Who pays is set by the contract: by local custom, sellers in Diamond’s North Bay markets usually pay the county tax, but the split is negotiable and custom differs from place to place. City-by-city rates are listed for Alameda County cities and Santa Clara County cities.
Escrow may also withhold California income tax from your proceeds unless you qualify for an exemption, and sellers who need time to move can negotiate a rent-back. Investors selling a rental should also read selling a rental property in California.
Guides for this stage
- California transfer tax: county and city rates in Northern California, who pays, exemptions and the calculation.
- Form 593 withholding and FIRPTA: when escrow withholds state tax, the exemptions you can certify, and how to claim the credit.
- Seller rent-backs: staying in the home after closing, the two C.A.R. occupancy agreements, deposits and insurance.
How Diamond helps sellers
Diamond prices the home from current evidence, organizes disclosures and local requirements before launch, and tracks every deadline and request through escrow. We handle residential, luxury, land, vineyard and winery, multifamily, probate and trust sales. If timing matters more than price, you can also compare a cash offer with a listed sale. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with; you’re free to choose any provider.
Buyers on the other side follow the California home-buying process, and knowing their deadlines helps you anticipate requests. This is general information, not legal or tax advice; talk to a California real estate attorney or a tax adviser about your own sale.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to sell a house in California?
It depends on preparation, pricing and the escrow length you agree to. Ownership issues such as probate or a trust should be sorted out before listing, because they are a common cause of delay.
What disclosures does a California seller have to give?
Most sellers of houses must deliver the transfer disclosure statement plus other required disclosures and reports. Deliver them early: a disclosure received after the buyer’s offer gives the buyer three or five days, depending on delivery method, to terminate.
Who pays transfer tax when I sell?
The contract decides. By local custom in Diamond’s North Bay markets the seller usually pays the county tax of $0.55 per $500, or $1.10 per $1,000, but the split is negotiable, and some cities add their own taxes with different customs.
Will escrow withhold tax from my sale proceeds?
California withholding can apply unless you certify an exemption on Form 593. One common exemption covers a home that qualifies as your principal residence under IRC Section 121 or was last used as your principal residence. Federal FIRPTA withholding applies to some foreign sellers. Our withholding guide lists the other exemptions.
Can I sell my house while tenants live there?
Yes. You must follow notice rules for showings, and a tenancy can end before closing only for a reason the law allows. Our guide to tenant-occupied sales covers the options.
Do I have to make the repairs a buyer requests?
Not unless the contract obliges you to. Sellers can agree, offer a credit or price reduction, or decline, and the buyer then decides whether to continue under its contingencies.
If you are planning a sale, talk with Diamond about selling your Northern California home and we will map out the order of work for your property.
Sources & notes
- California Public Law: Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911 (documentary transfer tax)
- California Public Law: Civil Code section 1102.3 (disclosure delivery and termination rights)
- Franchise Tax Board: 2026 Instructions for Form 593
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
