In California, counties can charge a documentary transfer tax of 55 cents per $500 of value, or $1.10 per $1,000, when real property is sold. Cities can charge half that, credited against the county tax, and some charter cities charge far more. State law doesn't say whether the buyer or seller pays. Your contract and local custom decide.

What does state law say?

The tax comes from Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911. It lets a county impose a tax on each deed or other document transferring real property when the value exceeds $100. The rate is 55 cents for each $500 of value, or fraction of $500.

The value is figured on the consideration paid, excluding the value of any lien or encumbrance that stays on the property at the time of sale. If you take over an existing loan, that part generally isn't taxed. A brand-new loan, though, doesn't reduce the taxable amount.

How much will it cost?

At the base county rate, here's what the math looks like:

• $500,000 sale: about $550.
• $800,000 sale: about $880.
• $1,200,000 sale: about $1,320.

That's often the smallest closing cost on the settlement statement. The surprises come from cities.

How do city transfer taxes work?

Under section 11911, a city can levy its own tax at half the county rate, or 27.5 cents per $500. When a city does that, its tax is credited against the county tax, so you don't pay both at full price.

Some charter cities go further. Because of their charter powers, they can set their own transfer taxes that don't follow the state formula and don't get the credit. Those rates vary widely, and some use tiers that rise with the sale price. A few big-city rates are many times the county base rate, so on a high-priced sale the difference can be thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

Before you list or make an offer, check the current rate with the county recorder and the city. Rates change through local ballot measures.

Who pays: buyer or seller?

The statute doesn't assign the tax to either side. In practice:

• Your purchase contract decides who pays. The standard California forms include a section on transfer taxes.
• Where the contract follows local custom, the seller often pays the county tax, but customs vary by county and city.
• City taxes are sometimes split, sometimes all seller, sometimes all buyer.

It's negotiable. In a slower market, buyers sometimes ask sellers to cover more of it. In a competitive one, a buyer might offer to pay it to make an offer stand out.

Are any transfers exempt?

State law and local rules exempt certain transfers. Common examples include some transfers between spouses in a divorce, transfers into a revocable living trust that don't change who owns the property, gifts where nothing is paid, and certain transfers to government agencies. The details depend on the county and city ordinance. The recorder's office can tell you whether a transfer qualifies and what statement is required on the deed.

How does it show up at closing?

The escrow or title company calculates the tax and includes it on the settlement statement. The amount is usually printed on the face of the deed when it's recorded, which is why it's called a documentary tax. If the amount is wrong, the recorder may reject the deed or the county may follow up later.

Is this the same as a property tax reassessment?

No. The documentary transfer tax is a one-time charge at closing. Separately, under Proposition 13, a change in ownership usually triggers a reassessment of the property's taxable value to the purchase price, which can raise the annual property tax bill. Buyers should budget for both. The county assessor will typically send a supplemental tax bill after the sale to cover the difference for the rest of the tax year, and it often arrives months after closing, when people least expect it.

What should sellers do?

If you're selling, ask your escrow officer for a net sheet that shows county and city transfer taxes before you set a price. In a city with a high transfer tax, that line can change your bottom line more than any repair credit you negotiate.

What should buyers do?

Read the transfer tax section of your contract and ask who's paying what. If you're buying in a charter city with a tiered tax, find out where your price falls. A purchase price just over a tier line can carry a much bigger tax than one just under it.

FAQ

How much is California's documentary transfer tax? The county rate is 55 cents per $500 of value, or $1.10 per $1,000. Cities may add more.

Does the buyer or seller pay the transfer tax in California? State law doesn't say. The purchase contract decides, often based on local custom.

Is an assumed loan taxed? Value from a lien or encumbrance that remains on the property is excluded from the taxable amount.

Why is the tax so much higher in some cities? Some charter cities set their own transfer taxes outside the state formula, sometimes with tiered rates.

Next step

Ask the county recorder and city for the current rates where you're buying or selling. Then talk with a licensed local agent about local custom and how to handle transfer taxes in your offer or counteroffer.

Sources: California Revenue and Taxation Code section 11911.

California home sales slowed in September 2026, but prices held. The California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) reported a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 260,410 existing single-family sales, down 6.5% from a year earlier. The statewide median price was $899,720, up 1.7%. Homes sold in a median 29 days.

"Are home prices going down?" has been a rising Google search in California this fall. Based on C.A.R.'s September report, the short answer is no, not statewide. Sales are falling. Prices aren't, at least not yet.

What happened to California home sales?

They pulled back. C.A.R.'s September numbers, released October 19, 2026:

• 260,410 existing single-family homes on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis
• Down 3.4% from 269,620 in August
• Down 6.5% from 278,540 in September 2025
• Year-to-date sales still up 0.8%

C.A.R. says statewide sales have stayed below 300,000 for 48 straight months. It points to mortgage rates. The 30-year fixed averaged 6.86% in September, up from 6.67% in August and 6.35% a year earlier, by C.A.R.'s calculation from Freddie Mac data.

Are California home prices falling?

Not statewide. September's median was $899,720, down 0.2% from August and up 1.7% from September 2025. C.A.R. says that was the fifth straight month of year-over-year gains.

A few other price markers from the report:

• Median price per square foot: $434, up from $427 a year earlier
• Share of sales at $1 million or more: 35.9%, up from 35.2% in August
• Sale-to-list price ratio: 98.8%, versus 98.2% a year earlier
• Condo and townhome median: $640,000, down from $650,000 a year earlier

One honest caveat. C.A.R. says a bigger share of high-priced homes in the mix helped hold the median up. It also expects "more downward pressure on home prices for the remainder of the year." So prices are steady, with a lean toward softer.

How much inventory is there?

A bit more than last year, mostly because fewer homes are selling. C.A.R. reported:

• Unsold Inventory Index of 3.7 months, the same as August and up from 3.6 a year ago
• Active listings up 2.7% from August and 0.5% from a year earlier, the first annual increase in eight months

C.A.R. says the listing increase came from the slowdown in sales, not a wave of new sellers. Many owners with low-rate mortgages are staying put.

How do California regions compare?

Very differently. From C.A.R.'s September regional numbers:

• San Francisco Bay Area: median $1,325,000, up 1.9% year over year. Sales down 3.1%. Unsold inventory 2.6 months
• Southern California: median $895,000, up 3.0%. Sales down 9.1%
• Central Coast: median $1,049,500, up 4.4%. The only region with higher sales, up 4.4%
• Central Valley: median $500,000, basically flat. Sales down 2.5%
• Far North: median $377,150, down 3.4%. Sales down 9.0%
• Inland Empire: median $601,030. Sales down 10.2%. Median 41 days on market

County numbers swing a lot more, especially in small counties. C.A.R. warns those big percentage moves often reflect low sales volume, not real shifts in demand.

What does this mean if I'm buying?

You may have a little more room than you did in the spring. Sales are down, listings are up slightly, and buyers are paying a bit under list on average. Don't expect a fire sale, though. Statewide, homes sold faster than a year ago (29 days versus 32), and the sale-to-list ratio actually rose. Good homes in good areas still move. C.A.R. President Tamara Suminski said buyers "may have more room to explore their options, negotiate and focus on finding the right home rather than simply hurrying to make an offer."

Budget for more than the price. Rates are higher, insurance can be hard to get in fire-prone areas, and your first year brings a supplemental property tax bill. Read the seller disclosures the day you get them.

What does this mean if I'm selling?

Price for the market you're in, not the one from 2022. Sales are slower, and buyers have a bit more choice. A home that's priced right and shown well still sells. In the Bay Area, homes are going in a median 19 days. In the Inland Empire, it's 41.

If you're 55 or older and planning to buy again in California, look at Prop 19 base year transfers before you set your next price range.

FAQ

What is the median home price in California right now?
$899,720 for existing single-family homes in September 2026, according to C.A.R. That's up 1.7% from a year earlier.

Are California home sales up or down?
Down. September's annualized pace of 260,410 was 6.5% below September 2025, though year-to-date sales were up 0.8%.

How long does it take to sell a home in California?
The statewide median was 29 days in September 2026, compared with 32 days a year earlier.

Is inventory rising in California?
Slightly. Active listings were up 0.5% year over year, and the Unsold Inventory Index was 3.7 months.

Will prices drop the rest of 2026?
C.A.R. expects some downward pressure through year end as demand softens and the seasonal slowdown sets in. It hasn't forecast a specific drop.

Next step

A licensed local real estate agent can pull the numbers for your own county and neighborhood, which often look very different from the statewide median. Ask for recent sales near you and current days on market. More guides are on the California real estate page.

Sources: C.A.R. September 2026 home sales and price report.

California sellers of most one-to-four unit homes must give buyers a Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) and a Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD) statement. If those forms reach the buyer after an offer is accepted, the buyer gets three days after in-person delivery, or five days after mail or electronic delivery, to cancel in writing.

That cancellation window is the piece most buyers don't know about. It's in Civil Code section 1102.3, and it's one reason California agents push to get disclosures delivered early.

What is the Transfer Disclosure Statement?

The TDS is the seller's written statement about the property's condition. California's disclosure law, Civil Code sections 1102 through 1102.19, requires it for sales of single-family residential property, with some exemptions.

The form has sections the seller fills in, plus sections for the agents. Section 1102.3 says the cancellation clock starts once Sections I and II, and Section III if the seller has an agent, are completed and delivered to the buyer or the buyer's agent. A seller can't just hand over a half-done form and start the clock.

On timing, section 1102.3 says the seller has to deliver it "as soon as practicable before transfer of title." For a sale by real property sales contract or a lease with an option to buy, it's due before the contract is executed.

What is the Natural Hazard Disclosure?

The NHD tells the buyer whether the property sits in certain state or federally mapped hazard areas. Under Civil Code section 1103, the zones are:

• A FEMA special flood hazard area (any Zone A or V)
• An area of potential flooding from dam failure, under the Water Code
• A very high fire hazard severity zone
• A state responsibility area for wildland fire, subject to defensible space rules
• An earthquake fault zone
• A seismic hazard zone, which covers landslide and liquefaction areas

The duty is triggered if the seller or the seller's agent actually knows the property is in the zone, or if the local agency has received the map and posted notice at the county recorder, assessor, and planning offices. Most sellers order an NHD report from a third-party provider that checks the maps.

Section 1103 also says any waiver of these rules is void. A buyer can't sign them away.

How does the 3-day or 5-day cancellation work?

If a required disclosure, or a material amendment to one, is delivered after the buyer's offer is accepted, the buyer can terminate the offer by sending written notice to the seller or the seller's agent:

• Within three days after delivery in person
• Within five days after delivery by mail
• Within five days after electronic delivery, if the parties agreed to do the deal electronically

That's the statute. Your purchase contract may have its own contingency periods on top of it. Know both sets of dates.

What should buyers do with these forms?

Read them, slowly, the day you get them. Then check the parts that matter to money.

A few practical steps:

• Compare the TDS against your home inspection. If the seller says "no known leaks" and the inspector finds water stains, ask
• If the NHD shows a flood zone, get a flood insurance quote before your contingencies end
• If it shows a very high fire hazard severity zone, start shopping home insurance right away. Some buyers end up on the California FAIR Plan
• If it shows an earthquake fault or seismic hazard zone, read up on earthquake coverage

You can also look up an address yourself. FloodFireCheck gives a quick read on flood and fire exposure, which is a useful second look next to the NHD report.

What should sellers do?

Fill out the TDS honestly and completely. When in doubt, disclose. Problems you knew about and didn't mention are the classic source of post-closing lawsuits.

Order the NHD report early so it's ready to go with the listing packet. Delivering both forms before the buyer makes an offer, where your agent's process allows it, means there's no post-acceptance cancellation window to worry about.

If something changes after delivery, like a new roof leak, amend the disclosure. Remember that a material amendment delivered after acceptance restarts the buyer's right to cancel.

Selling to buy again? If you're 55 or older, check whether Prop 19 lets you take your tax base with you.

FAQ

Is a seller disclosure required in California?
For most sales of single-family residential property, yes. Civil Code sections 1102 and 1103 require the Transfer Disclosure Statement and the Natural Hazard Disclosure, with some exemptions.

How long does a buyer have to cancel after late disclosures?
Three days after in-person delivery, or five days after delivery by mail or electronic delivery, under Civil Code section 1102.3.

What hazard zones go on the NHD?
FEMA flood zones A or V, dam-failure inundation areas, very high fire hazard severity zones, state responsibility wildland fire areas, earthquake fault zones, and seismic hazard zones.

Can a buyer waive natural hazard disclosures?
No. Civil Code section 1103 says any waiver is void as against public policy.

Does an as-is sale skip disclosures?
Selling as is doesn't remove the statutory disclosure duties. Ask your agent which exemptions, if any, apply to your sale.

Next step

A licensed local real estate agent can get disclosures delivered at the right time, explain each hazard zone on the report, and track your cancellation and contingency deadlines. Bring any questions about the forms before your windows close. More guides are on the California real estate page.

Sources: Cal. Civ. Code § 1102.3, Cal. Civ. Code § 1103.

Under Proposition 19, California homeowners who are 55 or older, severely and permanently disabled, or victims of a wildfire or natural disaster can move their property tax base to a replacement home anywhere in the state. You can do it up to three times. The replacement has to be bought or built within two years of selling the original.

This is one of the biggest money questions for older California owners thinking about downsizing. A low Prop 13 tax base built up over decades can be worth thousands of dollars a year. Prop 19 lets you keep a lot of it, if you get the timing and the value test right.

Who qualifies for a Prop 19 base year transfer?

The State Board of Equalization (BOE) lists three groups. You only need to fit one:

• Homeowners at least 55 years old
• Homeowners who are severely and permanently disabled
• Homeowners whose principal residence was damaged by a wildfire or a natural disaster declared by the Governor

You must meet the qualification on the date the original home is sold. The original home also has to be your principal residence and eligible for the homeowners' or disabled veterans' exemption, either when you sell it or within two years of buying the replacement. The BOE says there's no minimum time you have to have lived there.

What are the timing rules?

Buy or build the replacement within two years of selling the original. The order can go either way.

The BOE says that if you buy the replacement first, the original has to sell within two years of that purchase. There's a cost to doing it that way. Until the original sells, you pay property tax on the replacement at its full market value, and there's no refund for that period.

This is not done through escrow. The BOE is direct about it: you file a claim form with the assessor in the county where the replacement home is located, after both deals close and you're living in the new place.

How does the value test work?

This is where Prop 19 differs most from the old rules. Under Props 60 and 90, the replacement had to be of equal or lesser value, and usually in the same county. Under Prop 19, the replacement can be any value, anywhere in California.

If it's of "equal or lesser value," your old base year value transfers with no adjustment. The BOE defines that as:

• 100% or less of the original home's market value, if you bought the replacement before selling
• 105% or less, if you bought within the first year after selling
• 110% or less, if you bought within the second year after selling

If the replacement costs more, you still get a transfer. The difference is added on top.

The BOE gives this example. You sell a home worth $400,000 with a factored base year value of $100,000. Within a year, you buy a $600,000 replacement. The adjusted value of the original is $420,000 (105% of $400,000). The $180,000 difference gets added to your $100,000 base. Your new taxable value is $280,000, not $600,000.

Which form do I file?

File with the assessor in the county where the replacement is located, within three years of buying or finishing the replacement:

• BOE-19-B for persons at least age 55
• BOE-19-D and BOE-19-DC for severely and permanently disabled persons, with a certificate of disability
• BOE-19-V for victims of wildfire or other natural disaster

Don't wait for the deadline. File once you've moved in and both transactions are recorded.

Can I use it if my child is on title?

Yes. The BOE says you don't have to be the sole owner of the replacement home. As long as you're one of the purchasers and you owned and lived in the original, you can transfer your base year value to the entire replacement home.

The BOE also says a homeowner who already used Prop 60 or 90 once can still use Prop 19 three more times.

Inherited homes have their own Prop 19 rules on parent-child transfers. Those are separate and stricter. Talk to a tax professional about those.

What should I do before I list?

Get the numbers first. Ask the assessor for your current factored base year value. Get a realistic estimate of what your home would sell for. Then figure out what replacement price keeps you inside the 100%, 105%, or 110% line.

After you buy, file the homeowners' exemption on the new place too. See supplemental tax bills and the $7,000 exemption for how that works. And check what's happening in your target market. Our California housing market update has the latest statewide numbers.

FAQ

How many times can I use Prop 19 to transfer my tax base?
Three times, for qualifying owners 55 and older or severely disabled, according to the BOE.

Can I move to a different county?
Yes. Under Prop 19, the replacement home can be anywhere in California.

Can the replacement home cost more than my old one?
Yes. You still get a transfer, but the amount above the equal-or-lesser-value line is added to your transferred base.

Is the transfer handled in escrow?
No. You file the claim with the replacement county's assessor after both transactions are done and you live in the new home.

What's the filing deadline?
Within three years of buying the replacement or completing its new construction.

Next step

A licensed local real estate agent can help you price both sides of a Prop 19 move and time the sale and purchase so the replacement stays within the value test. Pair that with your county assessor and a tax professional for the filing. More guides are on the California real estate page.

Sources: BOE: Proposition 19.