Selling a home in Woodland Hills typically costs 6% to 9% of the sale price once everything is counted. On a home at the local median of about $1.35 million, that's roughly $81,000 to $121,500.
Most sellers know about the commission. The other half of that number is what catches people out.
Every line, on a median sale
Sale price $1,350,000
Listing brokerage compensation (2.5%) -$ 33,750
Buyer-side compensation, if you offer it -$ 33,750
LA County transfer tax ($1.10/$1,000) -$ 1,485
Escrow fee (your half) -$ 1,475
Owner's title policy -$ 2,700
Natural hazard disclosure report -$ 125
Retrofit compliance (smoke/CO/water) -$ 400
Termite inspection + any required work -$ 1,500
Repairs from the buyer's request -$ 4,000
Home warranty, if offered -$ 600
Property tax proration -$ 2,400
Recording + misc -$ 150
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Total selling costs $ 82,335
(6.1% of sale price)
Then subtract whatever you still owe on the mortgage. That's your net.
The lines people don't expect
Buyer-side compensation is now a negotiation. Since the NAR settlement rules took effect, this is no longer assumed. Some sellers offer nothing. Many still offer something, because a home that's harder for buyers to afford is a home that sits longer. Decide this deliberately — and know that it's the single biggest variable in the table above.
Property tax proration. California bills in arrears on a July–June fiscal year, so depending on your closing date you may owe several months at closing. It isn't an extra tax — it's tax you already owed — but it comes out of your proceeds and sellers routinely forget it.
Repairs. Unknowable until the buyer's inspection. Woodland Hills has a lot of 1950s–70s housing stock, and the recurring items are sewer lines, original electrical panels, and roofs at the end of their life. Budget something, even if it's a placeholder.
Retrofit compliance. Los Angeles requires smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and water-conserving fixtures at point of sale, with a signed certificate. Small money, but it's mandatory and it's yours.
What's negotiable — and what isn't
| Negotiable | Both commissions, who pays which escrow and title fee, home warranty, repair credits |
| Not negotiable | Transfer tax, retrofit compliance, your mortgage payoff, property tax proration |
Escrow and title splits are custom, not law. In Southern California escrow is usually split and the seller usually pays the owner's title policy — but "usually" is a starting point, not a rule.
Run your own numbers with our net proceeds calculator.
The tax question, which is separate
If you've owned a long time, you may owe capital gains tax on top of all this. The primary-residence exclusion is $250,000 if you're single and $500,000 if you're married filing jointly, subject to ownership and use tests.
A couple who bought in Woodland Hills in 1996 for $280,000 and sells at $1.35M has roughly $1.07M of gain before adjustments — well past the exclusion.
Talk to a CPA before you list, not after you're in escrow. Improvements you've made over the years adjust your basis, and the receipts matter. This is the single most expensive thing sellers discover too late.
The short version
Budget around 8% of your sale price as a planning figure, get a written net sheet from your agent before you set a list price, and speak to a CPA early if you've owned for more than a decade.
Any agent should give you that net sheet without being asked. If you have to ask, ask.
Written by Emily Rose, a licensed California REALTOR® serving Woodland Hills and the San Fernando Valley. Figures are estimates for general guidance, not a quote. Median price per the current local guide. Costs vary by negotiation, condition and closing date, and capital gains depends on facts only your CPA can assess.