Sell Your House Fast for Cash in California

It depends on the contract and local custom. Every county charges a documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of the price, and some cities add their own. In Orange County the seller usually pays the county tax and the owner's title policy, and escrow fees are often split. Your written offer will spell out who pays what.

Under Proposition 13, your taxable value generally rises by no more than 2% a year until the house changes hands, so long-time owners often pay far less than a new buyer will. The low base doesn't pass to us; the house is reassessed when we buy it. If you are 55 or older, severely disabled, or lost a home to a wildfire or other disaster, Proposition 19 may let you carry your taxable value to a replacement home anywhere in California, generally if you buy within two years. Ask the county assessor about the claim form before you count on it.

Often, unless the house was in a living trust. California's simplified procedures have value limits: for deaths on or after April 1, 2025, the general small-estate limit is $208,850, and a separate court petition may be available for a primary residence worth up to $750,000. These limits change, so confirm them with a probate attorney. In a full probate, an executor or administrator with full authority under the Independent Administration of Estates Act can often sell without a court confirmation hearing. Also ask a tax advisor about Proposition 19: since 2021, a child keeps a parent's low tax base only in limited cases, mainly when the child moves in as their main home.

It can. When California real estate is sold, escrow generally has to withhold 3 1/3% of the price for the Franchise Tax Board unless the seller certifies an exemption, such as selling a principal residence that qualifies for the federal home-sale exclusion, or a sale at a loss. Escrow uses FTB Form 593. A tax advisor can tell you whether an exemption fits.

Yes. Selling doesn't end a lease, and under California's Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) a sale by itself is generally not a "just cause" to end a covered tenancy. The tenants stay, and we take over the lease, the rent rules and the security deposit, which the law generally requires you to transfer to us or return, with written notice to the tenant. AB 1482 caps most yearly rent increases at 5% plus inflation, never more than 10%, and has exemptions, including many newer buildings and some single-family homes owned by individuals. Some cities, such as Santa Ana, have stricter local rules. These rules are currently set to expire in 2030 unless extended.

Most California sellers give a Transfer Disclosure Statement and a Natural Hazard Disclosure, which covers flood, fire hazard and earthquake zones, plus the federal lead-paint form for homes built before 1978. Some sales, such as those by an executor or trustee administering an estate or trust, are exempt from the Transfer Disclosure Statement, though other disclosures may still apply. Buying as-is doesn't erase the duty to tell us what you know.