Journal · selling
What comes out of a Pasadena sale?
At closing, escrow subtracts these from the sale price before you get the rest:
- Your loan payoff, plus any second loan or line of credit on the house.
- Real estate commissions you agreed to in your listing agreement.
- Escrow and title charges, plus routine prorations such as any HOA dues.
- Credits to the buyer, if you agree to them after inspections.
- The documentary transfer tax and the City of Pasadena presale certificate fee. Both are covered below.
Under Business and Professions Code section 10147.5, the amount or rate of real estate commissions is not fixed by law. They are set by each broker individually and may be negotiable between the seller and broker. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Which costs are specific to Pasadena?
Transfer tax. The LA County Registrar-Recorder lists a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of the sale price, which works out to $1.10 per $1,000. The county lists five cities with their own additional rates: Culver City, Los Angeles, Pomona, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica. Pasadena is not one of them, so a Pasadena sale pays the county rate only. Ask your escrow officer or a real estate attorney who pays the transfer tax under your purchase contract.
Presale certificate. Under PMC 14.17, before escrow closes on a single-family house, condominium, townhouse or duplex, “the owner is responsible for obtaining a Presale Certificate of Completion or a Presale Certificate of Inspection.” The City of Pasadena lists the in-person fees as $29.00 for a Certificate of Completion and $184.00 for a Certificate of Inspection, plus processing fees. If a City inspection finds deficiencies, a re-inspection carries an additional fee. The other option is a Transfer of Responsibility to the buyer. Any repair or credit that follows from that inspection is part of your net too. Rules and fees as of November 1, 2026; they change, so check the official source. More on this in Do I need a presale certificate to sell my house in Pasadena?
Why does your number depend on your home?
Most of these costs are known or easy to look up. The number that moves everything is the price, and that comes down to your house:
- Recent nearby sales of homes like yours, not the countywide median.
- Condition. Your home's condition affects what buyers offer and what they ask for after inspecting.
- What you owe. Two neighbors who sell at the same price can net very different amounts.
- Timing, such as whether you need to close before buying your next home.
Online estimates often differ from what recent nearby sales show. For the figure on your property record, see Is my assessed value what my Pasadena home is worth?
Ask a tax adviser how taxes on your gain apply to your own situation.
How do you get your own net estimate?
A home value review gives you an opinion of value for your address, based on recent nearby sales. With that number, I can lay out a line-by-line net estimate using your payoff and the Pasadena items above. It's a personal review of your address by Sidney Manzo, not an automated estimate. No obligation to list.
Questions homeowners ask next
- Does Pasadena charge its own transfer tax when I sell?
- No city rate is listed for Pasadena. The LA County Registrar-Recorder lists a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of the sale price, which works out to $1.10 per $1,000, and names only Culver City, Los Angeles, Pomona, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica as cities with their own additional rates. Ask your escrow officer or a real estate attorney who pays the transfer tax under your purchase contract.
- Who has to get the Pasadena presale certificate?
- The City of Pasadena says the owner is responsible for obtaining a Presale Certificate of Completion or a Presale Certificate of Inspection before escrow closes on a single-family house, condominium, townhouse or duplex. The City lists in-person fees of $29.00 for a Certificate of Completion and $184.00 for a Certificate of Inspection, plus processing fees. If deficiencies are found, the owner can correct them and schedule a re-inspection, or execute a Transfer of Responsibility to the buyer.
- What comes out of my sale price at closing?
- Escrow subtracts your loan payoff, including any second loan or line of credit, the real estate commissions in your listing agreement, escrow and title charges, routine prorations such as HOA dues, and any credits you agree to give the buyer. In Pasadena it also subtracts the county documentary transfer tax and the City presale certificate fee. What is left after those items is your net, and the escrow closing statement is the final word on each figure.
- Why does my price matter more than the costs?
- Most of the costs are known or easy to look up. The number that moves everything is the price, and that comes down to your house: recent nearby sales of homes like yours rather than the countywide median, your home's condition, and your timing. What you owe matters too, since two neighbors who sell at the same price can net very different amounts after their loan payoffs.
- Can you estimate my net before I list?
- Yes. Start with a home value review, which gives you an opinion of value for your address based on recent nearby sales. With that number, I can lay out a line-by-line net estimate using your payoff, escrow and title charges, and the Pasadena items on this page. It's a personal review of your address by Sidney Manzo, not an automated estimate, and there is no obligation to list.