How selling a home works in California, step by step

Last checked: October 2026. This is how a typical sale works in California. Every home and every sale is a little different, so your agent will walk you through the specifics of yours.

If you've never sold a home, it can be hard to picture what happens between deciding to sell and handing over the keys. It's really a series of steps, and most of them happen in the same order every time. This chapter walks through all of them. The other chapters in this guide go deeper on the parts that need it.

Who's on your team

You'll work with a handful of people along the way. It helps to know who does what:

• Your agent prices and markets the home, handles offers and negotiations, and keeps the sale on track through closing. All communication with the buyer's side goes through your agent.
• Escrow and title. Escrow is a neutral third party that holds the money and documents until everything is done. The title company confirms you can legally transfer the home and issues title insurance. In Monterey County, escrow is usually handled through a title company, so you'll often hear them talked about together.
• Vendors for the home, like a photographer, cleaners, contractors, or a stager. Your agent can usually recommend people.
• Your CPA or tax professional, and an attorney if your situation calls for one, like a trust or probate sale.

The first few steps below are how our team works with sellers. Not every agent does it this way. Some come to the first meeting with a price and a listing agreement ready to sign. We'd rather see the home before we price it. Whoever you work with, it's worth asking how they'll arrive at your price and what happens before you sign anything.

Step 1: Our first meeting

The first meeting is about your home and your situation. I walk through the house with you and learn about your timing, your plans, what you've updated, and anything that isn't obvious from the outside. It's a good time to ask every question you have.

I'll leave you with a packet of information about the selling process, and a little homework: a sheet to write down the 10 things you love most about your home. Those often end up in the marketing.

If you're also buying your next home, this is the time to say so. Selling and buying at the same time takes some extra planning, as covered in Chapter 9.

Step 2: Our second meeting: price, plan, and paperwork

In between meetings, I do my homework. At our second meeting, we go through it together:

• The price. A price range based on comparable sales and what's happening in your market. Chapter 3 covers pricing.
• Your numbers. A net sheet that estimates what you'll walk away with. Chapter 6 covers the costs and taxes.
• The marketing plan. How we'll prepare, photograph, and market the home.
• The listing agreement. Your contract with our brokerage. It covers the list price, how long the listing lasts, the commission, and how compensation for the buyer's agent will be handled. Like the purchase contract, it's a legal document you'll be bound by, so we go through it page by page before you sign.
• Your disclosures. If we can, we fill them out together at this meeting too. Getting them done early saves time later. Chapter 5 covers what's involved.

This is also a good time to talk to a CPA if you've owned the home a long time, if it isn't your main home, or if you inherited it.

Step 3: Order reports and inspections

Many sales here need local reports before closing, like a city inspection report, a sewer lateral inspection, or the water fixture inspection on the Peninsula. Some sellers also choose to have inspections done before listing, like a home or pest inspection. Chapter 5 covers what applies where.

We order these for you. You pay for them, but we handle the scheduling, and we try to get as many as possible done on the same day, so you're not dealing with one appointment after another. It doesn't always line up perfectly, and some reports take a few weeks to come back, but the goal is to make it as easy on you as we can.

If you're selling an inherited home or trust property, this is also when to make sure the title company has what it needs from the estate. See Chapter 8.

Step 4: Get the home ready

Repairs, cleaning, decluttering, and sometimes staging, followed by professional photos. This can happen while the reports are in progress. Chapter 4 covers what's worth doing.

Step 5: Go on the market

Your home goes live on the MLS, which sends the listing out to agents and to home search websites. From there, buyers schedule showings and visit open houses.

During this time, keep the home ready to show, and be flexible about showings when you can. Buyers who can't get in tend to move on to the next house. We'll check in regularly on showings, feedback, and anything new on the market nearby.

The first few weeks matter most. As covered in Chapter 3, homes here that sold in their first 30 days sold for close to their original asking price, and homes that sat sold for less.

Step 6: Review offers and negotiate

When offers come in, we go through each one together, not just the price. I'll talk to the buyer's agent and lender to get a sense of how solid each offer is, and I can run a net sheet on each one so you can compare what you'd walk away with.

You can accept an offer, reject it, or counter. Once you and a buyer agree on everything in writing, you're in contract. Chapter 7 covers offers and negotiation in detail.

Step 7: Open escrow

Once you're in contract, escrow opens. The buyer's deposit is usually due within 3 business days, and your disclosures are usually due within 7 days. If we filled them out before listing, that part is already done.

Escrow will send you instructions to sign and a Statement of Information, which helps the title company confirm your identity. Return them quickly. I give my sellers an escrow timeline with every date on it, so you always know what's coming next.

Step 8: Inspections, appraisal, and repair requests

The buyer will have the home inspected, and if they're getting a loan, their lender will order an appraisal. You'll need to give access, and it's best not to be home, especially for the appraisal.

After inspections, the buyer may ask for repairs, a credit, or a lower price. You can say yes, say no, or counter. Meanwhile, any local reports and requirements, like city reports and water fixture upgrades, get finished.

Step 9: The buyer removes contingencies

The buyer's main contingencies usually last 17 days. During that time, they can generally cancel and get their deposit back. When they remove their contingencies in writing, they're committed to the purchase.

This is usually when sellers start to breathe easier, and when many start booking movers.

Step 10: Sign, move out, and the final walk-through

A few days before closing, you'll sign your seller documents, including the deed, with a notary. If you're out of the area, escrow can usually arrange a notary where you are.

Before closing, move out completely and leave behind anything included in the sale, plus keys, garage door openers, and manuals. The buyer will do a final walk-through to confirm the home is in the same condition and any agreed repairs were done.

Step 11: Close

The sale closes when the deed is recorded with the county. Escrow pays off your loan and other costs, and sends you your proceeds. Unless you've agreed to a rent-back, the buyer gets the keys.

After closing, cancel your homeowners insurance, transfer or shut off your utilities, and keep your final settlement statement for your taxes.

How long does it all take?

It depends mostly on three things: how much the home needs before it's ready to list, how long it takes to get an offer you're happy with, and the closing date in the contract.

• Getting ready: Anywhere from a week or two to a couple of months, depending on repairs, clearing out, and local reports.
• On the market: It varies a lot by area, price, and condition. A well-priced home in a busy market can be in contract within a few weeks. Other areas and price ranges take longer.
• Escrow: Often around 30 days, sometimes a little shorter or longer.

From the first conversation to closing, a lot of sales take a few months. The more you get done before listing, the smoother the rest usually goes.

Where to focus your own research

• Before you list: Gather what you know about the home, like past repairs, permits, and insurance claims. It makes your disclosures much easier.
• Before you sign anything: Read the listing agreement and the purchase contract, and ask about anything you don't understand.
• During escrow: Keep an eye on the deadlines, and respond quickly when escrow or your agent needs something.

If you're thinking about selling and want to talk through your timeline, reach out. I'm happy to help, even if you're just starting to think about it.

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This is general information, not legal advice. Your listing agreement and purchase contract control your rights and deadlines, and terms vary from deal to deal. Ask your agent to explain anything you're unsure about, and talk to a real estate attorney for legal questions. I'm a real estate agent, not a lawyer.