What Brentwood Sellers Actually Pay at Closing in 2026

Brentwood sellers pay Contra Costa County's documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of sale price — roughly $825 on a $750,000 sale — and no city transfer tax on top, unlike Richmond or El Cerrito. In Contra Costa, buyers customarily cover their own title insurance and escrow fees. Commission is negotiated in writing and is no longer advertised through the MLS.

I get some version of "so what do I actually walk away with?" from nearly every seller I sit down with. It's a fair question and it deserves real numbers, not a vague percentage. I spent a career on the lending, title, and escrow side of this business before I ever held a listing, which means I watched this money move long before I was the one explaining it. Let's go line by line.

The four buckets, and which one you can argue with

Four buckets, and the useful thing is which of them you can argue with.

| Bucket | Who sets it | Can you move it? | |---|---|---| | Documentary transfer tax | Contra Costa County | Fixed — $0.55 per $500, no exceptions | | Prorated taxes + HOA dues | The calendar | Fixed — set by your closing date | | Loan payoff + recording fees | Your lender | Fixed — but verify the demand statement | | Agent commissions | You and me, in writing | Negotiable — every dollar of it |

Title and escrow fees sit outside all four here, because in Contra Costa the buyer customarily pays their own. That's custom, not law — and it's the one most sellers coming from Southern California get wrong.

Knowing which bucket a number lives in is most of the value I bring to a listing appointment.

How much is Contra Costa County's transfer tax?

The countywide documentary transfer tax is $0.55 per $500 of sale price — about $1.10 per $1,000, or roughly 0.11%. On a $750,000 sale, that's about $825.

Brentwood is a general law city, which means it adds no city transfer tax on top of the county's. Richmond and El Cerrito are charter cities, and both levy their own additional transfer tax. So if a friend who sold in Richmond mentioned a number that made your stomach drop, that's the difference — and it doesn't apply to you here.

This is one of the few genuinely fixed figures in the whole transaction, which makes it easy to plan around.

Who pays for title insurance and escrow fees here?

Custom decides this, not law — and custom changes by county. This is where I see sellers get tripped up more than anywhere else, especially anyone who's bought or sold in Southern California before.

Down south, it's common for the seller to cover the buyer's owner's title insurance policy. In Contra Costa County, the custom runs the other way: buyers generally pay for their own title insurance and their own escrow fees. As a seller here, you're typically not carrying that cost.

Nothing in the statute requires either arrangement. It's negotiable in principle and settled by local practice in reality — which is exactly why the county you're selling in matters as much as the price you're selling at.

What changed with commissions?

The 2024 National Association of REALTORS® settlement changed how buyer-agent compensation works, and the practice changes took effect August 17, 2024.

Two things are different now. Offers of compensation can no longer be published on the MLS — that channel is closed entirely. And buyers must sign a written agreement with their agent before touring homes, with compensation stated in terms that are specific and objectively ascertainable, not open-ended.

What that means for you as a seller: buyer-agent compensation is still very much on the table in most transactions, but it's now an explicit negotiation rather than an assumption baked into the listing. You decide, deal by deal, whether to offer anything toward the buyer's agent and how much.

I walk every seller through exactly what that looks like on their specific offer before they sign anything. "It depends on the deal" isn't useful advice until someone shows you the deal.

What should Trilogy sellers budget for that other Brentwood sellers don't?

Trilogy at the Vineyards is a common interest development, so there's an HOA transfer and document fee on top of everything above. The amount depends on your management company and gets updated periodically, so I won't quote you a figure that might be stale by the time you read this — ask HOA management for current pricing the day you decide to list.

That timing matters for a second reason. California law gives the association 10 days to produce your resale disclosure package once you request it, and in practice one to two weeks is realistic. I've watched that single detail decide whether an escrow closes on schedule. I wrote up what's in the Trilogy HOA resale packet separately, because it deserves its own explanation.

Three ways to keep more of the proceeds

Price it right the first time. An overpriced listing that sits and then takes a price cut almost always nets less than one priced accurately from day one. Buyers negotiate harder against a listing with a visible price-drop history — the reduction tells them you'll keep going.

Get your paperwork moving early. Disclosures and HOA documents are what delay closings, not repairs. Every extra week in escrow is another week of carrying costs on a house you've already mentally moved out of.

Ask for a real net sheet before you list. Not a rough percentage — an actual line-by-line breakdown for your specific sale price, loan payoff, and HOA situation. It's a five-minute conversation that prevents every unpleasant surprise at the closing table.

What a net sheet looks like

Here it is on a $750,000 Brentwood sale, so you can see the shape of it before we ever sit down.

| Line | Amount | Status | |---|---|---| | Sale price | $750,000 | — | | County documentary transfer tax | −$825 | Fixed | | City transfer tax | $0 | Brentwood adds none | | Owner's title policy | $0 | Buyer pays, by local custom | | Escrow fee | $0 | Buyer pays, by local custom | | Prorated property taxes | varies | Set by your closing date | | HOA transfer + document fees | varies | Ask management the day you list | | Loan payoff | varies | From your lender's demand statement | | Agent commissions | negotiated | The negotiable line | | Estimated proceeds | what's left | — |

The three "varies" lines are why a percentage estimate is useless. Your loan payoff and your closing date are specific to you, and the HOA fee depends on your management company. Everything above them is knowable today.

Frequently asked questions

Is the county transfer tax the only tax I pay when I sell in Brentwood? It's the only transfer tax. You'll also see property taxes prorated to your closing date, and if you have a mortgage, the payoff comes out of your proceeds — but those aren't taxes in the same sense.

Do I have to pay for the buyer's title insurance? Not customarily in Contra Costa County. Buyers here typically pay for their own title insurance and escrow fees, which is the opposite of common practice in much of Southern California.

Is commission still 5–6% in 2026? It's negotiable and always has been. Since the NAR settlement changes took effect in August 2024, buyer-agent compensation is negotiated in a written agreement rather than advertised on the MLS. I go over the specific structure with every seller before we list.

How much are Trilogy's HOA transfer fees? It varies by management company and is updated periodically. Ask HOA management for current pricing, or call me and I'll help you get the right number before you list.

What's the transfer tax on an $800,000 Brentwood home? About $880, at $0.55 per $500 of sale price. Brentwood adds no city transfer tax on top of the county rate.

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Send me your address and your loan payoff, and I'll build you the real version of that table — your sale price, your closing date, your HOA. It takes about five minutes and it's yours whether or not you list with me.

Call or text (925) 200-0717, or start with a free home value estimate.

If you're 55 or older and moving on from a longtime home, read how Prop 19 protects your property tax base before you do anything else. It's often the largest number in the whole decision.

Margie Lupo, Broker Associate, SRES® · eXp Realty of Northern California, Inc. · DRE #01193496 · Brokerage DRE #02188495 · Equal Housing Opportunity

This post is for general informational purposes only and is not legal or tax advice. Closing cost customs and commission structures vary by transaction. Please consult a qualified professional — and me, for numbers specific to your sale — before making decisions based on this post.

Sources

• Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder — Documentary Transfer Tax — $0.55 per $500 of consideration. Accessed August 2026.
• National Association of REALTORS® — Settlement FAQs — practice changes effective August 17, 2024: offers of compensation removed from the MLS, written buyer agreements required before touring. Accessed August 2026.
• California Civil Code § 4530 — association's 10-day window to deliver resale documents. Accessed August 2026.