Most of what I do for you: no cost, ever, often worth $700+ on its own
Extra costs only when you choose them: staging, deep cleaning, cleanout
A cash offer is also available if speed matters more than maximum price
Built for traditional homes, generally $450,000 and up
“We really needed a calm and knowledgeable presence and he was it!”
Two homes can sell for the same price, and the sellers can walk away with very different amounts. Commission is only one piece of that picture. What actually swings your net proceeds the most depends on your specific situation, mainly whether there is an existing mortgage or lien to pay off. Here are two versions of the same $1,150,000 sale, close to the average price in this area, so you can see how differently that plays out.
No existing mortgage
| Sale Price | $1,150,000 |
| Commission (3%) | -$34,500 |
| Buyer's agent credit (negotiated) | -$26,000 |
| Title, escrow, and closing costs | -$12,500 |
| Property taxes owed | -$4,200 |
| Repairs identified in pre-listing inspection | -$6,500 |
| Estimated net to seller | $1,066,300 |
Loan payoff due at closing
| Sale Price | $1,150,000 |
| Commission (3%) | -$34,500 |
| Buyer's agent credit (negotiated) | -$26,000 |
| Title, escrow, and closing costs | -$12,500 |
| Existing mortgage or lien payoff | -$450,000 |
| Property taxes owed | -$4,200 |
| Repairs identified in pre-listing inspection | -$6,500 |
| Estimated net to seller | $616,300 |
Notice that in Scenario A, commission and the buyer's agent credit combined are a small fraction of what you walk away with. In Scenario B, an existing mortgage or lien changes the picture entirely, and it has nothing to do with what I charge. Liens, existing loans, solar payoffs, and back taxes often account for more of your proceeds than any fee I charge, and the mortgage payoff, not the commission, is usually the largest number on the page. There is no way to know which version applies to your property from a percentage alone. That is what a real net sheet, built for your specific situation, is for.
This page breaks down what it actually costs to sell a home through probate or a trust in San Diego County, and across California more broadly: typical commission, what buyers negotiate separately, what is included at no cost, and what usually affects your final proceeds more than any fee does.
Real estate commission is not set by law and it is not one number for every sale. Mine typically runs 3% of the sale price. For probate and trust sales where I am coordinating cleanout, repairs, court deadlines, and multiple decision makers, it is 3.5%, because that work is real and it is done for you, not billed separately.
There is no fixed minimum commission, but my services, including probate and trust experience, are built around traditional, site-built homes, generally $450,000 and up. I do not currently work with mobile or manufactured homes. If your property falls outside that scope, I am still happy to point you toward the right resources.
Commission is negotiable and depends on the property, the situation, and the level of coordination needed. What you see here is typical, not fixed. Every listing agreement spells out the exact number before you sign anything.
Since 2024, buyer agent compensation is negotiated separately in every offer, not baked into a fixed structure. Here is what that actually looks like in practice:
Why this matters to you: two sellers can have the identical listing agreement and walk away with different net proceeds, because one had multiple strong offers and the other did not. This is exactly why a blanket "here is what you will pay" number online is often misleading, and why the example later on this page matters more than any single percentage.
His mom passed in October. He had no access to her accounts, no login credentials, no way to stop what was coming. A Notice of Trustee Sale arrived: the home would be auctioned in three weeks unless someone acted fast.
We identified every lien, tracked down the solar payoff, navigated a probate bond waiver for a client with no assets, and petitioned for an early distribution to protect his housing while probate continued.
He walked away with enough to buy a home in Arizona outright.
What it protected: A home from foreclosure. A son's fresh start. A mother's final gift.
A pre-listing walkthrough caught a closet that had been converted into a steam room that no longer worked. Contractors quoted $10,000 to $16,000 to convert it back. Most buyers at the open house assumed it would cost $25,000 to $35,000. We had the real estimates ready before anyone could guess.
The buyer who bought the home had it repaired for $2,500 instead, and kept it as a steam room.
What it protected: The seller's negotiating position. Buyers couldn't invent a number.
One inherited a home they just wanted gone. One cared deeply about the neighborhood they grew up in. One needed the money. The home needed work, and none of them wanted to spend out of pocket to get it sold.
We secured multiple offers with zero out-of-pocket cost to the family. The buyer who won moved in, fixed it up, and still lives there today.
What it protected: Family relationships, neighborhood pride, and one family member's financial breathing room.
Added up, the tools and guidance above are worth several hundred dollars before you have paid for anything. You get all of it whether you list with me or not.
If you are the successor trustee or personal representative, there is a separate set of tools built specifically to make that job easier. See the full Resources Hub.
For people who want to keep more of the proceeds and are comfortable handling some of the legwork themselves.
For people who do not have the time, distance, or bandwidth to manage details themselves.
Most clients land somewhere in the middle, and that is normal. We figure out where in the Strategy Session, not before.
Not every family wants to prep, stage, or wait for the traditional market. If certainty and timeline matter more than squeezing out the highest possible price, I can bring your property in front of a network of thousands of investors, not just one, so you get real competition on price instead of a single lowball number. I manage that process the same way I manage a traditional sale: vetting who can actually close, protecting you from investors who never close or try to renegotiate after signing, and helping you avoid the common pitfalls that cost sellers money in a cash sale. You will see this option alongside a traditional listing so you can compare both side by side before deciding. No pressure toward either path.
| Item | Typical Cost | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| Staging (1,500 to 2,000 sq ft home) | Around $2,200 | Optional, recommended for most sales |
| Deep cleaning | Starts around $800 | Optional. Biohazard or extensive situations cost significantly more and require a specialized remediation quote |
| Property cleanout | Starts around $3,500 | Scales with amount of personal property, white glove path |
| Pre-listing inspection | $500 to $700 | Recommended for probate and trust sales, more for larger homes |
None of these are required. Every one of them is something we decide together, based on what actually helps your sale, not a package you're locked into.
Yes. What's shown on this page reflects typical rates, not a fixed number. Every listing agreement spells out the exact terms before you sign anything.
No. Those are optional and only happen if we decide together that they'll help your sale. Many clients choose the DIY path for some or all of them.
It's not about whether the sale is going through probate or a trust, it's about how much coordination is involved. If you or your family are handling logistics like cleanout, contractors, and repairs on your own, 3% covers full representation. If you'd rather I coordinate the cleanout crew, contractors, staging, and repairs so you don't have to, 3.5% reflects that additional hands-on work. You choose which fits your situation in the Strategy Session.
My services, especially the probate and trust coordination, are built around properties generally starting at $450,000. If your situation falls outside that range, I'm glad to point you toward the right resources.
In certain situations, I've helped clients explore options for reducing probate-related costs through their attorney. Every case is different, and this is best discussed directly in a Strategy Session.
Because buyer agent compensation is negotiated within each offer, not set beforehand. I negotiate that number down where possible, and it always appears as its own line on your closing statement, separate from my commission.
No one knows the final sale price before a home is on the market, so no one can hand you an exact number at that stage. What you will get before you sign anything is a net sheet built on real, current numbers for your property, your best case picture based on the best information available at the time. Once you're in escrow with an accepted offer, you'll see the actual closing statement with exact figures. If anyone promises you an exact number before you've even listed, that's worth questioning.
Every situation is different: different liens, different family dynamics, different timelines. The fastest way to know what you'd actually walk away with is a Strategy Session, not a percentage on a page.
I do this work because I've lived it. Loss came early in my life, and probate came with it. I know what it feels like to carry more than boxes.
