What a 6% Commission Really Costs You When You Sell in California

Commission is the single biggest cost of selling a home, and most sellers never question it. In California, the convention has been 5 to 6 percent of the sale price, split between the listing side and the buyer side. On a $1,000,000 home that is $50,000 to $60,000 gone at the closing table.

Here is the part nobody explains: commission has always been negotiable under California law. The percentage is a habit, not a rule.

The math on a $1,000,000 home

A 3 percent listing-side commission alone is about $30,000. That is money out of your equity for putting your home on the MLS, marketing it, and managing the paperwork.

Guided Home Realty charges a flat $999 at signing plus $5,000 at close. That is $5,999 total on a successful sale, the same on every California home regardless of price. On that same $1,000,000 home, you keep roughly $24,000 more of your own equity.

What you do not give up

• ·Full MLS listing, the same database every agent uses
• ·Professional photography and marketing
• ·A licensed California broker (Casy Rasti, broker since 2005) handling your sale personally
• ·The same legally required disclosures and the same fiduciary duty

Why the flat fee works

Lower overhead and modern, AI-assisted operations handle the work that used to justify a percentage. The $999 at signing covers the real costs incurred immediately: photography, signage, the dedicated property page, MLS entry, and marketing. The $5,000 is only charged when escrow actually closes.

A percentage commission charges you more simply because your home is worth more, even though the work is the same. A flat fee does not.