The average real estate commission in California is 5.08% of the final sale price, split between the listing agent and the buyer’s agent and paid through escrow at closing. On the statewide median of $899,720, that is about $45,706. No rate is set by law, and since August 2024 the buyer’s side is agreed in writing before you tour, so you can negotiate it before you start.
Average total commission in California
5.08%
of the final sale price, or $45,706 on the $899,720 median sale.
Listing agent
2.57%About $23,123 on a median-priced home
Buyer's agent
2.51%About $22,583 on a median-priced home
Rates: Clever Real Estate agent survey, updated November 1, 2026. Median sale price: California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.), statewide single-family median, September 2026. Clever reports listing commissions in California ranging from 1.00% to 3.50%, so individual quotes can sit well above or below the average.
How Much Do Realtors Charge in California?
Clever Real Estate’s agent survey, updated November 1, 2026, puts the average total commission in California at 5.08%, with 2.57% going to the listing agent and 2.51% to the buyer’s agent. That sits below Clever’s national average of 5.46%, and Clever reports California listing commissions ranging from 1.00% to 3.50%, so two agents in the same town can quote very different fees.
Other published numbers measure slightly different things, but they land in the same range:
None of these numbers is a rule. California law requires every listing and buyer agreement for one to four residential units to state that commission “is not fixed by law” and is set by each broker individually (Business and Professions Code 10147.5). The California Department of Real Estate also tells agents not to claim there is a “standard” rate (DRE licensee advisory).
What Commission Costs Across California
Because commission is a percentage of the price, where you buy matters more than the rate. The California Association of Realtors reported a $899,720 statewide median for existing single-family homes in September 2026. At 5.08%, that is about $45,706 in total commission.
Regional medians in the same report ranged from $377,150 in the Far North, about $19,159 in total commission, and $500,000 in the Central Valley, about $25,400, to $1,325,000 in the San Francisco Bay Area, about $67,310 (C.A.R.). Here is the buyer’s side at medians across the state, and what a buyer would keep with TurboHome’s flat fee:
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Commission in dollars at California price points
Home price
Buyer side at 2.5%
TurboHome flat fee
TurboHome rebate
$555,000Sacramento County median (C.A.R.), September 2026Total commission at 5.08%: $28,194
$13,875
$10,000
$3,875
$601,030Inland Empire median (C.A.R.), September 2026Total commission at 5.08%: $30,532
$15,026
$10,000
$5,026
$899,720California statewide median (C.A.R.), September 2026Total commission at 5.08%: $45,706
$22,493
$10,000
$12,493
$994,670Los Angeles County median (C.A.R.), September 2026Total commission at 5.08%: $50,529
$24,867
$10,000
$14,867
$1,050,000San Diego County median (C.A.R.), September 2026Total commission at 5.08%: $53,340
$26,250
$15,000
$11,250
$1,325,000San Francisco Bay Area median (C.A.R.), September 2026Total commission at 5.08%: $67,310
$33,125
$15,000
$18,125
$1,480,000Orange County median (C.A.R.), September 2026Total commission at 5.08%: $75,184
$37,000
$15,000
$22,000
$2,054,000San Francisco County median (C.A.R.), September 2026Total commission at 5.08%: $104,343
$51,350
$20,000
$31,350
Buyer side uses a 2.5% planning assumption. Actual compensation is set in your buyer agreement and offer. The rebate is the buyer-agent compensation received minus TurboHome's flat fee, credited at closing with lender approval.
A percentage fee also rises with the final sale price, not the list price. Statewide, C.A.R. reported that homes sold for 98.8% of list price on average in September 2026, so across the state the typical home sells close to its asking price. The Bay Area is the exception: San Francisco single-family homes sold for 131% of list in the same month, according to MLSListings, and the Bay Area commission guide shows what that does to a percentage fee.
Who Pays Realtor Fees in California?
The seller pays the listing agent under the listing agreement, out of the sale proceeds at closing. The California DRE’s homebuyer guide describes commissions as usually paid by the seller at closing, with the cost generally built into the price of the home (DRE).
The buyer’s side works differently now. Your buyer agreement sets what you owe your agent, and you can ask the seller to pay some or all of it as a term in your offer. In California, agents typically make that request through the purchase agreement and the C.A.R. Seller Payment to Buyer’s Broker form (C.A.R. guidance).
How hard you can push that request depends on competition. C.A.R. reported 3.7 months of unsold inventory statewide in September 2026, compared with 2.6 months in the Bay Area and 4.7 months in the Inland Empire. Where more homes are sitting unsold, buyers usually have more room to ask the seller for help.
What Changed for California Buyers in 2024 and 2025
National rules from the NAR settlement took effect on August 17, 2024, and a California law followed on January 1, 2025. Here is what applies when you work with an agent who uses the MLS:
Sign before you tour. You need a written buyer agreement before touring a home in person or by live virtual tour (NAR).
Agree on a specific fee. The agreement must state a flat amount, a percentage, or an hourly rate. “Whatever the seller offers” is not allowed.
Treat your agreed fee as a cap. Your agent cannot receive more than the agreed amount from any source, including the seller.
Expect no fee offers on the MLS. Listings no longer show what the seller will pay a buyer’s agent. Sellers can still offer it outside the MLS.
Know the three-month limit. In California, a buyer-broker agreement cannot last longer than three months and cannot renew automatically (Civil Code 1670.50).
How Much Commission Does a Realtor Make in California?
At Clever’s average rates, the listing agent’s 2.57% on the $899,720 statewide median comes to about $23,123, and the buyer’s agent’s 2.51% to about $22,583. That is not what the agent keeps. Clever notes that agents often share as much as half of their commission with their sponsoring brokerage, which is why the same fee can look high to a buyer and modest to the agent earning it.
How to Negotiate Realtor Fees in California
You can negotiate realtor fees anywhere in California, and the best time is before your first tour, when you sign the agreement that sets your agent’s pay. Here is how buyers can approach it:
Get written quotes from more than one agent. Ask each agent for their fee as a flat amount or a percentage, and for a list of what it covers, before you schedule any tours.
Ask for a dollar amount or a cap. A percentage grows with the price you pay, so a flat fee, or a percentage with a dollar cap, keeps your cost fixed if you end up competing for a home.
Match the fee to the service. Confirm whether the fee includes tours, disclosure review, comparable-sales analysis, offer strategy, negotiation, and escrow support. A lower fee that drops one of those is not a saving.
Use the three-month term. California caps buyer agreements at three months with no automatic renewal, so you are not locked in for long. If the service falls short, you can choose not to renew.
Plan your seller-paid request around your local market. Where inventory is tight, asking the seller to cover your agent can weaken an offer. Where listings are piling up, it is a more reasonable ask.
Ask what happens to any extra compensation. If the seller offers more than your agreed fee, your agent cannot keep the difference. Ask whether it can come back to you as a credit at closing. The California DRE says homebuyer commission rebates are allowed, and your lender must approve how the credit is applied.
Sellers can negotiate the same way. Ask listing agents to quote their own fee separately from any amount you might offer a buyer’s agent, then set that second number based on your home and current demand where you live.
Flat-Fee Buyer’s Agents in California
A flat-fee buyer’s agent charges a set dollar amount instead of a percentage of the price. At California prices, that usually means a much smaller fee, and it does not rise if you bid over asking.
TurboHome is a flat-fee buyer’s brokerage. You pay a set fee based on the purchase price, and eligible buyer-agent compensation above that fee comes back to you as a TurboHome rebate at closing. The fee is $10,000 for homes from $500,001 to $1,000,000, $15,000 from $1,000,001 to $2,000,000, and $20,000 from $2,000,001 to $3,000,000.
Your agent is an employed, licensed local Realtor. The service includes unlimited private tours (with seller or listing-agent permission), offer strategy, negotiation, and escrow and closing support. The rebate depends on the compensation actually received and on lender approval.
For a recent example, TurboHome’s public closed-deal record for 755 Corbett Ave reports $12,900 in buyer savings on a $680,000 San Francisco purchase in February 2026.
Commission Guides for California Cities
For local prices and neighborhood examples, read the city and regional guides:
What is the average real estate commission in California?
Clever Real Estate's agent survey, updated November 1, 2026, puts the average total commission in California at 5.08% of the sale price, with 2.57% to the listing agent and 2.51% to the buyer's agent. That is below Clever's national average of 5.46%. On C.A.R.'s $899,720 statewide median for September 2026, 5.08% is about $45,706.
How much do realtors charge in California?
Most quotes fall between 4% and 6% of the sale price in total, the range the California DRE describes in its homebuyer guide. Clever reports California listing commissions from 1.00% to 3.50%. Flat-fee brokerages charge a set dollar amount instead of a percentage.
How much commission does a realtor make in California?
At Clever's average rates, the listing agent's 2.57% on the $899,720 statewide median is about $23,123, and the buyer's agent's 2.51% is about $22,583. Clever notes that agents often share as much as half of that with their sponsoring brokerage, so an agent's take-home pay is lower.
Who pays realtor fees in California?
The seller pays the listing agent from the sale proceeds at closing. Your written buyer agreement sets what you owe your own agent, and you can ask the seller to pay some or all of it as a term in your offer. Any amount the seller does not cover is yours to pay.
Are realtor fees negotiable in California?
Yes. California law requires listing and buyer agreements for one to four residential units to say that commission is not fixed by law and is set by each broker individually. The California DRE tells agents not to claim there is a standard rate.
Are commission rebates legal in California?
Yes. The California Department of Real Estate says homebuyer commission rebates are allowed in California. Your lender must approve how a rebate is applied at closing.
Keep more of the commission on your California home
TurboHome charges a flat fee and credits eligible buyer-agent compensation above it back to you at closing. Talk with a licensed local agent about your price range.
Vinura Abeysundara is a real estate and growth professional with experience scaling homebuying platforms across Canada and the United States. Formerly Head of Growth at Zown, he now works with TurboHome and writes about homebuyer savings, flat-fee real estate, commissions, and technology in real estate.
