How Our Central Valley Cash-Offer Process Works

Our Central Valley overview page walks through the basic four steps of selling to us. This page goes deeper into the mechanics behind each one across the Valley’s multiple counties — how we actually price a property, who handles the closing, and what it means for what you walk away with.

Step 1: A Property Evaluation Built on Your Actual City and Neighborhood

The Central Valley isn’t one housing market — a Sacramento suburb, a Stockton neighborhood, a Modesto tract, a Fresno property, and a Bakersfield home each carry different comparable sales and different buyer pools, and rural or agricultural parcels bring their own considerations around wells, septic systems, and outbuildings. Rather than applying one countywide formula, we pull recent comparable sales specific to your city and neighborhood, adjust for the property’s condition, size, lot, and any repair needs, and build the offer from those real, local numbers.

Step 2: A Written Offer and a Licensed Escrow Company

Once we agree on a price, the purchase agreement goes into escrow with a licensed title and escrow company serving your county — a neutral third party, not us and not you. The title company runs a full title search, clears any liens, judgments, or unpaid taxes against the property, and holds the funds until every condition of the sale is met.

Step 3: Signing — Remote or In-Person

California allows remote online notarization (RON) for real estate closings, so if you’ve already relocated out of the area or simply prefer not to drive to a title office, you can sign the closing documents remotely with a live online notary. If you’d rather sign in person, that’s available too, either at the title company’s office or with a mobile notary who comes to you.

Step 4: Recording With Your County’s Recorder

Once signing is complete and funds are ready, the deed is recorded with the county recorder’s office where the property is located — each Central Valley county has its own recorder’s office and superior court, so which one applies depends on where the property sits. If you’re in the Sacramento area, that’s the Sacramento County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder; elsewhere in the Valley, it’s the equivalent office in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Fresno, or Kern County. Recording usually happens the same day funds are confirmed, which is the moment the sale is actually complete.

What You Net: Transfer Tax Still Applies, Commission Doesn’t

One cost that doesn’t go away no matter who you sell to is the documentary transfer tax, which every California county charges at a standard rate of $1.10 per $1,000 of sale price ($0.55 per $500). This applies the same way whether your property is in Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Fresno, or Kern County. A handful of California cities layer on their own additional city transfer tax, though that isn’t typical for most Central Valley cities — confirm the exact rate that applies to your specific property with your title company before closing. The important thing to understand is that this tax is owed on the sale itself, not a commission tied to using an agent, so it applies the same way whether you sell to us or to a retail buyer. What you do avoid selling to us is the 5-6% agent commission and any repair credits, which is where most of the actual savings comes from.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is my offer actually calculated?
From recent comparable sales in your specific city and neighborhood, adjusted for the property’s condition and any repairs it needs.

Do I have to sign in person?
No. California permits remote online notarization for real estate closings, so signing remotely is an option.

Which county recorder handles my closing?
Whichever county your property is located in — Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Fresno, Kern, or another Central Valley county each maintain their own recorder’s office.

Do I pay any commission if I sell to you?
No. There’s no agent commission on a direct sale, though standard county transfer taxes still apply as they would on any sale.

Transfer tax rates are set by each California county and, in some cities, supplemented locally; confirm current figures with your title company or a tax professional before closing.

Get a free, no-obligation cash offer from Cash Home Buyers CA today.