Selling a House As-Is in California

Looking to sell a house as-is in California? Whether you’ve got a fixer-upper or recently inherited a relative’s home, sometimes the goal is to skip repairs, get a fair offer, and move on.

“Fear of the unknown is the main reason clients want to sell their property as-is,” says top-performing real estate agent Rich Hernandez of Oxnard, California.

No matter their property’s condition, “if sellers open themselves up to giving credits or making changes to the home, they don’t know where it might lead,” he says.

However, selling a house as-is usually means accepting a lower offer, and it doesn’t always prevent buyers from trying to negotiate savings. Let’s take a closer look at how to sell a house as-is in California, your options for getting an offer, and what to expect from the process.

Fast facts about selling a house as-is in California

Median sales price in California
$886,560 (July 2024)

Average days on market for California
20 days (July 2024)

Disclosures
California law requires sellers to disclose material facts about the property through the California Association of Realtors Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement and natural hazards in the Natural Hazard Disclosure Statement. California’s Department of Real Estate provides additional information in its Disclosures in Real Property Transactions.

MLS has a field to mark a listing as-is?
No. Agents may comment about as-is conditions in the public or private remarks.

Is a real estate attorney required?
Real estate attorneys are not considered essential for closing in the state of California.

Real estate transfer taxes?
Local optional transfer tax $0.55/$500 (.11%)

Cities within a county that implement a transfer tax (.06%) can have a tax rate that is half of the county rate, $0.275/$500, and the city tax can be applied as a credit against the county tax. Real estate instrument recording fee: $75-$225

What is as-is condition in real estate?

As-is is a type of home sale where it’s understood that no improvements will be made to the property. When selling a house as-is, the seller is choosing not to entertain requests from buyers to complete repairs or provide a credit for fixes.

An as-is sale may also indicate that the functionality and longevity of certain components of the home, such as a stove on its last legs or an older roof, is not guaranteed.

When selling a house as-is, the general condition of the property should already be accounted for in the purchase price of the home to the best of the seller’s knowledge.

“Every single home in the state of California is sold as-is,” Hernandez says. In fact, the as-is clause is written into the boilerplate residential purchase agreement that all Realtors® use. “While buyers have a right to ask for repairs or concessions, the seller doesn’t even have to respond.”