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.

Realomic charges $999 at MLS launch — covering photos, MLS, signage, and every marketing dollar — plus $5,000 from escrow only when your home sells. On a $1,000,000 home, you keep tens of thousands more of your own equity compared to a traditional 3% listing-side commission.

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 MLS launch covers the real costs incurred immediately: photography, signage, the dedicated property page, MLS entry, and marketing. The closing fee ($5,000 on sales up to $1,000,000, plus $2,500 for each additional million) is collected from escrow only 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.