Strategy, Clarity,
& Results

Commission is negotiable and always has been, total cost when both sides are represented commonly lands between 4% and 6%. Beyond that, expect roughly 1% for title and escrow, a county documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of sale price, and $100 to $150 for the required natural hazard disclosure report. On a $450,000 sale, that's about $22,500 in commission, $4,500 in title and escrow, and $495 in transfer tax: call it $28,000 total, leaving roughly $422,000 before your mortgage payoff. We give you a written net sheet before you list so there are no surprises at the closing table.

More than an online estimate can tell you. Automated valuations work off public records and broad averages. They don't know you remodeled the kitchen, that your lot backs a greenbelt, or that the comparable sale down the street was a distressed transaction. Our analysis looks at four things most agents skip: what sold, what's active and competing with you right now, what's pending, and what expired or was canceled without selling. That last category is the most useful. The homes that failed tell us exactly which price points buyers rejected this season.

Across Redding zip codes, homes averaged 67 to 90 days on market as of summer 2026, and outlying areas like Shingletown run longer at roughly 96 days. But those averages blend two very different groups. Homes priced correctly from day one tend to draw their strongest offers in the first two to three weeks, while homes that start high often sit, go stale, and eventually sell for less than they would have with an accurate opening price. The first ten days of listing attention is the most valuable asset you have, and you only get it once.

Some, not all, and this is where we'll save you money. Paint, landscaping cleanup, decluttering, deep cleaning and fixing anything that looks deferred are reliably worth doing. Full kitchen and bath remodels almost never return what you put in right before a sale. Roofs, major systems and known safety issues are a different conversation, because you'll either address them up front or negotiate them later after an inspection gives the buyer leverage. We walk your home before you spend a dollar and tell you plainly what to skip.

Spring and early summer bring the most buyers, June is consistently among the busiest closing months in our data, with West Redding and East Redding both clearing 45 or more sales that month in 2026. That said, more buyers also means more competing listings. Winter has fewer shoppers but noticeably less inventory, and the people looking in January are usually serious rather than browsing. The honest answer is that your timeline, your equity position and your next move matter more than the calendar. We'll tell you if waiting genuinely helps you.

Yes, and it protects you. California requires a Transfer Disclosure Statement on most residential sales, plus a Natural Hazard Disclosure, lead-based paint disclosure on homes built before 1978, and disclosure of known material facts that affect value or desirability. Sellers sometimes worry that disclosing a past repair will scare buyers off. In practice the opposite is true: buyers who learn about an issue during escrow renegotiate, and buyers who learn about it after closing sue. Full written disclosure is the cheapest insurance policy in the transaction.

Often not, but we're agents rather than tax advisors, so treat this as orientation and confirm the details with your CPA. Federal rules generally allow a single filer to exclude up to $250,000 of gain on a primary residence, and married couples filing jointly up to $500,000, provided you owned and lived in the home for at least two of the last five years. Gain is calculated from your adjusted cost basis, which includes qualifying improvements, so keep those receipts. Investment properties, rentals and inherited homes follow different rules entirely.

Yes, and most of our sellers do. There are several ways to structure it. A rent-back lets you close on your sale and stay in the home for an agreed period while you finish buying. A contingent offer makes your purchase dependent on your sale closing, which is more workable now that homes are averaging 67 to 90 days on market than it was during the 2021 frenzy. Bridge financing and HELOCs are options if you have equity. The key is sequencing both escrows deliberately, which is exactly the kind of coordination we handle.