Questions people ask before they start.
SelfCloze charges a flat fee instead of a commission — $999 or $4,999, paid at closing out of escrow, with nothing up front and no fee at all if your home doesn't sell. Buyers get most of the buyer-side commission back as a rebate. We work in San Diego and Riverside County.
What SelfCloze is
What is SelfCloze?
- SelfCloze is a flat-fee real estate service in San Diego and Riverside County. You get a licensed California agent, the MLS, the contracts and the coordination, but you pay a flat fee instead of a percentage commission. The work is done by a licensed California agent, DRE #01993621, under Premier Agency, DRE #02240990.
Is a licensed agent actually involved?
- Yes. A licensed California real estate agent, DRE #01993621, handles every listing, contract and disclosure under Premier Agency, DRE #02240990. The flat fee changes what you pay, not whether you are represented.
Is this the same as selling it myself?
- No. A for-sale-by-owner has no agent and no MLS access. Here you are on the MLS with a licensed agent behind the paperwork; what you take on is the parts you can genuinely do yourself, like showing your own home.
Do you buy homes?
- No. We do not make cash offers and we take no referral fee from anyone who does.
Plans and fees
What does SelfCloze cost?
- There are three plans on each side. Guide is free. Paperwork Done is $999 flat and covers the contracts, disclosures and transaction coordination. Full Rep is $4,999 flat and covers the whole transaction. Nothing is charged up front.
Is $999 really all I pay you?
- Yes, and not until it closes. Escrow and title are separate third-party costs and are listed on the pricing page. Full Rep is $4,999 on the same terms.
When do I pay the fee?
- At closing, out of escrow, from your proceeds. Nothing is charged up front, so there is nothing to refund if you change your mind.
What happens if my home doesn't sell?
- You owe nothing. There is no fee if you cancel, and no fee if the listing expires without a sale. Because nothing is paid up front, there is nothing to get back.
What else does selling cost?
- On a $1M sale, escrow runs about $2,250. Title insurance is roughly 0.25% of the price with a $1,500 minimum, so about $2,500 on $1M. County transfer tax is $1.10 per $1,000 of price. Anything else is whatever you agree to in the contract. The net proceeds calculator adds it all up for your price.
Do I have to pay the buyer's agent?
- No. A buyer may ask you to cover some of their agent's fee as part of their offer, and you decide each time. It is a negotiating point, not a requirement.
Buyer rebates
How does the buyer rebate work?
- When you buy, the seller usually offers to pay the buyer's agent a percentage of the price, commonly about 3%. SelfCloze charges a flat fee instead and credits the difference to you at closing. On a $1M home a 3% offer is $30,000 to the buyer side; after the $4,999 Full Rep fee, up to $25,001 could come back to you. We advertise up to $30,000 because above roughly $1.17M the arithmetic runs higher than that.
Is a buyer rebate legal in California?
- Yes. California allows a broker to rebate part of their own compensation to their client. It is disclosed to your lender and it appears on your closing statement.
Can I take the rebate as cash?
- Usually not in full. Most loan programmes apply a credit to your closing costs first and cap how much can come back to you as cash. Your lender decides, and it is worth asking them early.
Is the rebate guaranteed?
- No, and it is always stated as up to. It depends on what that particular seller offers the buyer's agent, which is not known until you are negotiating, and on what your lender allows.
What if the seller offers the buyer's agent nothing?
- Then there is no rebate and you would owe the flat fee at closing, either $999 or $4,999 depending on your plan. You never owe more than the fee.
Does the free plan include a rebate?
- No. The free Guide plan has no agency relationship, so there is nothing for compensation to be paid through. A rebate needs one of the two paid plans.
How it works
How long does selling take?
- It varies by home, price and condition, and we will not pretend to a number we cannot stand behind. What we can give you is the schedule: the contingency deadline tool turns your acceptance date into the actual dates that follow, so you know what is due when.
Who handles showings?
- On the flat-fee plans you show your own home, which is the part most sellers can genuinely do and the part that costs the most to pay someone else for. Everything with legal consequence stays with the agent.
Can I change plans partway through?
- Yes. Because nothing is paid up front, moving between plans before closing is just a change to what is owed at the end.
Where we work
What areas does SelfCloze cover?
- San Diego County and Riverside County, California. Those are the areas where we hold MLS access and can visit the property in person, which is required to list it properly.
What if I'm outside those counties?
- We cannot represent you there. The two written manuals cover the whole process for someone doing it alone, and those are available anywhere.
Your agent gets paid $30,000. You could get most of it.
Most buyers don't know this. The seller pays your agent a big chunk of the sale price. We think most of that should go to you. We charge one flat fee and send you the rest at closing.
Find out how much is yoursBased on a $1M San Diego home where the seller offers 3% to the buyer's agent. Applied to closing costs first. How much can go to you beyond that depends on your loan. Estimate only, not a guarantee.
More questions
Is $999 really all I pay you?
Yes, and not until it closes. Escrow and title are separate and listed on the pricing page. Full Rep is $4,999 on the same terms.
Do I have to pay the buyer's agent?
No. A buyer may ask you to cover some of their agent's fee in their offer. You decide each time.
What does selling actually cost besides you?
Escrow (about $2,250), title insurance (about $2,000–$2,800), county transfer tax ($1.10 per $1,000), plus anything you agree to in the contract. The calculator on the home page adds it up.
What if I change my mind, or it doesn't sell?
You owe nothing. There is no fee if you cancel, and none if the listing expires without a sale. Nothing is charged up front, so there is nothing to refund.
Do you buy homes?
No. We don't make cash offers and we don't take referral fees from anyone who does.
Is a buyer rebate legal in California?
Yes. California allows a broker to rebate part of their compensation to their own client, and we do it on every buyer file where the seller's offer covers our flat fee. It is disclosed to your lender and it appears on your closing statement, so nobody is surprised by it. Most loan programmes let it go toward closing costs or a rate buydown, and limit how much can come back to you as cash — your lender makes that call.
What's a 2-1 buydown?
It is a way to make your payment smaller in the first two years. Money paid at closing covers part of your payment, so year one feels like a rate 2% lower and year two like 1% lower, then you pay the normal rate. Your rebate can fund it.
Is this legal?
Yes. On the paid plans a licensed agent under Premier Agency is your agent of record, with a written agreement that says exactly what's included. On the free guide there's no agent relationship; you're on your own with our tools.
Can I use the standard California forms myself?
No. The forms most buyers' agents expect (C.A.R. forms) are licensed to agents. That's the main reason the MLS plan exists.
Will you tell me what to do?
We explain what every form and step means. We don't give legal or tax advice. When you want a call on your specific situation, we point you to an attorney or CPA.
What if I get sued?
Honest, complete disclosures are your best protection. The disclosure interview is built to make that easy.
Who's responsible for the listing being accurate?
On the paid plans, your listing agent is, as the agent of record. That's why we visit the home before it goes live.
What's the MLS?
The database agents use to find homes for their buyers. Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com pull from it. About 9 in 10 buyers find their home through it.
Will buyers' agents show my home?
Yes. It's a normal MLS listing with a licensed agent attached.
Who handles showings?
You do, through the scheduler. Agents request a time; you approve.
Do I need a lockbox?
Usually. The paid plans include a Supra box, the kind agents can open with their app.
Can I do open houses?
Yes. We give you the sign-in sheet and the script.
How fast do you reply?
Same business day on the paid plans. Two business days by email on the free guide.
Is there a limit on your time?
No meter. Full Rep is fair use — we're on the phone and at the table as the sale needs it. Paperwork Done is scoped to the forms and the contract, and the agreement says so in writing.
What if I want to quit halfway?
You can switch to full service any time; what you've paid counts toward it. Or cancel per the refund terms.
Is there an app?
It works in your phone's browser. Save it to your home screen.
Who sees my information?
Your listing agent, Premier Agency's file review, and the vendors you ask us to contact. Nobody else. Privacy policy in the footer.
Still stuck? Ask us directly and you'll hear back within one business day.
$30,000 − $4,999 = your money.
The seller pays about $30,000 to the buyer's agent on a $1M home. We keep $4,999. You get about $25,000. You still get a real agent from start to finish, and it costs $0 up front.
Run your numbersBased on a $1M San Diego home where the seller offers 3% to the buyer's agent. Applied to closing costs first. How much can go to you beyond that depends on your loan. Estimate only, not a guarantee.