Closing and inspection costs in Vallejo: who pays what

People ask me what closing costs will be, and the honest answer is that it depends on which side of the table you're on. Solano County has its own customs about who pays for what. They aren't the same as Contra Costa's, and they aren't written into any law.

So here is the whole list, in the order people tend to be surprised by it.

1. Transfer tax: Vallejo adds its own

When a house sells, the county charges a documentary transfer tax. In Solano County it's $1.10 per $1,000 of the price. The City of Vallejo adds $3.30 per $1,000 on top of that, so a Vallejo sale carries $4.40 per $1,000 in total.

On a $550,000 house, that's $2,420. By local custom, the seller pays both.

Two caveats worth knowing. Vallejo's council discussed raising the city rate this spring to help close a budget gap, so check the current rate before you price a sale. And in Benicia, Measures Y and Z on the November 3 ballot would add a separate transfer tax, though most existing homes under $2 million would be exempt.

2. Title and escrow: in Solano, the buyer usually pays

This one surprises people who've bought in other counties. Title company "who pays what" charts for Solano County agree on the customary split:

• Buyer usually pays: the escrow fee, the owner's title insurance policy, the lender's title policy, the new loan's charges, recording fees for the buyer's documents, inspections, and the first year of homeowners insurance.
• Seller usually pays: the county and city transfer taxes, paying off their own loan, reconveyance fees, repairs agreed in the contract, and HOA transfer fees if the contract says so.

The operative word is customary. All of it is negotiable in the purchase contract, and in a slow market a seller credit toward the buyer's costs is one of the more useful things a buyer can ask for.

3. What buyers spend in total

This depends heavily on what gets counted. Bankrate, using 2025 LodeStar data, puts average California buyer closing costs at about $5,960, or 0.74% of the sale price, but that counts loan, title and tax fees only, not prepaid interest, insurance or inspections. Rocket Mortgage, looking at its own California loans, puts the average at about $17,600, or 2.1%.

For budgeting, the bigger number is the safer one, and your lender's Loan Estimate is the only number that's actually yours. Then put money aside for the supplemental property tax bill, which arrives after closing and isn't in either figure. I wrote about that in property taxes, Mello-Roos and insurance in Vallejo.

4. Inspections: what each one costs, and what it's for

A large Northern California inspection company publishes its 2026 prices for the region that includes Solano County. They're a useful benchmark:

• General home inspection: about $535–$625, depending on square footage. The broad look at structure, roof, plumbing, electrical and systems.
• Termite inspection: about $260–$325. In California this is a formal report under state rules. Section 1 items are active infestation or damage. Section 2 items are conditions likely to lead to it. Lenders and buyers tend to treat the two very differently, so read which section a finding is in.
• Roof inspection: about $295. Ask for a written condition report. A free visit from a roofer is usually a repair bid, which is a different document from someone with a different interest.
• Sewer lateral inspection: about $295, with Bay Area plumbers quoting roughly $250–$500 for a camera inspection. In Vallejo this one is required for most sales; more below.
• Natural hazard disclosure report: about $80–$100. It tells you whether the property is in a flood zone, fire hazard zone, earthquake fault zone or seismic hazard zone. It's usually ordered by the seller's side.
• Chimney inspection, if there's a fireplace: national averages run around $450 for the more thorough level usually done at a sale.

All in, home, termite, roof and sewer lateral together run roughly $1,400 to $1,550 for a typical Vallejo house at those prices. By Solano custom the buyer pays for the inspections they order, but sellers increasingly order their own before listing, so problems are known and priced before the first offer instead of becoming a renegotiation in escrow.

The Vallejo sewer lateral rule

Since July 1, 2025, the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District has required a CCTV inspection of the private sewer lateral when a house sells. The buyer, the seller or either agent can hire the contractor, and the report has to reach the buyer, the seller and the District at least 10 days before close of escrow. There's no obligation to repair anything. Condos, mobile homes in parks, and laterals replaced under District permit within the last 10 years are exempt. I covered the details in what to check before you buy a house in Vallejo.

The short version

If you're selling in Vallejo, budget for $4.40 per $1,000 in transfer tax, your loan payoff and whatever repairs you agree to, and consider paying for inspections before you list. If you're buying, budget for escrow, both title policies, your loan costs and your own inspections, and keep a reserve for the supplemental tax bill.

This is general information for Vallejo buyers and sellers, not legal, tax or lending advice. Who pays which cost is local custom and can be negotiated; prices are published benchmarks that change. Confirm figures for a specific transaction with your escrow officer, lender and inspectors, and current requirements with the City of Vallejo and the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District.