If you are selling a home near Northridge Park in early 2027, how much will property taxes and transfer tax take out of your sale proceeds at closing?
On a Northridge 91324 sale in the $1,000,000 to $1,100,000 range, you can expect the escrow officer to prorate your annual property tax bill between you and the buyer and to show roughly $5,600 to $6,160 in combined county and city documentary transfer taxes on your side of the settlement statement. Here is exactly how each cost works and what you can do right now to prepare.
Why This Matters for Northridge Sellers Right Now
You have spent close to three decades building equity in the blocks between Lassen Street and Devonshire Street, from Tampa Avenue east to Reseda Boulevard, near Northridge Park at 10058 Reseda Blvd. If you purchased in 1999 and you are planning a 2027 listing, you are sitting on substantial appreciation. For the three months ending September 2026, the median sale price in ZIP 91324 was $1,011,203, up 8.1% year over year, per Redfin. That is real money, and every dollar that leaves your proceeds matters when you are funding a move out of state and stepping into retirement.
What I tell my clients is this: before we ever pick a list price, we build a seller net sheet that shows taxes, transfer taxes, and every other line-item cost so there are zero surprises. With 40 closed transactions behind me, I have seen what happens when sellers skip that step. The numbers below are designed to give you a clear preview of the tax-related deductions you will see on your closing statement.
This article is for educational purposes only. It is not tax or legal advice. You should confirm every figure with your escrow officer and a licensed tax professional before closing.
How Northridge Property Tax Proration Works When You Sell in Early 2027
Property tax proration is the process that makes sure you pay only for the days you actually own the home, and the buyer picks up the rest. California’s fiscal tax year runs July 1 through June 30, which is different from the calendar year most people think of. Your escrow officer works from your Los Angeles County tax bill and calculates a daily rate.
The Two Installment Dates You Need to Know
According to the LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector, your annual secured property tax bill is paid in two installments:
- First installment: due November 1, delinquent after December 10
- Second installment: due February 1, delinquent after April 10
If you are listing in early 2027 and closing in, say, late February or March, the timing of your second installment payment becomes critical. Have you already paid it? If so, the buyer will owe you a credit for the days after closing through June 30. If not, escrow deducts your share from your proceeds, and any delinquency triggers a 10% penalty per the LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector.
Why Your Prop 13 Assessed Value Keeps This Number Low
Because you purchased in 1999, your assessed value has been capped by Proposition 13 at a maximum 2% annual increase. After roughly 27 years, your assessed value, and your annual bill, are likely far below what a new buyer will pay once the property is reassessed at the sale price. Your current tax bill shows the exact figures.
What does that actually mean at closing? Take a hypothetical example: on a March 15 close, if your annual tax bill is $4,500, the daily rate is approximately $12.33 per day. You would be responsible for roughly 257 days of the fiscal year (July 1 through March 14). If you have already paid both installments in full, you would receive a credit back of approximately $1,300 for the remaining days in the fiscal year. If you have not paid the second installment, escrow withholds your share.
Confirm Your Tax Bill Before Listing
Before we finalize your listing strategy, pull your current tax bill from the LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector. Look for the homeowner’s exemption (which reduces your assessed value by $7,000 under California law) and check whether any direct assessments, Mello-Roos charges, or special district levies appear on your bill. Those get prorated separately and should not catch you off guard.
Documentary Transfer Tax on a Northridge 91324 Home Sale
This is the cost that surprises many longtime homeowners. When you sell real property within the City of Los Angeles, you are subject to two layers of documentary transfer tax collected at recording, according to the LA County Registrar-Recorder and the City of Los Angeles Office of Finance.
The Two Tax Layers That Apply to You
- LA County Documentary Transfer Tax: $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price (0.11%), per the LA County Registrar-Recorder
- City of Los Angeles Documentary Transfer Tax: $4.50 per $1,000 of the sale price (0.45%), with the City of LA base rate effective July 1, 2026, set at $2.25 per $500, per the City of Los Angeles Office of Finance
The combined rate for a Northridge sale below the Measure ULA threshold is $5.60 per $1,000, or 0.56% of the sale price.
What About the “Mansion Tax” (Measure ULA)?
You may have heard about Measure ULA, the additional City of Los Angeles transfer tax. For sales closing after June 30, 2026, it applies only above $5,400,000, per the City of Los Angeles Office of Finance. Since the median sale price in 91324 is $1,011,203 (as of the three months ending September 2026, per Redfin), this tax does not touch a typical four-bedroom home in the blocks near Northridge Park. You can set that worry aside entirely.
A Real-Dollar Example on Your Closing Statement
Here is what transfer taxes look like at two price points relevant to your neighborhood:
- On a $1,000,000 sale: County DTT of $1,100 plus City of LA DTT of $4,500 equals $5,600 total
- On a $1,100,000 sale: County DTT of $1,210 plus City of LA DTT of $4,950 equals $6,160 total
As I explain in every listing consultation, who pays the transfer tax is negotiable and written into the purchase contract, so plan for it on your net sheet and confirm the terms before you sign.
Who Pays What: Sorting Seller Costs from Buyer Costs in Northridge
One of the most common questions I get during listing appointments is, “Wait, does the buyer pay any of this?” Here is the breakdown of tax-related items:
- Property tax proration: Split. You pay for the days you owned the home; the buyer pays from the day they take title through June 30. The escrow officer handles the math.
- County and City documentary transfer tax: Negotiable. Who pays is written into the purchase agreement, so budget for it on your net sheet.
- Supplemental property tax assessment: Buyer pays. The California State Board of Equalization explains that a change in ownership triggers a supplemental assessment from the first of the month following the sale through the end of the fiscal year. That new bill, based on the difference between your Prop 13 assessed value and the new sale price, goes to the buyer. The LA County Assessor offers a supplemental tax estimator the buyer can use to preview this cost.
So if you are worried that the buyer’s supplemental tax bill somehow comes back to you, it does not. That obligation transfers with ownership.
Your Northridge Seller Net Sheet: Seeing Every Dollar Before You List
A net sheet is not a nice-to-have. It is a planning tool. Every seller I work with gets my 18 point 4 phase listing plan in writing, and it starts with a seller net sheet that shows taxes, transfer tax, and every other cost line by line before we pick a price. With over 55 five star reviews across Google, Zillow and Yelp, one thing I hear repeatedly is that the upfront transparency changes the entire experience.
As one past seller wrote on Google: “Seann was a pleasure to work with. He is very professional, proactive, and knowledgeable. He is timely with communication. He got an offer for us on our first weekend at the open house he proposed to host. I would definitely use him again!”
Here is what the tax-related section of a sample net sheet looks like for a Northridge 91324 home selling near $1,100,000:
- Property tax proration (debit or credit): Depends on your tax bill, your close date and which installments you have already paid (in the hypothetical $4,500 example above, a credit of roughly $1,300 if both installments are paid)
- LA County documentary transfer tax: Approximately $1,210
- City of LA documentary transfer tax: Approximately $4,950
- Measure ULA: $0 (below the threshold)
- Estimated transfer tax total: Approximately $6,160, plus or minus your property tax proration
These figures do not include agent commission, escrow and title fees, or any repair credits. The net sheet puts them all on one page so you see the bottom line clearly.
What to Do Between Now and Your Early 2027 Listing Date in Northridge
You have a few months to prepare, and small steps now save real dollars later. Here is the pre-listing checklist I walk through with sellers in the Lassen-to-Devonshire, Tampa-to-Reseda corridor:
- Pay your first property tax installment on time (due November 1, 2026, delinquent December 10). Avoiding the 10% penalty protects your proceeds.
- Plan for the second installment (due February 1, 2027, delinquent after April 10). If you plan to close in March, decide with your escrow officer whether you pay it before closing and receive a credit back, or have it paid from your proceeds. Either way, do not let it go delinquent.
- Pull your current tax bill from the LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector. Confirm the assessed value, check for special assessments, and verify the homeowner’s exemption is applied.
- Ask for an estimated closing statement from your escrow officer early in the process, not just at the end.
- Consult a tax professional about the federal $500,000 capital gains exclusion for married couples filing jointly. Having owned and lived in the home for well over two years, you likely qualify under IRC Section 121 (see IRS Publication 523), but your CPA should confirm.
Ranked #8 among more than 150 agents at Park Regency Realty in 2025, I built my listing practice on preparation. My MLS listings average 17 days on market at 101% of list price. In ZIP 91324, homes sold at a 99.2% sale-to-list ratio and 31.6% sold above list in the three months ending September 2026, per Redfin. This market rewards sellers who price right and prepare thoroughly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays property taxes at closing when selling a Northridge home?
Both buyer and seller share the annual property tax bill, prorated by the escrow officer to the day of closing. You pay for the days you owned the home during the fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). If you have already paid ahead, you receive a credit. If you owe, escrow deducts it from your proceeds. The LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector provides the official figures used in this calculation.
What is the documentary transfer tax rate in Northridge, CA?
Because Northridge is within the City of Los Angeles, you pay two layers: the LA County rate of $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price (0.11%) and the City of LA rate of $4.50 per $1,000 (0.45%), per the LA County Registrar-Recorder and the City of Los Angeles Office of Finance. The combined rate is $5.60 per $1,000, or 0.56% of the sale price.
Does Measure ULA apply to a home sale near Northridge Park?
No. For sales closing after June 30, 2026, Measure ULA applies only to City of Los Angeles sales above $5,400,000, per the City of Los Angeles Office of Finance. The median sale price in ZIP 91324 is $1,011,203 for the three months ending September 2026 (per Redfin), so a typical four-bedroom home in this area falls well below that threshold.
How much is the transfer tax on a $1,100,000 Northridge home?
At the combined county and city rate of $5.60 per $1,000, the total documentary transfer tax on a $1,100,000 sale is $6,160. Who pays it is negotiable and written into the purchase contract.
Can the buyer pay the transfer tax instead of the seller?
Yes, it can be negotiated. Who pays transfer tax is written into the purchase agreement and is negotiable between the parties, so settle it before you sign and make sure your net sheet reflects it.
What is a property tax proration and how is it calculated?
Proration divides the annual property tax bill between seller and buyer based on how many days each party owns the home during the fiscal year (July 1 through June 30). The escrow officer calculates a daily rate from the annual tax, then multiplies it by each party’s ownership days. Ask your escrow officer which day count method they use.
Will my Prop 13 assessed value affect what I owe at closing?
Yes. Because you purchased in 1999, your assessed value is significantly lower than the current market value, keeping your annual tax bill, and therefore your prorated share at closing, much lower than what the buyer will eventually pay after reassessment.
What happens if my property taxes are delinquent when I sell?
If either installment is past its delinquency date (December 10 for the first, April 10 for the second), the LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector adds a 10% penalty. Escrow deducts the tax owed plus any penalties from your sale proceeds before disbursing your net check.
Does the buyer owe a supplemental property tax after I sell?
Yes. Per the California State Board of Equalization, a change in ownership triggers a supplemental assessment based on the difference between your Prop 13 assessed value and the new sale price. That bill goes to the buyer, not to you. The LA County Assessor offers an online supplemental tax estimator.
Should I ask for an estimated closing statement before listing my Northridge home?
Absolutely. Requesting an estimated closing statement from your escrow officer early in the process lets you see every deduction, including property tax proration and transfer taxes, before you commit to a list price. This is a standard part of the preparation I do with every seller.
The Bottom Line
If you have owned your four-bedroom home near Northridge Park since 1999 and you are planning to list in early 2027, the tax-related closing costs are predictable and manageable. You will see a property tax proration on your settlement statement (credit or debit depending on payment timing), plus roughly $5,600 to $6,160 in combined county and city documentary transfer taxes on a sale in the $1,000,000 to $1,100,000 range. Measure ULA does not apply to you. The supplemental assessment goes to the buyer.
I am Seann Brown with Park Regency Realty at 9275 Corbin Ave in Northridge, just minutes from the blocks you call home. As a REALTOR with the GRI designation and a UCLA real estate certificate, a former U.S. Army Sergeant, 40 closed transactions and over 55 five star reviews across Google, Zillow and Yelp, I build every listing strategy around your full cost picture (the CFPB’s guide to all the costs of buying a home shows what your buyer is budgeting for too), so you know your bottom line before we put the sign in the yard. Call or text me at 818.960.3501, and let’s get your numbers on paper. DRE #02093443.
