REALTORS® · Los Angeles, California
You make the decisions. We handle the rest.
Michelle and Jon Dubner, husband and wife. We will tell you the truth about a house, answer the phone when you call, and carry the parts nobody warns you about.
Where your price gets made
Going on the MLS is the easy part
Plenty of homes get posted for sale and then sit while everyone waits for a buyer to wander by. We don't want yours waiting. Before a sign ever goes in your yard, we're already figuring out who your buyer is, where they spend their time, and what will make them fall for your home. That's how you end up choosing between offers instead of hoping for one.
How the right buyer finds your home
Three things decide who sees your home
People look for a home the way they look for anything online. They want what fits their life, what is up to date, and what is close to where they want to be. So we built this site one neighborhood and one life situation at a time, the same way we would walk you through it in person.
- Relevancy
- A first-time buyer and a family settling a parent's estate have different questions. Each one gets a page written for exactly where they are right now.
- Recency
- What the market did a year and a half ago won't help you decide this week. We keep what you read here current.
- Proximity
- Local enough to help. Valencia, Saugus, Canyon Country, Newhall, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, and the neighborhoods inside each one, written by people who live here instead of by a national website.
When you sell with us
The E.P.I.C. plan for your home
Selling a home can feel like a hundred decisions landing at once. This is the plan we follow with every seller, four pieces that work together so your home stands out and you always know what is coming next.
Equity
Michelle has a real gift for numbers and Jon's background is in accounting, so your price comes with the math behind it. We show you where your home stands, walk you through why, and land on a number you feel good about and we can stand behind when a buyer pushes back.
Presentation
Buyers decide in seconds whether a home is worth a visit, usually while scrolling on their phone. So before your home goes public, it gets professional photography, video, aerial photos, a 3D tour, a floor plan, and its own website, all planned around the feeling a buyer gets from the very first photo.
Impact
Some of the best buyers for your home aren't looking yet. We go find them with a paid online ad and targeted marketing that reach tens of thousands of people, plus a just-listed email to thousands more, so your home reaches people who might never have come across it on their own.
Campaign
Buyers pay the closest attention in your first days on the market. We plan those days on a real calendar, with an agent caravan and a big neighborhood open house where we invite the neighbors and deliver flyers. Then we follow up on every showing, so all that attention turns into offers.
Looking to buy?
Our R.E.A.L. plan for finding your home
Losing a house you love to another offer hurts. So before we tour a single home, we get you ready. The buyer who gets the good house is usually the one who was prepared when it came up.
Ready
We get you pre-approved and talk through how we'll work together before the first showing. When the right house comes up, you can move quickly and calmly instead of scrambling.
Educated
We show you what your budget buys in the neighborhoods you like, before you set your heart on something out of reach. It saves a lot of heartache.
Aligned
We build your search around what matters in your everyday life, then tell you straight what we see in each home, the good and the not so good. You'll tour fewer houses, and the ones you do see will be worth your Saturday.
Locked
Once you've chosen your home, we plan the offer together and stay right beside you through inspections, the loan, and closing day. We keep track of every deadline, so the last stretch feels calm.
Whatever brought you here
Your move comes with its own story
A divorce, a parent's house, your first home, or a move up. Each one comes with its own timing and its own worries. Start with the one that sounds like you, and we'll show you how we would take care of it.
Selling Your Home
Sell for the most the market will pay, without the process taking over your life.
Downsizing
Less house can mean more freedom. We help you take that step at a pace that feels right.
Selling Your Home as a Senior
For homeowners 55 and older moving to a senior community, a smaller home, or closer to their kids, with patience at every step.
Selling a Home During Divorce
A hard season deserves a calm, fair process. We keep things steady so you can move forward.
Probate and Trust Sales
Selling a loved one's home is hard. We carry the details so your family has room to breathe.
What Your Home Is Worth
Find out what your home is worth today, with a real number from people who know your neighborhood.
Selling a Luxury Home
Where the comparable sales rarely tell the whole story and pricing takes real judgment.
Buying a Home
Find a home you love without feeling rushed, pushed, or unsure of what happens next.
First-Time Buyers
Your first home should feel exciting, not confusing. We explain every step in plain language.
Relocating to the Area
Moving somewhere new? We help it feel familiar before you ever unpack a box.
VA and Military Buyers
You've served. Buying a home should be the easy part, planned around your timeline and orders.
Trading Up
Outgrown your home? Sell it and buy the next one without juggling two moves on your own.
Buying an Investment Property
Buy a rental property with the numbers in front of you, so it builds your future instead of your stress.
Buying New Construction
The builder's representative works for the builder. You should have someone of your own.
6 communities, 14 kinds of moves, and our team right beside you through your move.
Where we help
Communities we know by heart
We specialize in the six Santa Clarita Valley communities and help people move all across Los Angeles County, including the surrounding areas.
Valencia
Miles of car-free paseos, a lake at Bridgeport, golf-course views, and a park near almost every front door, all close to Valencia Town Center.
Explore Valencia →Saugus
Saturday mornings at the valley's largest park, canyon trails minutes away, and a choice between grown-in streets with big yards or newer hillside homes with views.
Explore Saugus →Canyon Country
Sandstone trails, horse country up Sand Canyon, a Metrolink stop at Vista Canyon, and homes from first townhomes to custom estates on Santa Clarita's sunny east side.
Explore Canyon Country →Newhall
Saturday mornings at the Old Town farmers market, show nights on Main Street, and private hillside homes with views, all in one community.
Explore Newhall →Stevenson Ranch
The first exit into the Santa Clarita Valley, where hillside views, a trail out back, and everyday errands sit minutes from the I-5.
Explore Stevenson Ranch →Castaic
Castaic is where the valley opens up, with the lake minutes from home, room for the horses and the RV, and a slower pace north of the city.
Explore Castaic →From the blog
Local market insight
2026-09-14 · 9 min read
What Santa Clarita Sellers Should Verify First
Before a Santa Clarita home goes live, sellers should verify the facts that shape how the property can be marketed. The first checks are jurisdiction, zoning, parcel details, and any permits or record
2026-09-14 · 9 min read
Evaluating Newhall Access and Property Differences
Buyers looking at Newhall should compare where a property sits, how it is accessed, and which local rules and district features apply before they decide.
2026-09-14 · 9 min read
Canyon Country Location Differences for Buyers
Buyers in Canyon Country can compare homes more clearly by looking at how the property connects to access roads, nearby community zones, county planning, and city services. The right starting point is
Who We Are
We're Michelle and Jon Dubner, a husband-and-wife REALTOR® team. Michelle has been helping people buy and sell homes here since 2004. A move touches your money, your routine, and sometimes your heart. You shouldn't have to figure it out alone.
We walk with you through every step. We explain what's coming before it happens, answer the question you were almost afraid to ask, and tell you plainly when something isn't in your best interest, even if that means waiting. You make the decisions. We carry the weight.
Once someone has had us in their corner, they tend to call us again, and they trust us with the people they love most. That's the part of this work we're proudest of.
What is it actually worth?
Where We Help
The Santa Clarita Valley is home. We live here, our kids grew up here, and we know all six communities street by street, from Valencia and Stevenson Ranch to Saugus, Newhall, Canyon Country, and Castaic.
Our roots run wider than one valley, though. Michelle grew up in the San Fernando Valley and has lived in Los Angeles County her whole life, in one corner of it or another. We have friends and family all over the region. So if you're moving to or from the San Fernando Valley, the Antelope Valley, Burbank, Glendale, Los Angeles, or just over the county line in Simi Valley, you're not outside our area. See the surrounding areas we serve.
Headed somewhere farther away? We'll connect you with an agent we have vetted ourselves in the market you are moving to who will take care of you the way we would.
How We Sell a Home
Going on the MLS is the easy part. Anyone with a license can do that, and plenty of homes get posted and then sit while everyone waits for a buyer to wander by. What decides your price is who sees the home, how it looks the first second they see it, and how many of them are looking at once.
We start with the number, and the math behind it. Michelle has a real gift for numbers and Jon's background is in accounting. You get recent nearby sales, what is competing with you right now, and an honest read on your home's condition, not a range wide enough to be useless. Then you get a written net sheet so you can see what actually lands in your account.
Then we get the house ready. We build a prep plan with you and bring in trusted vendors, so you are not the one chasing painters. We will tell you which repairs return more than they cost and which ones are not worth doing, because some are not.
Then the marketing, which is where most listings quietly fail. Buyers decide in seconds whether a home is worth a visit, usually while scrolling on a phone. So before your home goes public it gets professional photography, video, aerial photos, a 3D tour, a floor plan, and its own website, all planned around the feeling a buyer gets from the very first photo. Then a paid online ad and targeted marketing put it in front of tens of thousands of people, plus a just-listed email to thousands more, so it reaches people who were not searching yet. Some of the best buyers for your home are not looking today.
Then the first ten days, planned on a real calendar. An agent caravan, a neighborhood open house where we invite the neighbors and deliver flyers, and follow-up on every single showing. Attention only converts into offers if somebody follows up, and most of the time nobody does.
And all the way through, you actually know what is happening. Real showing activity, real feedback, real numbers, on a schedule, whether the news is good or not. See the whole selling process, step by step.
How We Help You Buy
The two things buyers are actually afraid of are overpaying and losing the house they loved to somebody else's offer. Both are preventable, and both get decided before you ever tour a home.
Ready before you look. We get you pre-approved with a lender who answers the phone on a Saturday, and we talk through how we will work together. When the right house comes up on a Thursday night, you can move calmly instead of scrambling. The buyer who gets the good house is almost always the one who was already prepared.
Honest about what your budget buys. We will show you what your number actually gets in the neighborhoods you like, before you fall for something out of reach. It saves a lot of heartache, and occasionally it means telling you that the house you described does not exist at that price in that neighborhood.
Aligned with how you actually live. We build the search around your commute, your schools, your Saturday, not just bedroom count. Then we tell you what we see in each home, the good and the not so good. You will tour fewer houses and the ones you see will be worth your Saturday.
Locked in, and then walked through the hard part. We plan the offer together, and stay beside you through inspections, the appraisal, the loan, and closing day. We track every deadline, because in California your contingency dates are real and missing one can cost you your deposit. See the whole buying process, step by step.
Selling one home and buying the next at the same time? We plan both sides on one timeline, so the dates work for you instead of against you. Here is how that works.
What It Actually Costs to Sell a Home Here
Almost nobody tells you this part up front, so here it is. When you sell a home in Los Angeles County, the money that comes off the top falls into four buckets.
Commission. This is the largest line, and since the 2024 changes to how buyer agents get paid, it is genuinely negotiable and it is negotiated separately for each side. What you pay your agent and what, if anything, you offer a buyer's agent are now two different conversations. We will show you both numbers in writing before you sign anything, and we will explain what each one buys you.
Transfer tax. Los Angeles County charges a documentary transfer tax of $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price. On a $850,000 sale that is $935. As of September 2026, only five cities in the county add a tax of their own: Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Culver City, Pomona, and Redondo Beach. Santa Clarita is not one of them. If you are selling inside Los Angeles city limits, the city's Measure ULA tax is a separate and much larger number on higher-priced sales, and you need to know about it before you price the home, not after.
Escrow, title, and county fees. Escrow fees, a title policy for the buyer, recording fees, an HOA document package if you have an HOA, and a natural hazard disclosure report. In this county these usually land somewhere in the low thousands combined, and several of them are negotiable between buyer and seller.
Getting the home ready, and what the buyer asks for after inspections. Paint, landscaping, a termite report, staging. Then, once you are in escrow, whatever credits or repairs you agree to. This is the bucket that surprises people, and it is the one good preparation shrinks the most.
Then there is the tax question, which is not a cost but people assume it is. If the home was your primary residence for at least two of the last five years, federal law lets you exclude $250,000 of gain if you file single and $500,000 if you file jointly. A great many Santa Clarita sellers owe nothing at all on the sale. Your CPA is the one to confirm your situation, and we will happily talk to them.
Before you list with us, you get a written net sheet: sale price at the top, every cost itemized, and the number that actually lands in your account at the bottom. If that number does not work for you, we would rather find that out in your kitchen than three weeks into escrow.
How Long a Move Takes, Honestly
Two clocks run in every sale, and people tend to mix them up.
The first is how long it takes to get an offer. That is not a fixed number. It turns on your price, your home's condition, and what else is for sale that looks like yours right now. A well-prepared home priced correctly in a normal Santa Clarita market gets its serious attention in the first ten days on the market. That is not a sales line, it is just how buyer behavior works. Everyone searching for a home like yours sees it the week it appears, and the ones who have been looking for months move first. A home that sits for six weeks is almost never a marketing problem. It is a price problem, a condition problem, or a photography problem, and we would rather solve all three before you go live than explain them to you afterward.
The second clock starts once you accept an offer. In California, escrow on a financed purchase commonly runs 30 to 45 days. Cash can close in one to two weeks. A VA or FHA loan sometimes runs longer because of the appraisal. Inside that window sit the buyer's inspections, their loan underwriting, the appraisal, and the negotiation that usually follows inspections.
Some situations have a third clock on top of those. A probate sale where the court granted only limited authority adds months for court confirmation. A sale that is part of a divorce moves at the speed of the slower spouse, or the court. A short sale waits on a lender. If you are in one of those, we will tell you the real timeline the first time we talk, even when it is not what you were hoping to hear. See our full selling timeline.
And if you are selling one home and buying the next, the clock that matters is neither of those. It is the gap between the two closings, and it is entirely plannable. A rent-back after closing, a contingent offer, a short-term rental, or simply lining the two escrows up to close the same week. We map it with you before you list, because the worst version of this is discovering in week five that you have nowhere to go.
How Long a Move Takes, Honestly
Everything takes about as long as it takes
The Moves We Know Best
A first-time buyer and a family settling a parent's estate need almost nothing in common from an agent. So instead of one page that promises to handle everything, we wrote one for each situation, with the actual law, the actual timeline, and the actual questions people ask us.
If you are selling:
- Selling your home, start to finish, with nothing happening that you did not know was coming.
- What your home is worth right now, from a person instead of an algorithm.
- Selling an inherited home through probate or a trust, including what the court's grant of authority does to your timeline.
- Selling the house during a divorce, where both spouses get told the same thing at the same time.
- Selling your home as a senior, at your pace, with help lined up for the parts that are physically hard.
- Downsizing, including whether the numbers actually work once you account for your property tax base.
If you are buying:
- Buying a home in the Santa Clarita Valley, from pre-approval to keys.
- Buying your first home, explained in plain words before each step happens.
- Selling and buying at the same time, on one timeline instead of two.
- Relocating here from somewhere else in California or out of state.
- Buying with a VA loan, including how to write an offer a seller will take seriously.
- Buying an investment property, with the rent math done honestly.
- Buying new construction, where the builder's representative works for the builder and you should have someone of your own.
- Buying or selling a luxury home, where the comparable sales rarely tell the whole story and pricing takes real judgment.
Why Clients Trust Us
Michelle is ranked by RealTrends in their 2025 America's Best Real Estate Professionals list, in the top 1.5% of agents nationwide, and most of our business comes from past clients and referrals. Our brokerage, Equity Union, gave us its Platinum Award in 2025, its Triple Gold Award in 2024, and its Double Gold and Community Impact Awards in 2023.
We have also gone and gotten trained in the specific situations people bring us, rather than learning on someone's transaction. Michelle has been licensed since 2004. The designations we hold:
- Certified Probate & Trust Specialist, for selling a home after someone passes away.
- Certified Senior Professional (CSP), for moves later in life.
- Certified Expert Listing Agent (CELA) and Certified Listing Specialist, for the selling side.
- Certified Buyer's Agent (CBA), for the buying side.
- Certified Real Estate Negotiator (CREN), which is the part of this job that decides your price.
- Certified Digital Marketing Specialist, which is why your home gets a launch instead of a sign in the yard.
- Commercial Sales Expert (CSE), for the moves that are not a single-family house.
The numbers matter. What we care about more is how you feel when it's over. One buyer summed it up in a single line: "They never pressured us to rush a decision."
Start Here
If you're thinking about selling, begin with a real number instead of an online guess. Request your home value, and we'll walk you through what it means for your next step.
Buying? Tell us what you want, and we'll build a custom search for you, then call to go over the results together.
Still deciding, or just have a question? Call or text us at 661-219-5517. It's a conversation, never a sales pitch.
Start Here
The handoff
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you only help people in Santa Clarita?
What is my home worth right now?
How long does it take to sell a home?
Can you help me sell my home and buy the next one at the same time?
Is now a good time to buy or sell?
Do I need to be pre-approved before I talk to you?
Can you help with a divorce, an inherited home, or a parent's move?
What does it cost to sell a home in Los Angeles County?
Is real estate commission negotiable?
Will I owe taxes when I sell my house?
Should I sell my current home first or buy the next one first?
Can I keep my property tax base if I move?
Do I need to fix up my house before selling it?
How do you decide what price to list my home at?
What do you charge to work with me as a buyer?
Are you a discount brokerage or a full-service agent?
Who will I actually be working with?
We went and got trained in this
Not every agent has sat through the coursework for the situation you are in. These are the designations we hold, and each one exists because somebody's move deserved better than on-the-job learning.
Certified Listing Specialist
CRENCertified Real Estate Negotiator
CSECommercial Sales Expert
Certified Digital Marketing Specialist
CELACertified Expert Listing Agent
CBACertified Buyer's Agent
CSPCertified Senior Professional
Certified Probate & Trust Specialist
Meet the team
You would be working with us
We are Michelle and Jon Dubner, husband and wife, and Dubner Real Estate Group is ours. Our team is here to serve you: to understand what you are hoping for, walk you through it step by step, and make sure you get there. Michelle answers her own phone and is quickest by text, so ask us anything, at any point, however small it feels.
Michelle Dubner DRE #01496647 Jon Dubner DRE #02118617 Equity Union
Wondering whether it's time to move?
Ask us anything. You'll get a straight answer and zero pressure, whether you're moving next month or a few years from now.