{
  "slug": "cost-to-sell-a-house-calculator",
  "title": "Cost to Sell a House Calculator",
  "heading": "Cost to Sell a House Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-to-sell-a-house-calculator",
  "summary": "Commission, concessions, repairs, transfer tax and the payoff — net proceeds in one number.",
  "description": "Sellers plan around the sale price and get surprised by the wire. Between commission, seller-paid closing costs, transfer taxes that vary wildly by state, prep and repairs found at inspection, buyer concessions in a slow market, and the mortgage payoff with per-diem interest, total selling costs commonly run 8–10% of the price. This calculator lays out every line, applies a regional index to the prep and repair work, and returns net proceeds along with the cost as a share of the sale price — the number that tells you whether selling now actually clears what you need. Worked assumption for the defaults: a $450,000 sale with 5% total commission, 1% transfer and recording, $6,000 of prep, $4,000 in inspection repairs, 1% buyer concessions and a $260,000 payoff — roughly $146,700 net.",
  "formula": "Net = price − commission − transfer and title − prep and repairs − concessions − other closing costs − mortgage payoff.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-06",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=cost-to-sell-a-house-calculator",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "price",
      "label": "Expected sale price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 450000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 20000,
      "max": 10000000
    },
    {
      "id": "commission",
      "label": "Total agent commission",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 10
    },
    {
      "id": "transfer",
      "label": "Transfer tax, recording and title",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 6
    },
    {
      "id": "region",
      "label": "Region",
      "kind": "select",
      "hint": "Applies a regional labor-and-bid multiplier to the whole job.",
      "default": "1",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "1",
          "label": "US national average — 1.00×"
        },
        {
          "value": "0.86",
          "label": "Rural / small town — 0.86×"
        },
        {
          "value": "0.94",
          "label": "South metro (Atlanta, Dallas, Tampa) — 0.94×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.02",
          "label": "Midwest metro (Columbus, KC, Minneapolis) — 1.02×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.14",
          "label": "Mountain West (Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake) — 1.14×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.28",
          "label": "Northeast metro (Boston, Philly, DC) — 1.28×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.38",
          "label": "West Coast metro (Seattle, LA, Portland) — 1.38×"
        },
        {
          "value": "1.55",
          "label": "Highest-cost metro (SF Bay, Manhattan) — 1.55×"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prep",
      "label": "Prep: paint, cleaning, staging, landscaping",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 150000
    },
    {
      "id": "repairs",
      "label": "Inspection repairs",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 200000
    },
    {
      "id": "concessions",
      "label": "Buyer concessions / rate buydown",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1,
      "unit": "% of price",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 6
    },
    {
      "id": "otherClosing",
      "label": "Attorney, escrow, HOA and misc.",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1800,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 30000
    },
    {
      "id": "payoff",
      "label": "Mortgage payoff balance",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 260000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 8000000
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "net",
      "label": "Estimated net proceeds",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "costs",
      "label": "Total selling costs",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "costPct",
      "label": "Selling costs as share of price",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "commission",
      "label": "Agent commission",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "transfer",
      "label": "Transfer tax, title and recording",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "concessions",
      "label": "Buyer concessions",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "prep",
      "label": "Prep and repairs",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "breakEvenPrice",
      "label": "Price needed to walk away at zero",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Expected sale price: 450000 $",
      "Total agent commission: 5 %",
      "Transfer tax, recording and title: 1 %",
      "Region: US national average — 1.00×",
      "Prep: paint, cleaning, staging, landscaping: 6000 $",
      "Inspection repairs: 4000 $",
      "Buyer concessions / rate buydown: 1 % of price",
      "Attorney, escrow, HOA and misc.: 1800 $",
      "Mortgage payoff balance: 260000 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Estimated net proceeds: $146,700",
      "Total selling costs: $43,300",
      "Selling costs as share of price: 9.6%",
      "Agent commission: $22,500",
      "Transfer tax, title and recording: $4,500",
      "Buyer concessions: $4,500",
      "Prep and repairs: $10,000",
      "Price needed to walk away at zero: $303,300"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter expected sale price ($).",
      "Enter total agent commission (%).",
      "Enter transfer tax, recording and title (%).",
      "Enter region — Applies a regional labor-and-bid multiplier to the whole job..",
      "Enter prep: paint, cleaning, staging, landscaping ($).",
      "Enter inspection repairs ($).",
      "Enter buyer concessions / rate buydown (% of price).",
      "Enter attorney, escrow, hoa and misc. ($).",
      "Enter mortgage payoff balance ($).",
      "Read your estimated net proceeds on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "price": 270000,
        "commission": 3,
        "transfer": 0.6,
        "region": "1",
        "prep": 3500,
        "repairs": 2500,
        "concessions": 0.6,
        "otherClosing": 1100,
        "payoff": 156000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "price": 450000,
        "commission": 5,
        "transfer": 1,
        "region": "1",
        "prep": 6000,
        "repairs": 4000,
        "concessions": 1,
        "otherClosing": 1800,
        "payoff": 260000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "price": 720000,
        "commission": 8,
        "transfer": 1.6,
        "region": "1",
        "prep": 9500,
        "repairs": 6500,
        "concessions": 1.6,
        "otherClosing": 2900,
        "payoff": 416000
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Is commission still 5–6%?",
      "a": "It is negotiable and always has been, and buyer-agent compensation is now handled separately in most markets. Enter whatever your listing agreement actually says rather than a rule of thumb."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why is transfer tax a percentage?",
      "a": "Because it is charged that way, and the rate varies enormously — some states charge almost nothing, some cities add their own on top. Look up your county rate and enter it; the default is a middle-of-the-road placeholder."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does the payoff equal my mortgage balance?",
      "a": "Not exactly. The payoff quote includes interest to the funding date and any recording or wire fees, so it runs slightly above the statement balance. Request an official payoff quote once you have a contract."
    },
    {
      "q": "Where does the regional multiplier come from?",
      "a": "It is a job-level index against a US national average of 1.00, built from the spread contractors quote between low-cost rural markets and the highest-cost coastal metros. Materials vary less than labor, but bids move together, so one index tracks real quotes better than splitting them. Swap in your own multiplier by picking the tier closest to two bids you already have."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-to-move-cross-country-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-to-build-a-house-calculator"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Cost to Sell a House Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-to-sell-a-house-calculator)"
}