Start with what you would keep, not just the advertised sale price. There is no single selling-cost percentage that fits every property. Collect written estimates and compare each option on the same basis before signing.
Your seller cost worksheet
- Broker compensation: use the amounts in your proposed agreements, including any buyer-broker compensation you approve. Do not assume a standard rate.
- Settlement costs: request an itemized estimate from your closing professional for title, escrow or attorney services, recording, applicable taxes and agreed buyer credits. Confirm who pays each item.
- Repairs: obtain property-specific written quotes. Compare selling in current condition with making repairs, including the upfront cash needed and uncertain effect on the sale price.
- Holding expenses: estimate interest, insurance, utilities, maintenance and property taxes through your expected closing date. Recalculate if closing is delayed.
- Debt and other obligations: obtain dated payoff statements for mortgages and other liens; check applicable association charges with the association or closing professional.
- Moving and tax planning: budget separately for your move and ask a qualified tax professional about any tax consequences of your sale. Closing proceeds are not the same as taxable gain.
Commission is a negotiation, not a fixed percentage
Compensation remains negotiable; the 2024 settlement did not make it negotiable for the first time. NAR explains that sellers can choose whether to offer buyer-broker compensation and that such offers cannot be included on an MLS under its settlement practice changes. Ask for the services, amounts and your approval in writing. See NAR guidance for home sellers.
Request a dated mortgage payoff
Your statement balance is not a payoff quote. The amount required to clear the loan can include interest through the payoff date, unpaid fees and any applicable prepayment penalty. Ask your servicer for a payoff statement for the intended date and refresh it if that date changes. See the CFPB explanation of mortgage payoff amounts.
Do not subtract mortgage principal twice. If you include full mortgage payments in your cash-flow worksheet, reconcile the principal paid against the updated payoff. Likewise, do not count a tax payment both as a holding expense and again as a closing proration without accounting for the credit.
A fair comparison using the same debt
These are hypothetical inputs, not market averages, quotes or promised closing dates. Both alternatives below assume the same $150,000 mortgage payoff to isolate their other differences. Actual payoffs can differ with the closing date. Neither sale price is an appraisal or an offer from OfferMyHome.
Illustrative listing after repairs
$300,000 sale price minus $25,000 repairs, $16,500 agreed broker compensation, $6,000 seller settlement costs, $8,000 non-principal holding expenses and the $150,000 payoff leaves $94,500 after those listed expenses.
Illustrative as-is sale
$225,000 sale price minus $3,000 seller settlement costs, $2,000 non-principal holding expenses and the same $150,000 payoff leaves $70,000. This example assumes no seller-funded repairs or broker compensation for this option. Replace those zeros if your agreement requires either; a cash buyer does not automatically eliminate fees.
The difference in these assumptions is $24,500 in favor of the listing, but that option requires repair funding and its higher price is uncertain. Both totals exclude moving expenses and any tax on the sale. Expenses already paid before closing will not be deducted again from the wire: this is an overall comparison, not a closing statement.
Stress-test the choice before committing
- Ask for written terms for each real option: price, buyer credits, fees, contingencies, proof of funds or financing and proposed closing date.
- Recalculate if the price falls, repairs cost more or closing slips. One additional month adds your actual monthly holding expenses, not a national default.
- Separate the money you need upfront from the amount due at closing. If either result is negative, ask your closing professional how a shortfall would be addressed before agreeing to sell.
- Compare the uncertainty as well as the totals. Neither an inquiry nor a cash offer guarantees completion. Have the contract and settlement figures reviewed by the appropriate local professional.
Use our comparison of selling options to frame questions, then replace every example amount with your own documents. An inquiry to OfferMyHome is a request to discuss your property, not a valuation or commitment to buy it.