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Home Seller Calculator

See what you actually walk away with. Not what the listing says.

Most calculators stop at the commission. This one adds what your state actually charges in transfer tax, title and attorney fees, then runs the same sale three ways so you can see what each route leaves you.

Your sale

Commissions

Since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement this is genuinely optional and no longer advertised on the Multiple Listing Service. Turning it off saves real money and can narrow your buyer pool.

%

Other costs

Full-service agent

Your net proceeds

$204,245

Selling costs
$25,755
As % of price
5.72%

A listing agent handles everything and charges a percentage. You also decide whether to offer the buyer's agent a commission.

Flat-fee MLS

Your net proceeds

$215,045

+$10,800 vs. a full-service agent

Selling costs
$14,955
As % of price
3.32%

You pay a few hundred dollars to appear on the Multiple Listing Service, which feeds Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com. You handle showings and negotiation yourself.

For Sale By Owner

Most cash

Your net proceeds

$215,495

+$11,250 vs. a full-service agent

Selling costs
$14,505
As % of price
3.22%

No Multiple Listing Service entry at all. Yard sign, Craigslist, Facebook, word of mouth. Cheapest on paper, and the smallest buyer pool.

What this is telling you

On a $450,000 sale in Texas, going the flat-fee MLS route instead of a full-service agent leaves you $10,800 better off. That is the listing-side commission you stop paying, minus the $450 listing fee. Everything else about the sale is identical, including the taxes and title costs your state charges no matter who sells the house.

Where these numbers come from

Read this before you rely on the number

These are estimates for planning, not a quote and not advice. Transfer taxes, title customs and recording fees vary by county and city, and several change from year to year. Commission rates are negotiable and always have been. Nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice, and we are not a brokerage, a law firm, or a title company. Confirm your actual figures with your closing attorney, title company, or a licensed professional in your state before you make a decision.

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The three ways to sell, and what separates them

Full-service agent

2.5–3% of the sale

They price it, market it, run showings and negotiate. A slice of the house leaves with them.

Flat-fee MLS

A few hundred dollars

Same MLS, same Zillow listing, no commission. You handle the showings and the negotiation.

FSBO, no MLS

Effectively nothing

Yard sign and word of mouth. Cheapest on paper, and by far the smallest pool of buyers.

Every sale carries the same fixed costs. Your state takes its transfer tax, someone pays for title work, the deed gets recorded. None of that moves based on who lists the house.

What moves is commission. A full-service agent charges a percentage to handle the whole sale. A flat-fee Multiple Listing Service (MLS) listing charges a few hundred dollars to put you on the same database agents use, and leaves the rest to you. A pure For Sale By Owner (FSBO) sale skips the MLS entirely, which saves the listing fee and shrinks the pool of buyers who will ever see the house.

The honest tradeoff is work and reach, not just money. The calculator prices the money side. Only you can price the weekend you spend running showings.

Common questions

How much does it actually cost to sell a house?
Between 6% and 10% of the sale price in most states once you add commissions, transfer taxes, title costs and concessions. Commissions are the largest single piece and the only one you have real control over. Transfer taxes and recording fees are charged no matter who sells the house.
Do I still have to pay the buyer’s agent?
No. Since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement, sellers are no longer expected to advertise a buyer-agent commission on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), and buyers now sign their own written agreements with their agents. Many sellers still offer one to stay competitive with comparable listings, but it is now a negotiation rather than a default. The calculator lets you model it both ways.
Is a flat-fee MLS listing the same as FSBO?
Not quite. FSBO means For Sale By Owner. A pure FSBO sale never touches the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), so it misses the feed that populates Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com. A flat-fee MLS listing puts you on that feed for a few hundred dollars while you still handle showings and negotiation yourself. It is the middle option, and for most sellers it is the one that changes the math.
Are these numbers exact?
No, and you should not treat them as a quote. Transfer taxes and title customs vary by county and city, and some change annually. Every rate used here is linked to its source so you can check it. Confirm your real figures with your closing attorney or title company before making a decision.
Why do the costs change so much between states?
Transfer taxes are the main reason. Texas charges none at all. Pennsylvania runs about 2% split between buyer and seller, and Philadelphia is far higher. New York City stacks a city transfer tax on top of the state rate. On the same sale price, that difference alone can swing your proceeds by tens of thousands of dollars.