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Cost to Sell a Home Calculator

If you’re thinking about selling your home, you might be curious what kind of proceeds you’ll receive.

My cost to sell a home calculator can give you a better idea of what you could walk away with.

It factors in the expected sales price of the property, the loan payoff, real estate commissions, and other fees like title/escrow and transfer taxes.

You can also set your tax exclusion (if you meet the requirements) and your federal capital gains rate for a more complete picture.

Note that things like depreciation recapture and state taxes are not included, so consider this a ballpark.

Cost to Sell a Home Calculator

Estimate what you’ll walk away with when you sell. Enter your sale price and mortgage payoff, add your selling costs, and see your net proceeds, your break-even price, and an optional capital gains estimate.

Your Sale

$
$
Total of all mortgages and liens paid off at closing. Request a payoff quote from your servicer. Leave blank if you own the home free and clear.
$
Most mortgages don’t have one. Check your note or ask your servicer.

Selling Costs

%
Commissions are negotiable. Enter what’s in your listing agreement.
%
Enter 0 if the buyer pays their own agent.
$
%
Percent of the sale price. Rates vary by state, county, and city, and some places have none.
$
What you owe for the part of the year you owned the home, minus anything already paid. Enter a negative number if you’re owed a credit.
$
Credits to the buyer, such as closing cost help or repair credits.
$

Capital Gains & Next Home (Optional)

$
Leave blank to skip the capital gains estimate.
$
Major improvements like an addition or a new roof, not routine repairs.
The exclusion requires that you owned and lived in the home for at least 2 of the last 5 years.
Assumes you’ve owned the home for more than a year.
Shows the home price your proceeds could support at this down payment.

Itemized Estimate

Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial, legal, or tax advice. Results are estimates. Commissions, closing costs, and transfer taxes vary by market and are negotiable, and your actual figures will come from your closing statement. The capital gains estimate is a simplified federal calculation. It doesn’t include state taxes, the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture, or other situations that may apply to you. Consult a licensed real estate professional and a tax advisor before making any decision.

How to Use the Cost to Sell a Home Calculator

First, enter your expected sale price of the property, e.g. $500,000. You might want to but a lower estimate to err on the side of caution.

People always seem to think their home will sell for more than it usually does…

Next enter your loan payoff, assuming you still have a mortgage. You’ll be able to find this on your monthly mortgage statement. It’s the outstanding loan balance.

If you happen to have a prepayment penalty, you can enter it is as well. This isn’t common unless it’s an investment property with a non-QM loan such as a DSCR loan.

Next you’ve got your selling costs, including the listing agent and buyer’s agent commissions.

This used to be a standard 2.5-3% (of the sale price) each, but now that real estate agent commissions are negotiable, you might be able to get away with paying less.

[Searching for a home loan? See your options with dozens of lenders fast.]

In fact, it’s possible not to pay the buyer’s agent commission at all. So you might be able to save some dough there.

Then there’s costs like title, escrow, attorney fees, transfer taxes and recording fees.

These can vary widely, so start by determining what the usual cost is for your county and state and go from there.

You can also enter any property tax and HOA dues that haven’t been paid (or will be refunded if prepaid).

And any seller concessions, repairs, home staging fees, etc.

The next section deals with capital gains, exclusions if applicable, and federal taxes.

There is a $250,000/$500,000 exclusion for primary residences where you’ve lived there for at least two years.

That can reduce what you owe in taxes tremendously. It’s one of the many advantages of owning real estate.

Lastly, you can enter your expected down payment on your next home and the calculator will show you what you can buy as a replacement based on that figure.

What the Results Show

The results include the total cost of selling the home in both dollars and as a percentage of the sales price.

So you’ll see the total cost (e.g. $50,000) and the percentage, such as 10% of the price.

You’ll also see the break-even sale price, important if you haven’t owned the home for very long or if prices haven’t appreciated much.

Along with your current home equity, which is the price minus the outstanding loan(s).

The calculator also provides an estimated capital gains tax, and net after tax figure to ensure you don’t get a bloated number.

Just remember that it doesn’t incorporate depreciation recapture and state taxes, which can eat into your expected profit as well.

Consider this calculator a good starting point if you’re thinking about selling your home and curious what you might walk away with.

Colin Robertson
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