Selling · cost guide
Cost to Sell a House in 2026
Sellers plan around the price they hope to get. The number that actually matters is what lands in your account afterwards — and between the two sits 8% to 10% of the sale price, most of it decided before you ever receive an offer.
Selling a house typically costs 8%–10% of the sale price — roughly $40,000 to $50,000 on a $500,000 sale, before your mortgage is paid off. Commission is the largest piece by far, and it is the only one you can move materially: agents report an average total of 5.70% in 2026, while sellers report actually paying closer to 4.7%.
What a seller pays
| Cost | Typical | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Agent commission | 4.7%–5.7% of sale price | By far the largest line. Agent-reported vs seller-reported rates differ — see below. |
| Seller closing costs | 1%–3% of sale price | Title/escrow, attorney where required, recording, payoff fees |
| Transfer taxes | Varies enormously by state | The single biggest geographic variable; sometimes buyer-paid by custom |
| Pre-listing repairs | Project-specific | Price it before committing — see our calculators |
| Staging & photography | Project-specific | Sometimes included in the listing service |
| Buyer concessions | Negotiated, 0%–3%+ | Rises in buyer's markets; a real cost even though it never leaves your account |
| Prorated taxes & HOA | Days-owned share | Settled at closing |
| Moving | Distance-dependent | Easy to forget when modelling proceeds |
Repairs, staging, concessions and moving are property- and market-specific by nature; we do not publish national averages for them because a national average would not describe anyone's actual sale. Price the work you are considering with our calculators instead.
Transfer taxes deserve a specific mention because they swing the total more than anything else on the list except commission. They are set at state and often county or city level, and in some jurisdictions custom puts them on the buyer instead. Our closing costs by state study covers why they vary so widely, and your state guide has the local practice.
Commission after the NAR settlement
The practice changes from the National Association of Realtors' $418 million antitrust settlement took effect on August 17, 2024. Three things changed concretely:
- Offers of buyer-agent compensation can no longer be advertised through the MLS.
- Buyers must sign a written representation agreement with their agent before being shown homes.
- Compensation is negotiated transaction by transaction, and its negotiability must be disclosed.
The widely predicted consequence was that commissions would fall. Measured rates did the opposite. Clever Real Estate's February 2026 survey of 533 agents put the average total commission at 5.70% — split 2.88% listing side and 2.82% buyer side — against 5.44% a year earlier.
A caution on causation
We are reporting a measured change, not explaining it. Plenty of commentary asserts the settlement caused commissions to rise; a single annual survey cannot establish that. Rates, inventory, affordability and brokerage business models all moved in the same window. Treat “commissions went up after the settlement” as a fact about timing, not about cause.
What did unambiguously change is your position. The buyer's side is no longer a number pre-set in the listing system — it is a term you negotiate. Many sellers still contribute to keep a listing competitive, but it is now a decision rather than a default.
Two commission numbers, and why they differ
This is the most useful thing on this page for a seller about to have a listing conversation.
| Measurement | Figure | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Agents surveyed (Clever, Feb 2026) | 5.70% | The rate being asked for |
| Sellers surveyed | ~4.7% | What was paid after negotiation; only ~14% paid a full 6% |
| Redfin transactions (Q3 2025) | 2.42% | Buyer-side only, one brokerage's own deals — not nationally representative |
These are not contradictory; they measure different things at different points in the process. The practical reading: the asking rate is roughly a point above what sellers typically end up paying. If you are quoted 6% and accept it without discussion, you are paying above what most sellers pay.
Geography matters too. Clever's survey found combined rates ranging from 4.50% in the District of Columbia to 6.20% in Michigan. On a $500,000 sale, that spread is $8,500 — for the same service.
Worked example: net proceeds on a $500,000 sale
A $500,000 sale with a $300,000 mortgage payoff, shown at both commission rates so you can see what the negotiation is worth.
| Line | At 5.70% | At 4.70% |
|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Agent commission | −$28,500 | −$23,500 |
| Seller closing costs (2%) | −$10,000 | −$10,000 |
| Prep, staging & moving (illustrative) | −$6,000 | −$6,000 |
| Total selling costs | −$44,500 (8.9%) | −$39,500 (7.9%) |
| Proceeds before payoff | $455,500 | $460,500 |
| Mortgage payoff | −$300,000 | −$300,000 |
| Net to you | $155,500 | $160,500 |
Commission rates from the sources below. Seller closing costs shown at 2%, the midpoint of the 1%–3% range, and will differ substantially by state depending on transfer taxes and whether an attorney is required. Prep, staging and moving are an illustrative placeholder, not survey data — replace them with your own quotes. Excludes concessions and any capital gains tax.
One percentage point of commission is worth $5,000 on this sale — more than most sellers spend on staging and repairs combined. It is the highest-leverage conversation in the entire process, and it happens before you list.
One trap worth naming: your mortgage payoff is not last month's statement balance. It is the remaining principal plus interest accrued to the payoff date, plus any lender payoff or wire fee. Request an official payoff quote rather than estimating. Model your own numbers, including the capital gains treatment, with the Cost to Sell Calculator.
Will you owe tax on the gain?
Most sellers of a primary residence do not. The Section 121 exclusion allows qualifying sellers to exclude up to $250,000 of gain if single and $500,000 if married filing jointly, subject to ownership and use tests.
The common error is confusing gain with cash. Gain is measured from your cost basis — what you paid, plus qualifying capital improvements, plus certain purchase and selling costs — not from your mortgage balance. Someone who refinanced heavily can walk away with modest cash and still have a large taxable gain, and someone with a paid-off house can receive a great deal of cash with very little gain. Keep records of improvements; they raise your basis and reduce the gain.
This is general information rather than tax advice — the ownership and use tests, partial exclusions, and any prior use of the property as a rental all affect the answer. Confirm with a tax professional.
Where sellers actually save money
Negotiate the commission
The only line worth thousands. Ask what the rate covers, what the buyer-side contribution will be, and whether a lower rate is available for a well-presented, well-priced home.
Decide the buyer-side contribution deliberately
Post-settlement this is a term, not a default. Discuss what your market actually requires rather than accepting a standard figure.
Fix the cheap, visible things only
Cosmetic work that shows in photos generally earns its keep. Large pre-sale projects usually do not return what they cost.
Get a real payoff quote early
It removes the most common surprise at closing and lets you plan the next purchase honestly.
Considering doing it yourself? Our selling without a realtor guide covers what the work involves. Not sure selling is right at all? Compare against keeping it with renting vs selling and the sell vs rent calculator.
Run your numbers
What will you actually net?
Sale price less commission, closing costs, concessions, prep and payoff — with the Section 121 capital gains treatment modelled.
Keep reading
- Closing Costs by State, 2026Why transfer taxes make the same sale price net differently in different states.
- Renting vs Selling Your HomeAfter-tax net worth of selling versus renting out, and the Section 121 tax clock.
- Selling a House Without a RealtorWhat the listing-side work actually involves, and what you save by doing it.
- The True Cost of Buying a HomeThe other side of the transaction — useful if this sale funds your next purchase.
- How to Read a Contractor's QuoteBefore you commit to pre-listing repairs, make sure the bid is what you think it is.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to sell a house in 2026?+
Typically 8% to 10% of the sale price once everything is counted — agent commission, seller closing costs and transfer taxes, pre-listing repairs, staging, any concessions to the buyer, and moving. On a $500,000 sale that is roughly $40,000 to $50,000 before your mortgage is paid off. Commission is the largest single component by a wide margin.
What is the average real estate commission in 2026?+
It depends who you ask, and the gap is genuinely informative. A February 2026 Clever Real Estate survey of 533 agents put the average total commission at 5.70% — 2.88% listing side and 2.82% buyer side. But sellers surveyed report actually paying closer to 4.7%, with only about 14% paying a full 6%. Agent surveys measure the rate being asked; seller surveys measure what was paid after negotiation. Budget with the higher figure and negotiate toward the lower one.
Did commissions fall after the NAR settlement?+
No — measured rates went up, not down. Clever's survey shows the average total commission at 5.70% in 2026 against 5.44% in 2025. That is the opposite of what most commentary predicted when the settlement's practice changes took effect in August 2024. We report the measured change rather than claiming the settlement caused it: several things moved in the same period, and a single survey cannot establish causation.
Does the seller still pay the buyer's agent?+
Often, but it is now explicitly negotiable rather than built into the listing. Since August 2024, offers of buyer-agent compensation can no longer be advertised through the MLS, buyers must sign a written representation agreement with their agent before touring, and compensation is negotiated deal by deal. In practice many sellers still contribute to the buyer's side to keep their listing competitive — but it is now a decision you make, not a default you inherit.
Can you negotiate realtor commission?+
Yes, and the data suggests plenty of sellers do. Commissions have always been legally negotiable, and the settlement requires that to be stated clearly. The evidence that negotiation works is the gap between the 5.70% agents report asking and the roughly 4.7% sellers report paying. Rates also vary substantially by state — Clever's survey found a range from 4.50% in the District of Columbia to 6.20% in Michigan.
What are seller closing costs?+
Separate from commission: transfer taxes where the seller customarily pays them, title and settlement or escrow fees, an attorney fee in states that require one at closing, recording fees, prorated property tax and any HOA dues, and a payoff or wire fee from your lender. The mix varies enormously by state — transfer taxes in particular are the single largest driver of geographic variation, which is why the same sale price nets differently in different states.
Do I pay tax on the profit when I sell my house?+
Often not. The IRC Section 121 exclusion lets qualifying sellers exclude up to $250,000 of gain if single and $500,000 if married filing jointly, subject to ownership and use tests. Gain is calculated from your cost basis — what you paid plus qualifying improvements — not from your mortgage balance, which trips people up. Our Cost to Sell Calculator models the exclusion, but confirm your position with a tax professional.
Should I make repairs before listing?+
Selectively. Cosmetic work that shows in photographs generally earns its keep; large projects undertaken purely for resale usually do not return what they cost. The stronger argument for fixing something is negotiating leverage — a defect a buyer's inspector finds becomes a credit request at a price you no longer control. Price any work honestly first, and read a contractor's quote carefully before committing to pre-listing work.
How much will I actually walk away with?+
Take the sale price, subtract selling costs of roughly 8%-10%, then subtract your mortgage payoff — which is your remaining principal plus interest accrued to the payoff date, not last month's statement balance. What remains is your gross proceeds, before any capital gains tax. On a $500,000 sale with a $300,000 payoff, a realistic figure is around $160,000, and the single biggest lever on it is the commission you negotiate.
Is it cheaper to sell without an agent?+
On paper you save the listing-side commission, and post-settlement you also have more room to decide what, if anything, to offer the buyer's side. The trade is that you take on pricing, marketing, disclosure compliance, and negotiation yourself, and the evidence on whether FSBO sellers net more is genuinely mixed. Our guide to selling without a realtor covers what the work actually involves before you decide.
Methodology
Commission figures are attributed to the specific survey that produced them and dated: the 5.70% total, its 2.88%/2.82% split, the 5.44% prior-year figure, and the 4.50%–6.20% state range are from Clever Real Estate's February 2026 survey of 533 agents. The ~4.7% seller-reported figure and the 14% paying a full 6% come from seller-side survey data, and the 2.42% buyer-side figure is Redfin's own Q3 2025 transaction data — one brokerage, not nationally representative. We present these as three different measurements rather than averaging them into a single number, because they measure different things. We report the change in measured commission rates alongside the settlement timeline but do not assert that the settlement caused it. The worked example is arithmetic on the stated assumptions; seller closing costs at 2% are a midpoint that will differ substantially by state, and the prep, staging and moving line is an illustrative placeholder rather than survey data. Section 121 treatment follows IRS guidance and is modelled in our Cost to Sell Calculator. This guide is educational and is not financial, tax, or legal advice.
Sources
- Clever Real Estate — Is a 6% Real Estate Commission Standard? (February 2026 survey of 533 agents) — accessed 2026-07-30
- Offerpad — Two Years After the Commission Shakeup, Real Estate Fees Went Up, Not Down (updated June 2026) — accessed 2026-07-30
- AnyTimeEstimate — Average Real Estate Agent Commission: 2026 Survey — accessed 2026-07-30
- RealCostIQ — Closing Costs by State, 2026 (transfer taxes as the largest source of state variation) — accessed 2026-07-30
- IRS — Publication 523, Selling Your Home (Section 121 exclusion) — accessed 2026-07-30