Closing Costs When Selling a House: What You'll Actually Pay
Published by Cash Flow Deals · Last updated 2026-08-04 · Published and reviewed for compliance by Camilo Palacio, a Florida Licensed Realtor
Closing costs for a seller usually land between 8 and 10 percent of the sale price once real estate commission is included, or roughly 1 to 3 percent for just the non-commission fees like title, transfer tax, and prorated property tax. The exact number depends on your state and your negotiated commission. Sellers working with Cash Flow Deals get a locked net price before repairs are even scoped, so the final number isn't a surprise.
| Factor | Traditional Route | Cash Flow Deals |
|---|---|---|
| When you learn your net price | After a buyer negotiates repair credits post-inspection | Locked before repairs are scoped |
| Commission structure | Negotiated per the Aug 2024 NAR settlement, paid as a percentage of price | Paid as a separate line item on the closing statement, not a markup on price |
| Title transfer | One transfer from seller to buyer through a licensed closing | Same: one transfer, directly from seller to buyer, through a real lender-funded purchase |
What 'Closing Costs' Actually Cover for a Seller
Seller closing costs split into two buckets. The first and biggest is real estate commission. The second is everything else: title insurance and settlement fees, transfer or recording tax charged by your state or county, your prorated share of property taxes and HOA dues up to the closing date, payoff of your existing mortgage and any liens, and attorney fees if you're in a state that requires one at closing. Some sellers also offer a home warranty as a closing incentive, which is a smaller, optional cost. None of this comes out of your pocket directly. The title or escrow company deducts every line item from your sale price and wires you what's left.
Commission Is Still the Biggest Line Item, But It's Negotiable Now
Commission has always been the largest single cost in a home sale, and that hasn't changed. What changed is how it gets set. Since the NAR Sitzer/Burnett settlement took effect on August 17, 2024, real estate commissions are negotiated directly between a seller and their agent, and offers of compensation to a buyer's agent are no longer posted on the MLS. That means there's no fixed, standard percentage anymore, if there ever really was one. Every seller negotiates their own rate, and every listing agreement should spell out exactly what you're paying and for what.
The Line Item That Changes After Inspection: Repair Credits
Here's where a lot of sellers get blindsided. You accept an offer, run your own math on what you'll net, and then the buyer's inspection turns up problems. Now you're negotiating repair credits or a price reduction, and your net number moves, sometimes by thousands of dollars, after you'd already mentally spent the original figure. Sellers working with Cash Flow Deals skip this whiplash. The net price gets locked before repairs are even scoped, so whatever comes up in inspection gets handled separately instead of reopening the number you already agreed to. Title still transfers once, directly from seller to a real buyer whose own lender funds the purchase, and Cash Flow Deals is paid as its own line item on the closing statement, not folded into the price.
Running the Math on an Example Sale
Say a home sells for $350,000. As a rough illustration, not a quote for your specific sale, commission might land somewhere in the low single-digit percentages of that price depending on what you negotiate. Add roughly 2 to 4 percent more for transfer tax, title fees, prorated property tax, and recording costs. Stack those together and total closing costs commonly land in the 8 to 10 percent range once commission is included, which on a $350,000 sale works out to a meaningful five-figure number. The exact split depends entirely on your state, your county, and what you negotiate with your agent, so treat this as a way to think about the shape of the math, not a guarantee of your actual number.
How to Estimate Your Net Proceeds Before You List
Start with your mortgage payoff, call your lender for an exact figure, not the balance on your last statement. Ask a title company for a seller net sheet, most will run one for free before you even list. Get clear on your commission rate in writing before you sign a listing agreement. Set aside a mental repair reserve, since inspection negotiations are common even in a clean sale. If predictability matters more to you than chasing the highest possible number, getting a locked net price upfront, before repairs get scoped, like Cash Flow Deals offers, removes most of the guesswork from that final wire amount.
Common questions
What percentage of the sale price are closing costs for a seller?
Typically 8 to 10 percent when you include commission, or 1 to 3 percent for just the seller's non-commission fees like title work, transfer tax, and prorated property tax. It varies by state and county.
Who pays closing costs, the buyer or the seller?
Both sides pay their own set of costs. Sellers usually cover commission, transfer tax, and their prorated share of property tax and HOA dues. Buyers usually cover loan origination fees, appraisal, and title insurance for their lender.
Can I negotiate my closing costs?
Commission is negotiable, confirmed nationally since the Aug 17, 2024 NAR settlement. Government fees like transfer tax and recording fees are set by your state or county and generally aren't negotiable.
Do closing costs come out of my proceeds automatically?
Yes. The title or escrow company deducts every cost from your sale price at closing and wires you the net amount. You never write a separate check for most of it.
Why do sellers get surprised by their net number at the closing table?
Usually because repair credits or concessions got negotiated after inspection, after the seller had already mentally banked the original number. Locking your net price before repairs are scoped avoids this.
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What this means for your options
A value estimate is a starting point, not a guaranteed number. Our process tests your home against the real market -- real buyers, real comps -- before you commit to a price.
Wait and see
Keep the property as-is and hope conditions improve. The mortgage, insurance, and upkeep keep costing money while you wait, with no set date for things to turn around.
List with a traditional agent
Standard MLS listing, typically 5-6% in commission, and a financed buyer whose deal depends on appraisal, inspection, and lender approval — any of which can fall through after weeks on market.
Sell to Cash Flow Deals
No repairs, no showings, no financing contingency on your side — our novation structure connects you with a bank-financed buyer at a price locked at signing. Usually within one business day.
See your selling options before you decide anything.