How Much Does It Cost to Sell a Home?

Selling a home typically costs about 7% to 10% of the final sale price once you add agent commission, closing costs, and the prep it takes to get the house ready for buyers. On a $400,000 sale, that works out to roughly $28,000 to $40,000 in selling costs, and your remaining mortgage balance is paid off from the proceeds on top of that.

And the exact amount depends on your local market, the commission you negotiate, the condition of the property, and what the buyer asks you to cover at closing.

We are Bentley's Real Estate in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and we run these numbers with sellers before a home is listed. You'll see how each cost behaves, which ones you control, and how we estimate what you take home, starting with the full list.

Where the money goes when you sell

Selling costs fall into six buckets: commission, closing costs, prep and staging, concessions, moving, and the mortgage payoff. Some are fixed.

Some are negotiable. And some are entirely your choice.

Cost Category	Typical Range	Fixed or Negotiable?	When You Pay
Agent commission	5% to 6% of sale price	Negotiable	At closing
Seller closing costs	1% to 3% of sale price	Partly negotiable	At closing
Prep, repairs and staging	1% to 2% of sale price	Your choice	Before listing
Seller concessions	Varies by market	Negotiable	At closing
Moving expenses	Varies by distance	Your choice	After closing
Mortgage payoff	Your remaining balance	Fixed	At closing

The mortgage payoff is not a selling cost, but it comes out of your proceeds at closing, so it belongs in every estimate. Request your lender's payoff letter early; it shows the exact amount owed, including any fees or prepayment penalties.

We start with the costs a seller cannot change, like the payoff and transfer taxes, then layer in the ones you can.

How real estate agent commission works

Of the costs you can negotiate, agent commission is the one to settle first, because it is usually the largest single expense in a home sale, typically 5% to 6% of the sale price. It has traditionally been split between the listing agent and the buyer's agent.

On a $400,000 home, that range equals $20,000 to $24,000.

Commissions are not standard or set by law.

Every commission is negotiable between a seller and their brokerage. Since the 2024 NAR settlement, buyers sign an agreement with their own agent, and a buyer may ask the seller to contribute toward that buyer's agent commission as part of the offer.

That request is not required, which is why it becomes one more term to negotiate.

What a Listing Agent Should Deliver	Why It Affects Your Net
Pricing from real local comps	Overpricing costs time; underpricing costs money
Advice on what to fix and what to skip	Keeps repair spending where buyers notice it
Marketing, photography and showings	More buyer demand means stronger offers
Offer negotiation and concessions strategy	Protects the price after inspection
Coordination with the closing attorney	Fewer surprises on the settlement statement

Choose a full-service listing agent when price, exposure and negotiation matter most. The tradeoff is that commission is the biggest line on the bill.

We judge any commission by the net it produces, since a lower fee that gives up price is no savings.

Seller closing costs, including Massachusetts transfer tax

That closing attorney also handles the next layer of expenses: seller closing costs, which typically run 1% to 3% of the sale price. These are the administrative expenses needed to finalize the sale, and the mix depends on where the property is and what the contract says.

Closing Cost	What It Covers	What Sellers Should Know
Attorney fees	Deed preparation, document review, closing	Massachusetts closings typically involve real estate attorneys
Title search and title insurance	Confirms clean ownership	Who pays varies by market and contract
Transfer tax	State tax on the sale	Massachusetts deed excise tax is $4.56 per $1,000 of sale price
Recording fees	Filing documents with the registry	Usually modest
Prorated property taxes	Taxes owed up to the closing date	Can be a credit or a charge
HOA or condo fees	Any balance owed to the association	Order the paperwork early

In Massachusetts, the seller typically pays the deed excise tax at closing. At $4.56 per $1,000, a $400,000 sale carries about $1,824 in transfer tax, and a $700,000 sale carries about $3,192.

Before accepting an offer, ask your attorney for an estimated settlement statement.

It puts every cost, credit and payoff on one page, so you can compare offers on net proceeds.

Prep, repairs and staging costs

Closing costs show up at the end, but prep money leaves your account weeks earlier, and the amount depends on the condition of the house. The usual items are deep cleaning, interior painting, landscaping, minor repairs and professional staging.

Prep Item	Buyer Impact	Spend or Skip?
Deep cleaning and decluttering	High	Spend
Fresh neutral paint	High	Spend in most homes
Minor repairs (leaks, doors, fixtures)	High	Spend
Curb appeal and landscaping	Medium to high	Spend for spring and summer listings
Professional staging	Medium to high	Spend on vacant or dated homes
Pre-listing inspection	Medium	Worth it on older homes
Major renovations	Low return before a sale	Usually skip

A pre-listing inspection finds issues before a buyer's inspector does. On older New England homes specifically, that protects the price, because you handle problems on your schedule, not on a deadline.

We tell sellers to spend on what buyers notice in the first few listing photos and leave stay-and-enjoy projects to the next owner.

Seller concessions and repair credits

Even with good prep, the buyer's inspection usually produces a list, and that is where concessions come in. Seller concessions are costs a seller agrees to cover for the buyer to help finalize the deal.

They can include part of the buyer's closing costs, repair credits after a home inspection, or a home warranty.

Market Condition	Concession Pressure	Seller Strategy
Seller's market	Low	Hold firm and compare offers on net
Balanced market	Moderate	Offer targeted credits only when needed
Buyer's market	High	Price right and expect credit requests

A repair credit is often cheaper and faster than doing the work yourself, and it keeps the closing date on track.

Moving expenses and taxes after the sale

Once the closing date holds, attention turns to the move itself, and those costs arrive fast: professional movers or a truck rental, packing supplies, storage, and temporary housing if your timing does not line up.

Capital gains taxes can apply too. Many owners selling a primary residence can exclude much of the gain under federal rules, but the details depend on how long you owned and lived there, so talk to a tax professional before you list.

Listing agent, FSBO or cash offer: which fits

With every cost on the table, the remaining question is how to sell, and the answer depends on what you value most: top price, lower fees, or speed.

Selling Option	Best Fit	Tradeoff
Full-service listing agent	Sellers who want the strongest price and least hassle	Pays commission for pricing, marketing and negotiation
For sale by owner (FSBO)	Sellers with time, experience and a buyer already lined up	Saves the listing side of commission, but you handle everything
Cash offer	Sellers who value speed and certainty	Offers may come in below open-market value

With FSBO, you may still pay a buyer's agent, and pricing, marketing, legal paperwork and negotiation all fall on you.

How to estimate your net proceeds

Whichever route you pick, the math at the end is the same: your net proceeds are the sale price minus your selling costs and your mortgage payoff. Here is the order we use:

1. Start with a realistic sale price based on local comps.
2. Subtract the mortgage payoff from your lender's payoff letter.
3. Subtract commission at the rate you negotiate.
4. Subtract closing costs, including transfer tax and attorney fees.
5. Subtract prep costs, likely concessions and moving expenses.

Example: $400,000 Sale	Estimated Cost
Agent commission (5% to 6%)	$20,000 to $24,000
Closing costs and taxes (1% to 3%)	$4,000 to $12,000
Staging and prep (1% to 2%)	$4,000 to $8,000
Total if each cost lands at its range	$28,000 to $44,000

That is, the typical total stays near 7% to 10%, since few sellers hit the top of every category at once.

Selling your home in Greater Newburyport with Bentley's

Those percentages are national rules of thumb, and the real figures for your home come from your own street, because real estate is local and so are selling costs. At Bentley's Real Estate, our agents prepare a net-proceeds estimate before you list, point out which prep spending pays off in your neighborhood, price from real local comps, and negotiate concessions and repair requests on your behalf.

We serve Newburyport, Amesbury, Newbury, Plum Island, West Newbury, Salisbury, Rowley and the wider North Shore.

Bentley's has been the #1 real estate brokerage in Greater Newburyport by market share seven years running, with more than 60 agents and a place in The Wall Street Journal RealTrends The Thousand. Call us at (978) 572-1200 and we will walk you through your own estimate before you sell.