How much does it cost to sell a house?  When selling a house, the sale price does NOT necessarily mean that’s what you’re putting in your pocket. 💰 Let’s talk about the REAL cost of selling your home.

How Much Does It ACTUALLY Cost To Sell Your House? 

If you’re considering selling your home, listen up! In this comprehensive video + Blog, you’ll learn about all the specific costs involved in selling your house, including real estate agent commissions, closing costs, transfer taxes, escrow fees, title insurance, HOA fee’s and more.

With this blog + video’s accurate information and useful home selling tips in your arsenal, you can be better prepared when it comes time to sell your home. Closing costs for sellers might be higher than you think, so it is important to be prepared and budget for these expenses.

Every home sale is different but these are the typical things a seller pays for when selling a house. Some of these expenses will apply to you, and other’s may not. It really boils down to your timing and your specific scenario. Here’s a rundown of typical seller costs, and about how much they will run you:

1. Costs BEFORE you list your home

2.  Home Repairs 

3. Realtor Fee’s

4. Seller Concessions

5.  Closing Cost’s

6. Home Warranty

7. HOA Fees

8. Mortgage Expenses 

9. Moving Costs

10. Temporary Accommodations 

1. The Costs before you list

Did you know that some of the expenses that you will incur as a home seller will actually occur before you actually list your home for sale. The reason is, you will need to prep your home, if you want to get TOP DOLLAR for your home. The first impression a buyer has of your home really matters. You want to make sure your home has that “WOW” factor. 

The goal is to make it shine inside and out! Here are a few tips:

1. Hire a professional cleaner, or deep clean your home: Make sure to work this in your budget. Remember, the price will vary based on your houses square feet along with how much work it needs 

2. Curb appeal: You want to make sure your home has a very strong curb appeal. After all, this is the buyers first impression of your home. So, you want to make sure you spend a bit of time and money ensuring your home looks as good as possible.

3.  Possible repairs: You want to budget for any potential repairs that you have possibly been putting off. The repairs that you know you really need to do before putting the home on the market. Even a few affordable ways to boost your property’s appeal, like cleaning the windows and touching up the walls, baseboards, and trim around the home. This might be better than selling your home as-is.

Possible Renovations to Maximize Your Profit

Before you sell, you might be tempted to complete a project that seems likely to increase the value in a buyer’s eyes. Some renovations can recoup the majority of their value when it’s time to sell. Click the link above to see the 6 renovations that will INSTANTLY increase your home’s value.

Please note, one of the most common mistakes I see from home sellers is spending money on the wrong improvements before getting a Realtor involved. We always recommend consulting with your trusted Realtor before completing any renovations (for the sake of selling). 

How To Best Prepare Your Home To Maximize Your Profit

If you are interested in learning more how to best prepare your home to hit the market, we have put together a video on the *10 most important steps to prepare your home for the market. *  Click the link and learn how to best prepare your home for sale!

Also, feel free to click here, to download our FREE Home Seller Prep Guide! This guide will make sure you are fully prepared to hit the market.  

 2. Home Repairs 

I know you’re saying, “Hey, you already mentioned repairs before listing the home.” The fact is depending on the market conditions, your home’s condition, the buyers inspection report, and negotiations you may be looking at completing a few more repairs before closing as well.

Home Inspection 

If the buyer’s home inspection uncovers big issues, such as a damaged roof or bad plumbing leaks, you might have to pay to fix them in order to close the deal. You may also be able to cut the buyer a check to cover the repairs, rather than completing them. Big repairs can set you back financially, so be prepared before you decide to sell, especially if you anticipate trouble along these lines. The older your home is, the more likely there may be hidden defects, or issues with the home. 

Your trusted Realtor will be able to help advise you on how to negotiate any requested repairs, and what’s typical in your market.  

5. Closing Cost’s

These are the fee’s that the seller will see whenever selling a home. Closing costs can vary based on the state you are selling a home in. Here in the Carolina’s you can expect a few fees:

1. Attorney Fee: The buyer and seller will both have an attorney fee. They can choose to use the same closing attorney or choose separate closing attorney’s. Attorney fees will vary based on your location and the attorney you choose. The seller fee, in the greater Charlotte area, is typically around $400 to $500.

2. Pro-Rated Taxes: Property taxes are paid in the arrears (meaning you pay for the property tax for the current year at the end of the year). At closing, the attorneys will pro-rate the property tax owed, the seller will pay a portion of the property taxes, based on how long they owned the home that calendar year. This can show up in a few different ways, based on what time of year you close and if you have already paid the property taxes. The county usually sends out the tax bill around August, however, it is not due until the end of December. 

• • • • • • • If you are closing before August (or before the current year’s tax bill has been released), then the closing attorneys will use the previous year’s tax bill to estimate what this years taxes due will be. In this case, at closing the seller will pay the buyer directly for their portion of taxes. The buyer will then be responsible for the entire tax bill at the end of the year (when it is released).
            • If you are closing after August (or after the current year’s tax bill has been released) then the closing attorney’s will use the current tax bill to pro-rate taxes. If you are closing after August and the taxes have not yet been paid, then you will credit the buyer for the portion of property taxes you owe. If they have been paid for, then the buyer will credit you back for the portion of property tax they would owe for the rest of the year (where they will be the owner).

3. Recording Fee: The seller will pay to record the deed with the state. This is usually $40-55.

4. Deed Stamps/ Excise tax: We all know that Uncle Sam has to get his slice of the pie. There is usually some sort of tax levied on the seller whenever selling a home.  The amount, and what it’s called, is determined on the state you are selling your house in. 

• • • • • • • North Carolina: If you are selling a home in North Carolina, it’s called Excise tax. You will owe $1 for every $500 your home sells for. This is due out of the seller proceeds at closing 
            • South Carolina: If you are selling a home in South Carolina, it’s called State Deed Stamps. You will owe $3.70 for every $1000 your home sells for. This is due out of the seller proceeds at closing. 

How To Estimate Your Closing Cost Estimate

You want to make sure you budget the costs above as well. The “rule of thumb” is to budget 1% of your sales price for the sellers closing costs. Whenever you meet with your trusted real estate agent, they will be able to complete an estimated seller net sheet, to make sure you know exactly what to expect. 

6. Home warranty

In some cases, you may find a buyer is requesting for you to pay for a home warranty. This protects the buyer, after closing, for any large expenses, systems, and appliances. This is 100% negotiable and will be determined by both the seller the buyer and the real estate agent. The market conditions in your area can be a large factor in this as well.  

Cost of a Home Warranty

The cost of a home warranty can vary on the level of protection, the size of the home, and the amount of items the buyer is requesting to be covered (i.e pools, etc). The annual premium for a home warranty in North Carolina averages $588 for a single family home, according to Review Home Warranties. 

7. HOA Fees

Do you live in a community that has a HOA that empose’s fees whenever selling a property?  If so, be sure to understand the costs and add them to your budget. These fee’s can include:

1. Capital Improvement fees: Capital Improvements Fee means that one time, nonrefundable fee which may be used by home owners for the community to fund community refurbishment costs, capital improvements and/or capital reserves.

2. HOA transfer Fees: The HOA transfer fee covers all costs that the HOA will incur when transferring the ownership records from the seller to the buyer. These are charges associated with preparing and distributing documents, updating names in databases, changing security codes and amenities passes, and other administrative costs.

3. Document Prep Fees: Attorneys need to acquire certain documents from the HOA before closing, and some HOA’s charge the seller to send these documents to the attorney.  

If you have any outstanding fine’s or HOA dues, you will also need to budget for those. The closing attorney will be able to gather this information through the closing process.  However, if you do not know whether or not your HOA has any fee’s on selling a property, its easy to find out! All you have to do is contact your HOA community manager, and they will be able to help you identify any possible fees.

8. Mortgage Expenses 

Now, we all know we have to pay the lender back. All liens on the property will need to be paid off at closing. You want to make sure you read your mortgage documents carefully to identify any hidden fees:

• • • • Prepayment penalty  Although less common, some mortgage loans may include a prepayment penalty. A prepayment penalty is a fee that some lenders charge if you pay off all or part of your mortgage early. If you have a prepayment penalty, you would have agreed to this when you closed on your home. Not all mortgages have a prepayment penalty.
      • Accrued Interest on Mortgage – Mortgage interest is paid in arrears. You may have paid your mortgage prior to settling on the sale of your house, but interest is also due for the days between your mortgage payment due date and the closing of the sale. The title company usually includes several days of interest in your payoff summary, with any over payment refunded after closing.
      • Lien Processing fee – It takes several weeks for a lender to file the paperwork releasing the mortgage lien on your property. You may be asked to pay an additional fee if you wish to receive loan payoff documentation in a more timely manner.

If you are subject to any of these fee’s with your lender, be sure to add them to your total budget. If you are not sure if you are subject to these lender fee’s, all you have to do is call your lender and they should be able to help you identify those.

On a positive note, every month a portion of your mortgage payment goes to your escrow account to pay for your years property tax and property insurance bill. You will most likely have money left over (or an overage) in your escrow account. You usually receive the extra funds in your escrow account thirty to forty five days after closing.

9. Moving Costs

Don’t forget to budget for all packing and moving expenses. If you’re selling your place, you’re going to have to move all your stuff. Paying for that will set you back between $911 and $2,514, according to HomeAdvisor. However, that price tag can be a lot more if you’re moving several rooms’ worth of furniture or if you’re moving across the country.

If you want to save money on your moving costs, you can consider doing it yourself. Be honest, though. Can you manage all that heavy lifting? You might save money on the move, but you also might need to pay for a massage and take some days away from work after it, too. Here are a few expenses to keep in mind: 

• • • • Boxes
      • Tape
      • Trucks
      • Movers
      • Storage 
      • Rentals

You may also want to budget for all of that pizza and beer to thank your friends and family for helping you move! 

10. Temporary Accommodations

Do you need temporary housing for the time between selling your home and purchasing the next one? If so, then you want to make sure to budget for all of the expenses that you may see throughout the process. This includes Rents, Deposits, and utilities. Make sure to budget for those ongoing expenses for both properties. 

Regardless of where you’re moving next, most sellers typically have an overlap of about a month and a half when they’re still paying their existing mortgage, plus alternative housing costs.

Summary: 

Every property is different, so you’ll need to carefully consider what will impact the math on selling your house. Selling a house is exciting but it isn’t free. It’s easy to feel frustrated by all of the potential costs of selling a house. That being said, you should remember that many of these costs will actually improve the resale value of your property and help you sell your home faster. A faster sale doesn’t just save stress. It can also save you money by reducing the time that you own two properties.

Preparing your home

The bottom line is that most of the costs of selling your home are, like homeownership itself, often a wise investment. If you’re unsure about the costs that go with putting your home on the market, do your research and take a look at the  *10 most important steps to prepare your home for the market. *  Click the link and learn how to best prepare your home for sale!

If you are considering buying, selling, or investing in the greater Charlotte area, we would love to be your real estate resource of choice. Please call/ text/ or email us today:

Contact us through:

📱Call/Text Direct (704)-631-3977

📧Email: info@thefinigangroup.com

💻Website: www.thefinigangroup.com

If you are considering selling your home,  make sure you choose the best Realtor. Watch this video to make sure you are asking your potential realtor the RIGHT questions:  10 Questions You Must Ask Your Realtor Before Hiring Them.