Are you planning to put your house on the market? Here is a look at the costs of selling a home.
Realtor fee
The seller will pay their Realtor a listing commission or brokerage fee. This is discussed when listing the house and may vary with different agents and/ or brokers. Most listing Realtors pay a percentage of that fee to the agent who brings the buyer. Ask your Realtor what they charge to sell your home.
Advertising/marketing
Your Realtor will advertise and market your home. Often, this includes open houses, showings, printed materials and their time and expertise. A good Realtor will provide you with a breakdown of expected costs. Some may pass these fees on to you and some will include the costs in the listing fee.
Repairs
In most cases, the seller will pay for any repairs required. The buyer’s loan may require some of the repairs to be done before closing. That is why your Realtor will advise you to fix anything that is needed before listing the house.
Inspections/closing
Most sellers will pay for a termite inspection, well and septic inspections, if applicable. There also is a Grantor’s tax charged by the government. The closing company also may charge a fee for sending the payoff to your mortgage company at closing, in the form of an overnight fee or wire fee, and likely will charge another wire fee to send you your money after the closing – unless you decide to pick up a check.
You will need to calculate the amount of your mortgage payoff because your Realtor will not have access to that information. If you have a second mortgage, the closing company will handle that as well. The taxes are prorated, which means you will pay for the months you own the house, and the buyer pays for the months they own the house. If you have already paid for the year’s taxes, you will receive a credit, but if not, it will be a debit.
The seller also is responsible for paying for the new deed (sometimes called a document fee). These costs are deducted from the proceeds. The closing company collects all the information and paperwork, issues the checks and records the deed.
Your Realtor can estimate these costs for you before listing the house.