Should I sell? What do I actually net?
Three scenarios side by side: list with an agent, sell yourself (FSBO), or take a cash offer. The headline price isn't the number that matters — what hits your bank account is. Each path is costed line by line — commission, closing costs, repairs, mortgage payoff, capital gains tax — so the gap you see is yours, not an average.
What you actually walk away with
List with an agent — recommended
- Sale price: $650,000
- − Agent commission: $32,500
- − Closing costs: $9,750
- − Repairs / prep: $8,000
- − Mortgage payoff: $280,000
- − Capital gains tax: $0
For sale by owner
- Sale price: $611,000
- − Agent commission: $0
- − Closing costs: $9,165
- − Repairs / prep: $8,000
- − Mortgage payoff: $280,000
- − Capital gains tax: $0
Cash buyer offer
- Sale price: $552,500
- − Agent commission: $0
- − Closing costs: $8,288
- − Repairs / prep: $8,000
- − Mortgage payoff: $280,000
- − Capital gains tax: $0
Capital gains
Primary residence exclusion applied: up to $500,000 of gain is tax-free — this assumes you meet the full §121 ownership and use tests (2 of the last 5 years, and no use of the exclusion in the prior 2 years). Taxable gain shown is anything above the exclusion, at the single combined rate you entered — a planning figure, not a return position.
Things this calculator doesn't include
- Concessions to the buyer — credits for repairs, rate buy-downs. Often 1–3% of price.
- Moving and staging costs — typically $2K–$10K depending on home size.
- Mortgage prepayment penalties — rare on conforming loans, common on investor DSCR loans.
- State-specific transfer taxes — folded into "closing costs" here, but vary widely (NY 1.4–2.075%, CA 0.11%, FL 0.7%).
Related answers in the Library
Principal residence capital gains exclusion
$250K single / $500K joint of gain tax-free under §121 if you've owned and lived there 2 of past 5 years.
When to sell your home
Selling because you're moving — usually right. Selling "because the market is at a peak" — usually wrong.
1031 exchange (for investment property)
Defer all gain and depreciation recapture into a like-kind property. 45 days to identify, 180 to close.
Guided path — I'm selling my home
The full 6-step sequence including the tax-structuring options most agents won't walk you through.
How the math works (plain English)
The order is always the same: start at sale price, subtract every cost, then pay off the mortgage, then pay tax on the gain.
The primary-residence exclusion in the US (IRC §121) shields up to $250,000 of gain if you're single, $500,000 if married filing jointly — but only if you've owned and lived in the home for at least 2 of the past 5 years. Everything above that is taxed as long-term capital gain (15% or 20% federal for most people, plus state).
The FSBO scenario drops the whole commission you entered and prices the sale 6% below market — most sellers don't have the negotiating leverage agents do. Cash-buyer offers ("we buy houses") are fast but you pay for the speed with a 10–20% discount. The calculator shows all three so you can weigh dollars against time and hassle.