Fundamento

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. The difference between your three exit paths is rarely under $30,000 — see yours.

The property
Scenario assumptions
Capital gains
Saved scenarios sync to your dashboard.

What you actually walk away with

List with an agent — recommended

$319,750
  • 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

$313,835
  • 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

$256,213
  • 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.

Gross gain (agent) $227,750
Excluded $227,750
Taxable gain $0
Tax owed $0
Decision: Listing with an agent nets $319,750. Selling FSBO nets $313,835 — a $5,915 penalty for skipping the agent. A cash buyer at the discount you set nets $256,213 — but typically closes in 7–14 days vs. 60–90 for an agented sale. The agent route is the math-optimal answer for most sellers; the cash route is the time-optimal one.

Things this calculator doesn't include

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).

FSBO saves the commission (~3%) but typically nets 5–10% less on price — 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.