What will the seller actually walk away with?
Sale price minus the mortgage is not the answer, and it is the answer most sellers have in their head. This builds the real number line by line — then shows you what the commission costs as a share of their equity, not the price.
The numbers
Everything recalculates as you type.
The sale
Commission
Seller-paid costs
$101,350
31.2% of the sale price · gross equity before costs was $129,000
What the commission really costs
A seller judges commission against the sale price, because that is the number in the listing. But the money leaves their equity — a far smaller number. Same dollars, very different fraction:
5.5% of the price = 13.9% of their equity$17,875 in commission is 5.5% of a $325,000 sale — but this seller only has $129,000 of equity in the house, so the same dollars are 13.9% of the money that was ever theirs.
How a net sheet is built
A net sheet is subtraction, done in a specific order, with nothing left out. The order matters less than the completeness — almost every unpleasant surprise at closing is a line somebody forgot, not a line somebody miscalculated.
| Line | Who usually pays | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Listing-side commission | Seller | 2% – 3% |
| Buyer-agent compensation | Negotiable | 0% – 3% |
| Title, escrow & settlement | Varies by state | $800 – $3,000 |
| Transfer / excise tax | Varies by state | 0% – 2% |
| Prorated taxes & HOA | Seller, to closing date | varies |
| Buyer concessions | Seller, if negotiated | 0% – 3% |
| Repairs & home warranty | Seller, if negotiated | $0 – $10,000 |
Two of those lines swing hardest and are almost never in the seller’s first mental estimate: concessions and repairs. Both are agreed after the offer, which means the net sheet a seller saw at listing is the one they remember, and the number at closing is smaller. Running it again after inspection is not a formality — it is the conversation.
The equity denominator
The panel above divides commission by the seller’s equity rather than by the sale price, and that ratio is usually the most uncomfortable number on any net sheet. A 5.5% total commission on a house with a large mortgage on it is not 5.5% of the seller’s money. It is often a quarter of it, or more.
This cuts against our own side of the table, which is exactly why it is worth showing. It explains why sellers with little equity fight hardest over commission — they are not being difficult, they are doing correct arithmetic that nobody has done in front of them.
What this deliberately does not include
Capital gains tax, mortgage prepayment penalties, unrecorded liens, and the payoff interest that accrues between the quote date and the actual closing date. A payoff quote is good for a stated number of days and grows daily after that. Get the real figure from the lender before anyone treats this as final.
Common questions
How much do sellers pay in closing costs?
Excluding the mortgage payoff, sellers commonly pay 6% to 10% of the sale price in total. Commission is most of it, with title and settlement fees, transfer tax, prorated property taxes and any negotiated concessions making up the rest. On a $325,000 sale that is roughly $19,500 to $32,500. The range is wide because transfer taxes and who pays for title vary considerably by state and by local custom.
How do I calculate net proceeds from a home sale?
Start with the contract sale price. Subtract the mortgage payoff and any other liens, then the agreed commission, title and settlement fees, transfer tax, prorated property taxes and HOA dues through the closing date, and finally any concessions, credits, repairs or home warranty agreed during negotiation. What remains is the seller’s net proceeds — the wire they actually receive.
Does the seller still pay the buyer’s agent?
It is negotiable and no longer assumed or advertised in the MLS. A seller may offer buyer-agent compensation, offer a concession the buyer can apply toward it, or offer nothing, and buyers now agree compensation directly with their own agent in writing. What is appropriate depends on the local market and the buyer pool rather than on a rule.
Why are my net proceeds lower than I expected?
Usually one of three things. The mortgage payoff exceeds the balance shown on the last statement because it includes interest accrued to the closing date and any escrow shortfall. Prorated property taxes cover the portion of the year you owned the home. Or concessions and repairs were agreed after inspection and were not in the original estimate — which is the one worth planning for.
Is a seller net sheet legally binding?
No. A net sheet is an estimate. The binding figures come from the closing disclosure or settlement statement prepared by the title or escrow company shortly before closing. A net sheet exists so that document contains no surprises, not to replace it.
The net sheet you run at listing is not the one that closes
Concessions and repairs land after inspection, and a seller remembers the first number. Re-running it at the right moment is a task that only exists if something is tracking the deal’s dates for you. RealTeaCRM runs each transaction from first hello to handed-over keys, with every outbound message waiting on your approval.
Start freeAn estimate, not a settlement statement, and not tax or legal advice. To see what the commission on this sale is worth to you after the brokerage takes its share, use the commission split calculator.