Fees and Costs Associated With Selling a House in 2025

Money is always top of mind when selling a house. But because people focus on the equity portion, they are often surprised to learn how much it costs to sell a house in the U.S.

“Depending on the price range of the home, I tell my clients that they need to be ready to spend 9% to 10% of the sale price on selling costs, including the real estate agent commission and closing costs,” says Joanne McCoy, a top-selling real estate agent in Lincoln, Nebraska.

That doesn’t account for the money spent on preparing the home for listing or moving fees. To assist in tracking your total costs, we’ve put together a list of the common fees associated with selling a home, along with a description and the typical amount of each.

You can use this information to better estimate the amount you’ll actually pocket for reinvesting into your next home or creating your retirement nest egg.

Selling fee	Typical % of sale price
Real estate agent commission	3%-5.8%
Staging and prep costs	1%-4%
Inspections and repairs	varies
Title, settlement, and taxes	1%-3%
Seller concessions	0%-6%

Start with a home value estimate

A quick online price estimate can be a helpful starting point to orient yourself in the process. Using recent sales records, market trends, and your home’s latest selling price, HomeLight’s Home Value Estimator provides a preliminary range of value for your property in under two minutes. Enter your address to get started. It’s fast, and it’s free.

Real estate agent commission (3%-5.8%)

One of the first things you should do when you decide to sell your home is hire a top local agent. Research shows an agent’s expertise makes a big difference: In 2023, agent-assisted sellers sold their homes for a median price of $435,000, compared to $380,000 for sellers who chose the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) route.

If you work with a real estate agent, finding a real estate agent with strong negotiation skills can help maximize your sale price. Their commission covers pricing your home, marketing it to the masses, and negotiating with the other parties in order to get you the best possible price and terms, among other services.

For decades, the national average real estate agent commission has been around 5.8% of the property sales price. That commission covers the listing agent and buyer’s agent fees, so around 3% goes to each agent. However, with new agent commission rules brought by the National Association of Realtors® settlement, the average percentage and who pays have been changing.

Under the new commission structure, the compensation for the seller’s and buyer’s agents is now “decoupled.” When before, the seller typically paid the total commission, which was then split between the listing agent and the buyer’s agent, today, both the buyer and the seller negotiate and agree on the terms of their respective agent’s fees independently.

In some cases, the buyer may directly pay their agent’s commission. However, some sellers still choose to cover this fee to attract buyers or speed up the home sale.

In summary, as a seller, you may pay only 3% of the sale price for your listing agent’s commission. Alternatively, you can cover the buyer’s agent’s commission as well, bringing the total to around 6% of the sale price.

To access commission data specific to your area, consult HomeLight’s commission calculator and enter your city.

How is your commission divided between agents?

Your real estate agent does not take home all of their commission. It is typically split with their brokerage. Every agent has an agreement with the brokerages in which they hold their real estate license as to how their commission is split.

For example, say you sell your home for $300,000 with your agent getting a 3% commission rate, and your agent has a 60/40 split agreement with their brokerage. That puts your agent’s commission at $9,000. Here’s how that will break down:

• Seller’s agent:  $5,400 (60% of their $9,000 commission share)
• Seller’s broker: $3,600 (40% of their $9,000 commission share)

Staging and prep fees (1%-4%)

When it comes to selling your home, presentation matters. Now, that doesn’t mean you should drop everything to remodel entire rooms that aren’t perfectly modern. According to recent HomeLight data, you won’t recoup all your renovation costs — 85% of your spend for a kitchen remodel and 98% for a bathroom remodel.

You may be better off doing light prep work and keeping your budget restrained. Here’s where you can focus your efforts and about how much you can expect to spend on each project:

Declutter ($400 for dumpster rental)

Research shows that decluttering your home prior to listing will pay off in huge rewards. In fact, a HomeLight survey of top agents shows an estimated price increase of $8,000 for decluttering. Clear those countertops, organize the kids’ toys, and remove items junking up your floors — it’s well worth the effort!

Buyers want to envision what your home will look like with their own furniture, and getting rid of unnecessary items and distractions will make your home more attractive.

Decluttering can be done for the cost of sweat equity, though some sellers may need to anticipate costs for junking and storage. Renting a dumpster costs $384 on average. Combine that with some trips to Goodwill and the recycling center to keep decluttering costs manageable.

If you need to rent a temporary storage unit, expect to pay an average of $180 per month. For more guidance, DIYers can follow HomeLight’s decluttering checklist.

Deep clean ($300 per clean)

Deep cleaning your home before listing can result in an estimated price increase of $20,000.

A professional deep clean will cost about $300 on average, but you could save that money and tackle the job yourself using HomeLight’s deep cleaning guide. Scrub the bathrooms and clean the kitchen until they sparkle. Don’t forget easy-to-miss cleaning spots like baseboards, ceiling fans, and window sills.

Apply a fresh coat of paint to interior walls ($2,000)

The safest bet for increasing your home’s appeal to prospective buyers remains bright but neutral colors. Even if you already have fairly neutral colors in your home, a new coat of paint can make a home look and feel fresher overall.

A HomeLight survey concludes that buyers prefer light and white color schemes in the kitchen, according to 84% of agents.

Expect professional painters to charge $2 to $6 per square foot. For a single room, you may pay contractors anywhere from $150 to $2,000. Alternatively, you can do the job yourself for $200 to $300.

For more inspiration, visit HomeLight’s post on the top home paint colors for selling your house.

Freshen up your flooring ($1,900)

If you have hardwood floors and they’re in good shape, simply shine them up with some gentle floor cleaner. You can also opt to refinish them for an average cost of $1,885.

Install new hardwood floors for $4,724 or replace dingy carpets for between $782 and $2,811, depending on the size of the space and the carpet material. If your carpets are decent, rent a carpet cleaner for as little as $27 (for four hours) or pay a pro $25 to $75 per room. If you’re selling a high-end home, buyers will likely come in and replace any carpet with hardwood, anyway.

Add curb appeal (average $3,500)

Almost all realtors (92%) recommended improving curb appeal before listing a home for sale. Those who suggested finishing an outdoor project before selling were for landscaping-related projects: 74% highlighted landscape maintenance, 53% for standard lawn care, and 44% for tree care. These are some projects you might want to take on to boost your home’s curb appeal.

Make sure you mow the lawn, fertilize the grass, edge your walkways and flower beds, and pull up any weeds. HomeLight data shows that if you invest an average of $3,455, a landscaping upgrade could add $7,312 in value, resulting in a 112% return on investment.

Stage your home ($2,000)

New York real estate agent Rory Clark says there are two distinct advantages to staging your home. First, your property will sell much quicker. 27% of listing agents reported that staging a home decreases the time on market, according to NAR.

Secondly, you’ll increase your resale value with a relatively easy solution. A professional staging service will cost you $1,500 to $4,000 on average (even less if your listing agent stages the home themselves). For that investment, 20% of agents reported an increase in resale value of 1% to 5%. Another 14% of agents reported a 6% to 10% increase.

“There is absolutely going to be an exponential return for a turnkey and staged property,” Clark says.

Adding up prep costs

A seller who completed all these tasks would spend around $10,000 preparing their home for sale, which amounts to around 2.5% of today’s median home sale price of $407,200.

However, some sellers’ to-do lists may be shorter if their home is in great shape, or it could require a little more TLC to be marketable. Talk to a top real estate agent about what your house needs and what they recommend putting in for the best ROI.