MathBench

Home Sale Proceeds Calculator

Enter your expected sale price and what you owe, and see the check you'd walk away with at closing, with every deduction itemized.

Educational estimates only. This calculator is for planning and education. It is not financial, tax, or investment advice, and results may differ from what a lender, broker, or the IRS calculates for your situation. Confirm important decisions with a qualified professional.

Result

—estimated net proceeds
—total selling costs
—costs as % of price

How this calculator works

This is the seller's side of the closing statement, computed early enough to be useful. The calculator takes your expected price and subtracts, in order: the total agent commission, closing costs as a percentage of price, every mortgage and lien payoff, any concessions you grant the buyer, and money spent preparing the house. What remains is the wire you receive after the closing table.

Percentages are used for commission and closing costs because that's how they scale with price. The other items are dollar amounts because they don't. If you already have firm quotes (an official payoff statement, a title company estimate), use those numbers over the defaults, and this estimate will come close to your closing statement.

The formula

Net proceeds = sale price
             − commission % × price
             − closing % × price
             − mortgage payoff (all liens)
             − seller concessions
             − repairs & prep

The same arithmetic your title company performs on the final settlement statement (the ALTA statement or closing disclosure), minus the small prorations (property taxes and HOA dues split at the closing date), which typically move the number by hundreds, not thousands.

Worked example

Say you expect to sell for $450,000 with a 5.5% total commission, a $250,000 payoff, and 1.5% closing costs:

  1. Commission: 450,000 × 5.5% = $24,750
  2. Closing costs: 450,000 × 1.5% = $6,750
  3. Total selling costs: $31,500 (7.0% of price)
  4. Net: 450,000 − 31,500 − 250,000 = $168,500

Notice the shape of it: the mortgage is the biggest line, but the selling costs alone consume what many sellers mentally round to zero, seven percent of the price, before a dollar of equity moves.

Assumptions & tips

  • Get a real payoff quote. Your servicer's payoff statement (not the balance on the app) is the number that clears at closing. It includes accrued interest through the payoff date.
  • Ask for a seller net sheet. Listing agents and title companies produce locale-accurate versions of this math with your county's actual transfer taxes. Use this page to sanity-check theirs.
  • Concessions are price cuts in disguise. A $10,000 credit "toward buyer's closing costs" nets you exactly what a $10,000 lower price does. Negotiate them with that equivalence in mind.
  • Don't over-improve on the way out. Pre-sale renovations rarely return their cost at closing. Paint, cleaning, and repairs flagged by inspection tend to pay for themselves, while a kitchen remodel rarely does.
  • Selling and buying at once? Your net proceeds are next home's down payment. Pair this with the mortgage payoff calculator to see how the timing of both sides interacts.

Frequently asked questions

How much is real estate commission in 2026?

Traditionally 5 to 6 percent of the sale price split between the listing and buyer agents, but commissions have always been negotiable and the 2024 NAR settlement made buyer-agent compensation an explicit negotiation rather than a default. Sellers today may pay anywhere from under 2 percent (discount listing, no buyer-agent offer) to the traditional 6. Enter the total percentage you expect to pay from your proceeds.

What closing costs does the seller pay?

It varies sharply by state, but common seller-side items are the owner's title insurance policy, escrow or attorney fees, transfer taxes, recording fees, prorated property taxes, and any HOA transfer fees. One to three percent of the sale price is a typical range. Your listing agent or title company can produce a locale-specific estimate worth using over any rule of thumb.

Is my mortgage payoff the same as my loan balance?

No. The payoff is usually a little higher. It adds interest accrued since your last payment, and sometimes a recording fee or small administrative charges. Request an official payoff quote from your servicer dated near your expected closing. The title company will do this too, but having the figure early makes this estimate more accurate. Include any HELOC or second mortgage balance too. All liens get paid at closing.

Will I owe capital gains tax on the sale?

Many home sellers owe none, thanks to the Section 121 exclusion: up to 250,000 dollars of gain (500,000 for married couples filing jointly) is excluded if the home was your primary residence for two of the last five years. Gains beyond the exclusion, investment properties, and short ownership periods are taxable situations. Taxes are not part of this calculator: talk to a tax professional about your specific sale.

What are seller concessions?

Money the seller agrees to contribute toward the buyer's costs: covering closing costs, buying down their rate, or crediting for repairs found at inspection. Concessions come straight out of your proceeds, like a price cut, so they belong in this math. In slow markets they are common. In hot markets they mostly disappear.

Sources

  1. Publication 523, Selling Your Home. Internal Revenue Service. irs.govThe ownership and use test behind the capital-gains FAQ (a primary residence for two of the last five years) and what counts as an adjusted basis and a selling expense.
  2. 26 U.S.C. §121, Exclusion of gain from sale of principal residence. United States Code, 2023 edition, Office of the Law Revision Counsel. govinfo.govThe statutory $250,000 exclusion, doubled to $500,000 for a qualifying joint return, quoted in the FAQ.
  3. ALTA Settlement Statements. American Land Title Association. alta.orgThe standardized statement title companies use to itemize every fee the buyer and the seller pay at settlement, the document this page's line-by-line subtraction approximates.
  4. Closing disclosure explainer. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. consumerfinance.govThe CFPB's annotated walk-through of the closing disclosure, including the seller credit and the adjustments for items paid or unpaid by the seller: the tax and HOA prorations this page's formula note says it leaves out.
  5. What is a payoff amount and is it the same as my current balance? Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. consumerfinance.govWhy the mortgage payoff line is higher than the balance shown in your lender's app: it adds interest accrued to the payoff date.
  6. NAR Settlement FAQs. National Association of Realtors, 2024. nar.realtorThe August 2024 practice changes behind the commission FAQ: compensation remains fully negotiable, and offers of buyer-agent compensation are no longer made through the MLS.

  • Tithing Calculator

    A tithe per paycheck and per year, on gross or take-home pay, plus what it costs you after tax.

  • Mortgage Calculator

    Full monthly payment (principal & interest plus taxes, insurance, PMI, and HOA) with a breakdown chart, amortization schedule, and payoff date.

  • Mortgage Payoff Calculator

    See how extra monthly or one-time payments change your payoff date and total interest, with a chart.

  • Biweekly Mortgage Calculator

    Compare a standard monthly schedule against biweekly half-payments: time and interest saved.