Most of the buyers we finance are also sellers. The check they walk away with at one closing table becomes the down payment at the next one, so “what will I net?” is one of the first questions I get, right after “what can I qualify for?” The honest answer is that selling costs more than most people budget for, and the commission is only about 60% of it.
Here’s the 2026 math, line by line, with sources. Then the harder question: does skipping the agent actually save you money? I’ll tell you up front where we land at Ignite. We recommend a good agent, and I’ll show you the data behind that.
The headline number: about 10% of the sale price
Three independent estimates land in the same neighborhood:
- Clever Real Estate puts the all-in cost of selling at 9.64% of the sale price, or about $35,845 on a $371,774 home, once you add commissions, closing costs, staging, marketing, repairs, and moving (Clever, updated June 16, 2026).
- Opendoor estimates 10% to 15%, or roughly $38,000 to $57,000 on a $380,000 home (Opendoor, updated April 20, 2026).
- A Newsweek/Stacker breakdown built on a $400,000 home pegs agent commissions at 5% to 6% and seller closing costs at another 1% to 3% before you touch prep or moving (Newsweek, April 2026).
Call it 10% as a planning number. On a $400,000 sale, that’s $40,000 that doesn’t come home with you, and that’s before the mortgage payoff.
Line by line: where the money goes
1. Agent commissions (roughly 5.7%)
This is the biggest line. Clever’s February 2026 survey of 533 agents found the average total commission at 5.70% of the sale price, split about 2.88% to the listing agent and 2.82% to the buyer’s agent. On a $372,000 median home that’s about $21,200 (Clever, “Average Real Estate Agent Commission Rates,” updated August 1, 2026).
Two things worth knowing about that number in 2026:
- It’s negotiable, and always has been. The survey range ran from about 4.5% to 6.2% depending on market and agent (Yahoo Finance, March 24, 2026).
- The 2024 NAR settlement changed the mechanics, not the economics. Offers of buyer-agent compensation can no longer be posted on the MLS, and buyers must sign a written agreement with their agent. In practice, most sellers are still paying the buyer’s agent out of proceeds, because a buyer who has to bring an extra 2.8% to closing on top of a down payment is a buyer who may not be able to close. Clever’s data actually shows the buyer’s-agent share rose from 2.67% in March 2025 to 2.82% in February 2026.
2. Seller closing costs (1% to 3%)
Separate from commissions, sellers pay their own set of transaction fees: owner’s title insurance in many states, transfer or documentary taxes, escrow or settlement fees, attorney fees where required, prorated property taxes and HOA dues, and recording charges. Newsweek’s breakdown puts this at 1% to 3% of the sale price, or about $4,000 to $12,000 on a $400,000 home (Newsweek, April 2026). Clever’s national average for closing costs is $10,024 (Clever).
This is the line that varies most by state. Transfer taxes alone can swing it by thousands, which is one reason a local agent and a local title company are worth having.
3. Prep, staging, and marketing ($2,000 to $10,000+)
Nobody budgets for this, and it shows up first. Clever’s averages: $2,161 for staging and $2,409 for marketing and photography, plus repairs that start around a few hundred dollars and go up from there (Clever). Opendoor budgets 1% to 3% for repairs and prep and another 0.5% to 1% for staging (Opendoor). Pre-listing inspections (roof, structural, termite) run about $300 to $800 each (Newsweek).
If you list with an agent, some of this gets absorbed: professional photos and marketing are usually part of the listing fee. If you sell yourself, it all comes out of pocket.
4. Concessions (the 2026 wild card)
This is the line that has changed the most. In May 2026, 46.2% of home sellers gave concessions to buyers, the highest share for that month on Redfin’s records, up from 43.1% a year earlier. Concessions mean money toward the buyer’s closing costs, repairs, or a mortgage-rate buydown. That’s on top of any price cut: 15.7% of May sales involved both a price drop and a concession (Redfin, June 22, 2026).
It’s very regional. Redfin found concessions in 75.5% of Nashville sales and 71.4% in Charlotte, but under 3% in New York. If you’re selling in a market where inventory has built up (see my post on the regional inventory split), budget for it.
From the lending side, I see these concessions land on the buyer’s closing disclosure every week. A seller-paid rate buydown or closing-cost credit is often what gets a marginal buyer across the finish line. That’s not a bad thing for a seller. It’s a tool. But it’s a real cost, and it belongs in your net sheet.
5. Moving and carrying costs ($1,000 to $5,000)
Clever’s average for moving is $1,914; Opendoor’s range is $1,000 to $5,000. Add the mortgage payments, utilities, and insurance you keep paying for every extra month the house sits.
6. The mortgage payoff
Not a cost, but the biggest deduction from your proceeds. Your lender’s payoff statement will include the principal balance plus interest through the closing date. If you’re thinking about selling, ask for a payoff quote early. Knowing your real equity is what tells you what you can actually do next.
A worked example on a $400,000 sale
Illustrative only. Your numbers depend on your state, your market, and what you negotiate.
| Line item | With an agent | Selling yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Listing agent commission (2.88%) | $11,520 | $0 |
| Buyer’s agent commission (2.82%) | $11,280 | $0 to $11,280* |
| Seller closing costs (~2%) | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| Prep, staging, photos, marketing | $4,500 | $4,500+ |
| Concessions (assume ~1%) | $4,000 | $4,000 |
| Moving | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Total cost | ~$41,300 (10.3%) | ~$18,500 to $29,800 |
*Most self-sellers who want their home shown by buyer’s agents still offer buyer-agent compensation.
On paper, that’s a savings of $11,500 to $22,800. That’s the FSBO pitch, and it’s real money. So why do we still recommend an agent?
Because the sale price is the whole game
A 3% commission saved is wiped out by a 3% miss on price. And the data on self-sold homes points the wrong direction.
The National Association of Realtors’ 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that for-sale-by-owner transactions hit an all-time low of 5% of sales, while a record 91% of sellers used an agent. The median FSBO sale was $360,000, versus $425,000 for agent-assisted sales, an 18% gap (NAR, November 11, 2025).
I want to be fair about that 18%. It is not a controlled experiment. NAR itself notes that FSBO homes skew toward lower-cost and rural properties, and that the most common reasons people sell by owner are selling to a friend or relative or avoiding commissions. Some of the gap is the house, not the method. But the rest of NAR’s findings are hard to explain away:
- FSBO sellers most often said they struggled with pricing the home, preparing it for sale, and selling within their desired timeframe. Those are the three things that determine your net.
- 40% of FSBO sellers didn’t actively market their homes at all.
- On the other side, 86% of sellers who used an agent said the agent provided a broad range of services, and 87% said they’d recommend their agent.
Here’s the way I’d frame the decision. To come out ahead selling yourself, you need to price within about 3% of what an experienced agent would get, market the home to the same pool of buyers, manage inspections and negotiations without giving back more in concessions than a pro would, and not make a legal or disclosure mistake that costs you later. Some people can do all four. Most of the sellers I talk to are doing this for the first time in 11 years, which is the record-long median tenure NAR now reports (NAR, November 4, 2025). A lot has changed in the process since 2015, the settlement rules included.
Where Ignite lands
We’re a mortgage broker, not a brokerage. We don’t earn a dollar of anyone’s commission, and we work with plenty of agents who charge less than 2.88% to list. So this isn’t a defense of a fee. It’s a defense of expertise.
Every week I see the difference between a well-run listing and a poorly run one from the financing side: the appraisal that comes in short because the price was set on hope instead of comps, the deal that falls apart at inspection because nobody prepped the seller for the repair request, the concession that was bigger than it needed to be because the seller didn’t know what buyers in that zip code were actually asking for. A good agent prevents those, and each one is worth more than the commission.
What I’d actually do:
- Interview two or three agents, and negotiate. The 5.7% average is an average. Ask what’s included, what the marketing plan is, and how they’ll handle buyer-agent compensation in your market. We’re happy to introduce you to agents we’ve closed with.
- Get your payoff and a net sheet before you list. Know your equity to the dollar. It drives everything about the next purchase.
- Get pre-approved for the next home at the same time. If you’re buying and selling together, the timing and the numbers have to work in both directions. That’s where we come in, and our calculators are a good place to start.
- Budget 10%. If you net more, great. If you plan for 6% and net 90%, that’s a down payment problem.
If you’re weighing a sale in the next six to twelve months, send me the address and your rough payoff. I’ll run the net proceeds both ways, with an agent and without, using your state’s actual closing costs, and we’ll figure out what that means for your next purchase. No cost, no pressure.
Sources: Clever Real Estate, “How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House?” updated June 16, 2026; Clever Real Estate, “Average Real Estate Agent Commission Rates (2026 Survey),” updated August 1, 2026; Yahoo Finance, “The Typical U.S. Home Sale Costs Over $20,000 in Realtor Fees in 2026,” March 24, 2026; Opendoor, “How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in 2026?” updated April 20, 2026; Newsweek/Stacker, “The Complete Cost of Buying and Selling a Home in 2026,” April 2026; Redfin, “46% of Home Sellers Gave Concessions to Buyers in May, the Highest Share on Record for That Month,” June 22, 2026; National Association of Realtors, “FSBOs Reach All-Time Low, More Sellers Rely on Agents,” November 11, 2025; National Association of Realtors, “NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers, Sellers Reveals Market Extremes,” November 4, 2025
About the author: Michael Kerby is the Founder & President at Ignite Loan Partners, NMLS #1163561. Read Michael's bio →
This article is for general education and isn't financial advice or a commitment to lend. Loan programs, terms, and availability depend on your qualifications and are subject to credit approval. Ignite Loan Partners, NMLS #2381991. Equal Housing Opportunity.