As a homeowner, selling a home at the right time—and to the right buyer—can be a pretty lucrative move, especially right now. The housing market has been soaring since rates dropped to new lows at the start of the pandemic.
According to a recent report on year-end home sales from real estate data curator Attom, the typical profit for home sellers in 2021 was $94,092—up by 45% from the previous year when the average home sales profit was $64,931.
Knowing the fees associated with selling a home will give you a clear idea of how to maximize profits. To help, Realm analyzed insights from banks, mortgage lenders, and real estate experts to determine 10 common costs that can be expected when selling a home.
The home inspection is one of the more common selling costs for homeowners—and, while the price of this inspection varies, it costs about $400 on average.While a home inspection is typically the responsibility of its buyers, sellers who want to optimize their chances of getting offers quickly may want to pay for the report before listing their homes for sale.
Sellers will likely need to invest in a few home repairs—and some staging—before putting their homes on the market. While neither expense is required—repair issues that turn up during a home inspection can often be negotiated with a buyer—both expenses can be a smart investment when selling a home.
When selling a house, the sellers are typically responsible for paying the real estate agent commission for both the buyer and seller’s agents.This is another cost to account for before making the decision to list a home—and it could be a hefty one. How much you pay for the real estate agents' commission will depend on what your agreement is, but in general, it will cost between 5% and 6% of the home’s sale price.