What You Actually Net at Closing

Sellers anchor on list price. Lenders, buyers and title companies all work in net. The distance between the two is where most seller disappointment lives.

Off the top: your mortgage payoff, commissions as negotiated, transfer tax, and prorated property tax. Then whatever comes out of the inspection negotiation and whatever concessions you agreed to. In a market where buyers are asking for rate buydowns, that last line has grown.

Run your net at three price points before you list — your ambitious number, your realistic number, and your walk-away number. Then you are negotiating from arithmetic instead of emotion.