How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in 2026?

If you're getting ready to list a home, the sale price is not the number you'll actually walk away with. A chunk of it goes to commission, another chunk to closing costs, and if you still have a mortgage, that gets paid off before anything lands in your account.

The three big costs

Commission. This is usually the largest cost. As of a February 2026 survey of 533 agents, the national average total commission is 5.70% of the sale price, split between the listing agent (about 2.88%) and the buyer's agent (about 2.82%). It's negotiable and varies by state.

Closing costs. Separate from commission, sellers typically pay for things like title insurance, escrow or attorney fees, transfer taxes, and prorated property taxes. This usually runs 1% to 3% of the sale price depending on where you live.

Mortgage payoff. Whatever you still owe on the home (including a second mortgage or home equity line) comes out of the sale proceeds before you see a dime.

A worked example

Here's what selling a $400,000 home looks like at national-average rates, using 1.5% for closing costs:

Item	Rate	Amount
Sale price		$400,000
Commission	5.70%	-$22,800
Closing costs	1.5%	-$6,000
Total selling costs	7.2%	-$28,800

That's before subtracting whatever you still owe on the mortgage. On this example, commission and closing costs alone eat about 7.2% of the sale price, which is a good ballpark to plan around even before you know your exact numbers.

Get your actual numbers

Those are averages. Your rate, your closing costs, and your mortgage balance are all specific to you. Plug your real numbers into the real estate commission calculator for just the commission piece, or the net proceeds calculator for the full picture, including your mortgage payoff and any concessions you're offering the buyer.