Selling a House in 2018 Can Cost More than $18,000

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U.S. homeowners spend $18,342 on average to sell their home, according to Zillow® and Thumbtack’s 2018 Hidden Costs of Selling analysisi.

Zillow and Thumbtack identified several common, but often overlooked, seller expenses and calculated what they would cost around the country. Since most (61 percent) of today’s sellers have never sold a home before, many of these costs may come as a surpriseii.   

Home sellers spend more time getting their home ready to sell than it will spend on the market, with the majority (78 percent) of sellers making at least one home improvementiii. Sellers who hire professional help spend $4,985 on average to cover many basic seller prep projects like painting, staging, carpet cleaning, lawn care and gardening and local moving costs. However, labor costs can vary significantly by metro. Sellers in San Jose, Calif. pay $6,580 on average, whereas sellers in Dallas pay an average of $3,720 for the same projects.

Home sellers are also responsible for agent commissions and transfer or sales taxes, which are two of the largest closing costs. Nationally, sellers spend $13,357 on average for both costs. However, since they are percentages of a home’s sale price, sellers in pricey markets like San Jose pay much more – $74,927 on average for the median priced home, the highest of the metros analyzed. Sellers in Indianapolis pay the least ($8,604), as home values are lower and the state has no transfer tax.

Despite low inventory in many parts of the country, sellers still encounter massive pain points. From unexpected costs to determining the right list price, three out of four sellers say it was stressful or challenging to sell their home, according to the 2017 Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trend Report. Another 76 percent of sellers say they made at least one concession during the process, with reducing the list price as the most-cited compromise.

Metro Area

Median Home Value (ZHVI), Jan. 2018

Estimated Closing Costs

(commissions
and state transfer tax on
median home)

Basic Home Prep Costs

(carpet cleaning,
interior and
exterior painting,
lawn care,
gardening home
staging, home
cleaning and local
moving)

Total Hidden Costs of Selling

United States

$ 209,100

$ 13,357

$ 4,985

$ 18,342

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

$ 640,600

$ 39,141

$ 5,110

$ 44,251

Chicago, IL

$ 214,300

$ 13,179

$ 4,800

$ 17,979

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

$ 221,100

$ 13,266

$ 3,720

$ 16,986

Philadelphia, PA

$ 225,000

$ 16,875

$ 4,440

$ 21,315

Houston, TX

$ 186,900

$ 11,214

$ 4,690

$ 15,904

Washington, DC

$ 387,500

$ 28,869

$ 3,960

$ 32,829

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL

$ 266,600

$ 17,862

$ 3,860

$ 21,722

Atlanta, GA

$ 189,100

$ 11,535

$ 4,380

$ 15,915

Boston, MA

$ 442,600

$ 28,574

$ 5,460

$ 34,034

San Francisco, CA

$ 928,600

$ 56,737

$ 6,350

$ 63,087

Detroit, MI

$ 145,000

$ 10,005

$ 4,350

$ 14,355

Riverside, CA

$ 345,000

$ 21,080

$ 5,190

$ 26,270

Phoenix, AZ

$ 247,900

$ 14,874

$ 4,940

$ 19,814

Seattle, WA

$ 476,800

$ 37,095

$ 6,460

$ 43,555

Minneapolis-St Paul, MN

$ 251,300

$ 15,907

$ 4,770

$ 20,677

San Diego, CA

$ 575,100

$ 35,139

$ 5,240

$ 40,379

St. Louis, MO

$ 152,000

$ 9,120

$ 3,890

$ 13,010

Tampa, FL

$ 197,500

$ 13,233

$ 3,840

$ 17,073

Baltimore, MD

$ 261,400

$ 16,991

$ 4,150

$ 21,141

Denver, CO

$ 387,400

$ 23,283

$ 4,950

$ 28,233

Pittsburgh, PA

$ 138,700

$ 10,403

$ 4,140

$ 14,543

Portland, OR

$ 376,900

$ 22,614

$ 6,570

$ 29,184

Charlotte, NC

$ 185,300

$ 11,489

$ 3,970

$ 15,459

Sacramento, CA

$ 387,500

$ 23,676

$ 6,460

$ 30,136

San Antonio, TX

$ 169,300

$ 10,158

$ 4,650

$ 14,808

Orlando, FL

$ 217,600

$ 14,579

$ 3,820

$ 18,399

Cincinnati, OH

$ 156,800

$ 10,035

$ 4,730

$ 14,765

Cleveland, OH

$ 137,600

$ 8,806

$ 4,180

$ 12,986

Kansas City, MO

$ 167,300

$ 10,038

$ 4,210

$ 14,248

Las Vegas, NV

$ 251,400

$ 16,366

$ 4,520

$ 20,886

Columbus, OH

$ 173,200

$ 11,085

$ 4,640

$ 15,725

Indianapolis, IN

$ 143,400

$  8,604

$ 4,820

$ 13,424

San Jose, CA

$ 1,226,300

$ 74,927

$ 6,580

$ 81,507

Austin, TX

$ 281,500

$ 16,890

$ 4,560

$ 21,450

i Zillow and Thumbtack’s 2018 Hidden Costs of Selling report factored in closing costs (transfer taxes and agent commotions) and several basic home prep costs. Zillow computed transfer taxes by using the tax rate for the primary state within each metro area (in cases where metro areas cross one or more state lines), which were then applied to the median home value for that area. Zillow also assumed 6 percent for real estate agent commissions and applied it to the median home value for each metro area. For the basic seller home prep costs, Thumbtack looked at tens of thousands of quotes from small business professionals around the country and determined the average cost for each expense within the selected metros. For the purposes of this analysis, carpet cleaning, interior and exterior painting, lawn care, gardening, home staging, house cleaning and local moving costs were identified as eight of the most popular seller prep projects completed by Thumbtack during the selling a home sale process.

ii According to the 2017 Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report. Sellers spend five months on average thinking about and prepping to sell their home before listing. The home then spends an average of three months listed on the market. The entire process takes just over eight months. Full stat here.

iii According to the 2017 Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report.

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