The first question every seller asks me is "what will it sell for?" The better question is "what will I walk away with?" Those are different numbers, and the gap between them is very predictable once you know the line items. Here they are, in the order they hit your closing statement.
The big five line items
- Brokerage commission. Fully negotiable, and since the 2024 rule changes, how (and whether) the buyer's agent gets paid is part of your listing strategy — it's a conversation we have up front, with the math on paper.
- Attorney fees. Nearly every NJ sale involves an attorney. Budget $1,500–$2,500 for a flat-fee residential closing.
- NJ Realty Transfer Fee. The state's tax on sellers, on a sliding scale — for most Somerset County price points it works out to a bit under 1% of the sale price. Sellers 62+ (and disabled sellers) get a reduced rate on a primary residence, which surprisingly few people claim.
- Mortgage payoff. Your remaining balance plus interest through the closing date. Order a payoff letter early — the number on your statement isn't the number.
- Prep and repairs. The most controllable line. Bruno walks every listing before we spend a dollar and separates the work that returns its cost from the work that doesn't.
The small ones that add up
Prorated property taxes through closing day, the fire/smoke certificate your town requires, well or septic inspections where applicable, open-permit cleanup (the classic: a water heater or deck that was never closed out with the town), and moving itself. None of these is large; together they're usually a few thousand dollars.
A sample net sheet
Illustrative numbers for a $650,000 sale with a $280,000 mortgage balance:
| Sale price | $650,000 |
| Commission (illustrative 5%) | − $32,500 |
| Realty transfer fee | − $5,000 (approx.) |
| Attorney | − $2,000 |
| Prep, repairs, certificates | − $6,000 |
| Prorations & misc. | − $2,500 |
| Mortgage payoff | − $280,000 |
| Estimated proceeds | $322,000 |
Every number above moves with your situation — commission structure, your payoff, how much prep the house needs. That's why we build a custom net sheet for every seller before listing, and update it with every offer, so you're comparing what each buyer's terms put in your pocket, not just their headline price.
Where sellers leave money on the table
- Skipping the senior transfer-fee discount. If you're 62+, say so — it's real money.
- Open permits discovered two weeks before closing. Check with your building department the week you decide to sell, not after you're under contract.
- Over-improving before listing. A $60,000 kitchen rarely returns $60,000. Paint, lighting, and landscaping usually beat renovations.
- Judging offers by price alone. A $650,000 offer with an appraisal gap guarantee can net more than a $660,000 offer without one.
