Understanding the New Jersey home sale proceeds calculator
Wondering how much you will have left after all the fees associated with selling your house? Our home sale calculator estimates the cost of selling a house in New Jersey. Here's a breakdown of how it works:
Desired home sale price
The best way to estimate your home sale price is to get a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a realtor. A CMA is a detailed report that takes into account recent sale prices, recent upgrades or renovations on your home, and your home's unique features (such as number of bedrooms, lot size, and square footage).
If you haven't spoken to a realtor yet, you can use an online home value estimator to get a ballpark estimate of your home's value. Just keep in mind that home value estimators are often inaccurate and might not accurately reflect your home's true value.
Mortgage payoff
You will typically pay off your remaining mortgage balance using the proceeds from your home sale. If you're unsure how much is left on your mortgage, contact your mortgage lender.
Listing agent fee
As a seller, you're responsible for paying your agent. You'll agree on this fee with your listing agent upfront, and you'll pay the fee when your home sells out of the sale proceeds.
The average listing agent fee in New Jersey is 2.55%.
To estimate how much you'll spend on the listing agent fee, multiply:
Your estimated home sale price x 2.55%
Buyer's agent fee
As a seller, you aren't required to cover the buyer's agent fee — but offering a concession to cover this fee will make your property more competitive.
The average buyer's agent fee in New Jersey is 2.52%.
Talk to your agent to determine how much you should offer as a concession to cover the buyer's agent fee. You can estimate how much you may spend by multiplying:
Your estimated home sale price x 2.52%
Closing costs
Closing costs are a blanket term for the various fees and expenses that you'll pay at the close of your real estate transaction.
Title service fees
Title service fees cover the costs of the title search and title transfer. A title search must be conducted for a real estate sale to be completed, because it verifies the ownership of the property and ensures there are no liens on the property. The title transfer is the process by which the ownership of the title is transferred from the seller to the buyer.
Owner's title insurance
Owner's title insurance protects the buyer from any issues that arise with the deed after the home sale. If a past owner filed the deed incorrectly, falsified information, or committed fraud, the buyer may need to pay for legal proceedings. In many states, sellers cover this fee on behalf of the buyers.
Transfer taxes
Transfer taxes are fees to transfer real estate property from one owner to another. New Jersey charges you about 0.8% of your home's sale price to transfer the title to the new owner. If you sell for New Jersey's median home value — $535,469 — you'd pay $4,284.
Learn more about transfer taxes in New Jersey.
Recording fees
A recording fee is an expense charged by the city or county to legally record your property's deed and mortgage information.
Buyer's incentives
Offering a buyer's incentive can help you sell your home in a slow market. Common buyer incentives include offering a closing cost, a repair credit, or including valuable furniture in the home sale. Ask your agent whether you should consider offering a buyer's incentive.
Moving expenses
In New Jersey, a local move typically costs around $595. A long-distance move (1,000 miles or more) may cost closer to $5,121.
Methodology
The Clever team of researchers gathered data for property taxes, transfer taxes, and recording fees using publicly available information. We found average costs for title insurance by requesting quotes from local providers.
We gathered our commission rate data from a survey of 630 of our partner agents. Additionally, we gathered transfer tax rates based on public data as of February 2024.
