Do you know about the costs of selling your house in the Atlanta area?
Learn what to expect before putting your house on the MLS, selling on your own, or working with a direct buyer.
You might be surprised at how the costs of selling can eat away at your profits!
Selling your house can be expensive.
There are a number of things to pay for both before and after the sale.
If these costs are particularly high, a direct sale will be a far better choice.
Let’s dive into the costs of selling your Atlanta house using the three most popular methods.
Compare all of your options before selling your house in Atlanta!
Costs Of Listing with a Realtor
Real Estate Agent Costs
This will vary based on the agent you choose to hire.
You will typically be paying about 6% of the final sale price to the agents involved in the deal.
Meaning if the sale price of your home is $200,000, then you’re paying $12,000 just in Realtor fees.
The commission is split between the seller’s real estate agent and the buyer’s agent.
Many homeowners try to avoid these high fees by offering their home as for-sale-by-owner (FSBO).
If you do that, be prepared to assume the duties of a real estate agent, including showing the place to prospective buyers, negotiating, hiring a lawyer to draw up the contract, and taking care of the transfer of title.
With some agents, you will also face costs for marketing and administrative services.
Be sure you know what’s included before signing a listing agreement.
Typically, the fees are paid by the seller at the settlement table, where the fees are subtracted from the proceeds of the home sale.
Use a Home Sale Proceeds Calculator to figure out how much it will cost to sell your home while listing.
Marketing Costs
Whether or not your agent includes marketing services in their rate, there are a few marketing costs you consider adding.
For example, many sellers will hire a professional photographer to take pictures of their home.
You might also want to upgrade your online listings to “premium” so they show up at the top when people are browsing through houses in your area.
Most real estate photographers provide tiered pricing based on the number of photos you want.
This allows you to determine how many photos you deem necessary (you can ask your real estate agent for guidance) to best showcase your house.
If you don’t want to bump up to a higher-priced package, but think you need a few extra photos, some photographers will charge per picture to provide you what you need.
Often, the more real estate photos you purchase, the lower the cost per picture you’ll pay.
Here are some examples of prices that we have seen:
- $130 for 13 photos delivered within 24 hours of the photo shoot
- $165 for 25 photos delivered within 24 hours of the photo shoot
- $195 for 40 photos delivered within 48 hours of the photo shoot
Some will utilize videographers or even drone service companies to get aerial shots of the property.
Drone or aerial photography will typically be an added fee in addition to your real estate photography prices, but if you want to show off the size of your lot or your amazing landscaping, the investment can provide great returns.
Pricing for drone photography will vary by company and by the number of retouched photos you desire.
For example, Real Image Pros of Buford, Georgia, offers unlimited aerial images for $249.
Repair Costs
Most houses will require at least a few repairs before going on the MLS.
Once a buyer has been found, there will likely be negotiations as to who makes the repairs found during the inspection.
You can negotiate to either make some of these repairs or discount the sale price of the home.
Cleaning And Staging Costs
Most sellers will have their homes professionally cleaned before putting it on the market.
Many will remove personal belongings and clutter, storing all unnecessary things elsewhere.
Some will even hire a professional stager to come in to make the house look as if it came out of the pages of a magazine.
The Cost to Stage Your Home
Most home stagers charge between $150 to $600 for an initial two-hour consultation.
Then, there is an additional $500 to $600 per month for each room.
Houses require staging materials if it is on the market and being shown to clients, which can last a few days to a few months.
However, many stagers charge for an average minimum of three months for the decor, even if the house sells quickly.
In total, furnishing a 2,000-square-foot house costs around $2,000 per month.
This is based on staging only a few strategic rooms.
However, staging doesn’t need to be expensive.
Many sellers save on costs by paying a stager to rearrange items that they already own.
If you’re moving out and taking all your belonging, you need to rent some furniture to appear in professional photos.
The Cost to Deep Clean Your Home to Sell
The average maid service cost is $167, though homeowners could spend anywhere between $116 and $235 for their services.
Typically, cleaning service charges are either by the hour or square footage.
Per hour costs are between $50 and $90 and often include multiple cleaners.
Square footage charges depend on the size of your house.
For example, an area less than 1,000 square feet averages $90 while 3,000 square feet or more could cost $250.
Closing Costs
Closing costs are the miscellaneous fees separate from the real estate agent fees that must be paid at closing. They cover things such as the following:
- Loan processing
- Title company fees
- Surveyor costs (if needed)
- Recording of the deed
- Insurance
- Any taxes or homeowners association fees, which may need to be prorated if they’re already paid
The amount of closing costs will vary with each home sale/purchase and can range widely from 2% to 7% of the home’s purchase price.
Typically, though, closing costs amount to about 3.5% of the sale price of a home.
On that same $200,000 house you are selling, your closing costs would be around $7,000.
Your agent will provide you with a buyer’s sheet that lays out the closing costs, and by federal law, you must receive what’s called a “good-faith” estimate of your closing costs from any lender you use.
As for who pays the closing costs, that’s where your negotiating skills (or your Realtor’s) come into play. There is no cut-and-dried rule about who—the seller or the buyer—pays the closing costs, but buyers usually cover the brunt of the costs (3% to 4% of the home’s price) compared with sellers (1% to 3%).
Continued Ownership Costs
Listing your house with a Atlanta real estate agent can take a few months.
During this time, you will still be responsible for the property taxes, utility bills, homeowners insurance, maintenance, landscaping, and possibly a mortgage.
When you add up all the expenses of owning the house each month, it can amount to thousands of dollars!
The picture below shows all of the costs discussed in this section deducted from a $200,000 home that’s 3 bedrooms and 2,000 square feet.
Note that not accounting for any monthly holding costs or repairs, you’re going to be spending about $25,000 just to sell your house, with $19,000 of that going towards Realtor fees and closing costs.
Costs of An FSBO (For Sale By Owner) Listing
While trying to sell your house on your own will help you avoid commissions and agent costs, there are other costs to consider. (This FSBO Checklist will save you time and money.)
In addition to many of the costs above, here are some additional costs to expect when selling your house in the Atlanta area.
Heightened Marketing Costs
When listing your house, the addition of extra marking is at your discretion.
However, when you are selling on your own, 100% of the marketing is up to you.
You will have to pay for all online listings, printed materials, signage, and open house costs.
You will likely want a professional photographer to come in to help you present the house in the best light.
You can also opt to add things such as virtual tours or videos of your property.
House Preparation Costs
Getting a house ready for a sale can take a lot of work.
As with a listing, there are a number of things that will need to be done before the house is advertised for sale.
You will need to thoroughly clean the house from top to bottom.
You should make any needed repairs, and be prepared to make more after the inspection process.
Many sellers will also face storage fees for their unnecessary items, as well as the cost of a professional stager or decorator.
The Price Of Your Time
When you choose to sell a house by owner in Georgia via an FSBO listing, you will find yourself spending an excessive amount of time dealing with the sale.
You will need to be available for showings, create listings and marketing materials, respond to questions, process paperwork, handle negotiations and more.
Costs of Selling Directly
None
When you opt to sell your Atlanta house to a buyer such as Breyer Home Buyers, you will be able to avoid all of the selling costs mentioned above.
There are no fees, repair costs, or even closing costs.
We buy directly, as-is, potentially saving you thousands of dollars along the way.