Short answerYour net is the sale price minus your listing fee, any buyer agent compensation you choose to offer, title and closing fees, the property tax proration, any credits you give, and your loan payoff. On a $220,000 sale with a 1% listing fee and no buyer agent compensation, that is about $214,100 before your payoff, using the assumptions below.
How does the math work?
Start with the sale price and subtract what comes out at the closing table:
- Listing fee. Mine is 1% of the sale price for full service.
- Buyer agent compensation, if you offer it. This is your choice and it is negotiable. How buyer agent compensation works now.
- Title and closing fees. Settlement, title services, deed preparation, and recording. Indiana has no real estate transfer tax.
- Property tax proration. Indiana property taxes are paid a year behind, so sellers usually credit the buyer at closing for taxes that built up while they owned the house. The title company calculates the exact figure.
- Credits and concessions. Repair credits or closing cost help you agree to give the buyer.
- Your mortgage payoff and any other liens.
Worked example: a $220,000 sale
This is an illustration, not a promise. Assumptions: $220,000 sale price; title and closing fees of $1,500; property tax proration of $2,200, which uses Indiana's 1% homestead tax cap as a conservative planning ceiling; no repair credits; before your loan payoff. The full service example assumes a 3% listing fee and 3% buyer agent compensation. Commissions are not set by law and every brokerage sets its own.
| 1% listing, no buyer agent compensation | 1% listing, 3% buyer agent compensation | Full service example, 3% plus 3% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $220,000 | $220,000 | $220,000 |
| Listing fee | $2,200 | $2,200 | $6,600 |
| Buyer agent compensation | $0 | $6,600 | $6,600 |
| Title and closing fees | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Property tax proration | $2,200 | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Before your loan payoff | $214,100 | $207,500 | $203,100 |
At this price, the 1% listing fee leaves $4,400 more with you than a 3% listing fee when everything else is the same. Whether to offer buyer agent compensation is a separate decision. Many buyers in Southern Indiana use FHA, VA, or USDA loans and have limited cash, so we talk through what offering it, or not, does to your pool of buyers.
Calculate your own net
Listing fee: · Buyer agent compensation:
Before your payoff:
After your payoff:
At the comparison commission, before payoff: . Difference: . Planning estimate only. Your title company prepares the real numbers on the settlement statement.
What can lower my net that people forget?
- Inspection repair requests. Often the biggest surprise. How repair requests change your net.
- Lender required repairs on FHA, VA, and USDA loans. What those appraisers flag.
- A low appraisal. Your options as the seller.
- Owner's title policy, if your contract assigns it to you. Who pays it is negotiated, so read the contract.
- Utilities, HOA dues, and moving costs up to closing day.
Prepping the house well protects the number more than anything else. What to fix before listing.
What John sees in the field
Most sellers I talk with have never seen their number until they are under contract. Run it before you pick a list price, and again before you answer a repair request, so every decision is made against a real net, not a guess.
Repair requests are where nets leak. A clean condition walk before listing usually costs less than the credit a buyer asks for after their inspection.
Frequently asked questions
Does Indiana charge a transfer tax when I sell?
No. Indiana does not have a real estate transfer tax. You will still pay recording and title related fees set by your contract.
Why do I owe property taxes at closing if mine are paid?
Indiana property taxes are paid a year behind. Your tax bills this year are usually for last year, so the buyer will pay bills that cover months you owned the house. Sellers typically credit the buyer for that time. Your title company calculates it.
Do I have to pay the buyer's agent?
No. Offering buyer agent compensation is your choice and it is negotiable. It is set in your listing paperwork, and we discuss the tradeoffs before you decide.
Is your 1% listing fee limited service?
No. It is full service: pricing, photos, MLS and online marketing, showings, negotiation, and managing the deal to closing.
Can you guarantee my net?
No one can. The calculator and examples are planning estimates. Your title company prepares the actual settlement statement.
Keep reading
Want to know what a buyer's inspector may find before they do?
Book a free pre listing condition walk. I walk the house with you, point out what inspectors and FHA, VA, and USDA appraisers tend to flag, and give you planning ranges so you can decide what to fix, credit, price in, or disclose.
Book a condition walkOr call or text (812) 525-5489, or email john@yourpropertynegotiator.com.
The condition walk is a REALTOR® and contractor evaluation, not a home inspection, and it does not replace one. If you have already signed a listing agreement with another agent, please take these questions to your agent.
Sources
- Indiana seller closing cost guides on Indiana having no transfer tax and typical title service fees (Real Estate Witch, Clever, 2026)
- Indiana 1% homestead property tax cap, Indiana Constitution Article X, Section 1
Written by John Long, REALTOR®, 1 Percent Lists Indiana Real Estate. Working contractor who has priced hundreds of home inspection repair requests. Former labor relations negotiator for a major manufacturer and U.S. Coast Guard veteran.
John Long, REALTOR® · 1 Percent Lists Indiana Real Estate · (812) 525-5489 · yourpropertynegotiator.com
This page is general information, not a substitute for a professional home inspection, and not legal, tax, insurance, or lending advice. Ask a real estate attorney about contracts and disclosure, a CPA about taxes, your lender about loan rules, and a licensed inspector or tradesperson about your house. Nothing here guarantees a sale price, net proceeds, repair cost, payment, timeline, appraisal, inspection result, or loan approval. Cost figures are planning estimates, not bids. I own Wardmark Property Operations LLC, a contracting company. You are always free to use any contractor you choose.