The average cost of selling a home has jumped to $81,918, a 22% increase from $67,245 in 2025, according to new research from Clever Real Estate.
Homeowners are dramatically underestimating expenses, expecting to spend just $26,883 on average, less than one-third of the actual cost.
Nearly one in four sellers (24%) went into debt to cover selling expenses, while 46% said their costs exceeded their budgets.
Selling a home used to be a fairly straightforward way for homeowners to cash in on years of rising property values. But a new study suggests that getting out of a house is becoming almost as financially challenging as getting into one.
According to a new report from Clever Real Estate, the average cost of selling a home has reached a record $81,918, an increase of $14,673, or 22%, in just one year.
The research found that homeowners are often unprepared for the expenses associated with a sale. Sellers expected to spend an average of $26,883, but their actual expenses were more than three times that amount.
The consequences can be significant. Nearly half of sellers said they spent more than planned, and 24% reported taking on debt to pay the bills associated with selling their homes.
Where all the money goes
The largest expense isn't necessarily real estate commissions. According to Clever's research, repairs, renovations and improvements now account for the biggest share of selling costs.
Homeowners spent an average of $27,649 preparing their properties for sale, a 32% increase over the previous year.
Real estate commissions were a close second. Sellers paid an estimated $27,448 in combined commissions to listing agents and buyers' agents, based on a combined rate of 5.46% of the typical sale price.
Closing costs averaged $11,147, up 36% from $8,217 in 2025. These expenses can include title insurance, transfer taxes, document preparation and other charges required to complete a transaction.
Another increasingly significant expense is concessions to buyers. Sellers who offered concessions spent an average of $9,914, as buyers negotiated for financial assistance, repairs or other incentives.
Moving expenses added another $3,013, while marketing and staging averaged $2,747.
Buyers are gaining negotiating power
One reason selling costs are increasing is that the housing market has shifted away from the conditions that prevailed during the pandemic, when sellers often received multiple offers and buyers sometimes waived inspections or other protections.
Higher mortgage rates and elevated home prices have made buyers more cautious, forcing many sellers to work harder to attract an acceptable offer.
Clever found that 78% of sellers made concessions to buyers. Meanwhile, 73% accepted a lower offer than they wanted in exchange for benefits such as a faster closing, selling the property as-is or completing a cash transaction.
Speed has also become a major concern. About 49% of sellers said selling quickly was their top priority, compared with 48% who placed the greatest importance on maximizing profit.
Even so, 41% reported that their home took at least three months to sell.
The findings suggest that homeowners who are accustomed to the rapid sales and bidding wars of a few years ago may need to adjust their expectations.
Selling costs are cutting into profits
Despite the rising expenses, most homeowners are still making money when they sell.
Clever found that 80% of sellers reported a profit, averaging $191,304.
However, 39% said their profit was smaller than expected because of the costs associated with the transaction.
The study also found that 69% of recent sellers would have made different decisions if they had known the full cost in advance. On average, those homeowners believed they could have sold their properties for $34,139 more if they had approached the process differently.
Those estimates reflect sellers' perceptions, not necessarily additional profits they could realistically have achieved.
How homeowners can reduce selling expenses
The findings suggest several ways homeowners can avoid unpleasant financial surprises.
Before listing a property, sellers should request a detailed estimate of all transaction expenses, including agent commissions, closing costs, potential repairs and moving expenses.
They should also carefully evaluate proposed renovations. While improvements can make a property more attractive, not every dollar spent on upgrades will necessarily be recovered through a higher selling price.
Negotiating real estate commissions is another potential way to save. Agent fees are negotiable, and sellers are not automatically required to pay the buyer's agent commission.
However, avoiding an agent altogether may not produce the savings some homeowners expect.
Finally, homeowners should build a financial cushion into their selling plans, particularly if they are depending on proceeds from their current home to finance their next purchase. The larger lesson from the research is that the selling price of a home and the amount of money the homeowner actually walks away with can be two very different numbers.