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Real Estate Field Guide
Selling a home · Stage

Should you sell

How to think about timing, equity, the tax implications, and what selling actually nets.

The pre-decision stage. The seller-net-proceeds calculator is most useful here because it answers the underlying question — after commissions, transfer taxes, closing costs, mortgage payoff, and capital gains tax, what does the seller actually walk away with? That number is often smaller than sellers expect.

  • Identifying which reason category applies — a life change (job, family, health), a financial calculation (downsizing, accessing equity, lower-cost market), or an opportunity calculation (the market has moved enough that selling materially improves the picture)
  • Estimating net proceeds using the seller-net-proceeds calculator
  • Assessing local market conditions (months of inventory, buyer demand, recent comparable sales)
  • Evaluating the costs of preparing for sale (repairs, staging, photography) and how they affect the net

Questions to ask at this stage

Ask yourself

  • What does the seller-net-proceeds calculator show for the realistic sale price minus all costs?
  • Does the next housing situation (renting, buying again, relocating) need to align with the timing of this sale?
  • If the eventual buyer asks for concessions, what's the reservation price below which selling no longer makes sense?

Ask a listing agent

  • What's the local market like right now — months of inventory, recent comparable sales, list-to-sale ratios?
  • What's the realistic time on market for this kind of home, given current conditions?

Ask a CPA

  • What's the rough capital-gains exposure, and does the § 121 exclusion fully cover it?

Articles in this stage

More in the seller journey

  1. 01 · You are here
    Should you sell
  2. 02
    Preparing
    What to fix, what to skip, and how listing-side work translates (or doesn't) into price.
  3. 03
    Listing
    How agents price homes, how the post-NAR-settlement commission landscape works, and how listings are marketed.
  4. 04
    Offers
    What an offer actually contains beyond price, and how to read terms that matter as much as the number.
  5. 05
    Under contract
    How inspections, appraisals, and title work feed into the closing timeline — and where deals commonly stall.
  6. 06
    Closing
    The seller's side of closing, the settlement statement, and the proceeds calculation.
  7. 07
    After
    Capital gains, the primary-residence exclusion, and what to track for next year's taxes.