How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in St. Louis?

If you are thinking about selling your home in St. Louis, one of the first questions you are probably asking is:

How much is this actually going to cost me?

The answer depends on your home's sale price, condition, mortgage balance, negotiated contract terms and the amount of preparation needed before your home hits the market.

At Allen Brake Real Estate, we have more than 24 years of experience helping homeowners throughout the St. Louis area prepare, price, market and sell their homes. One of the first things we help sellers understand is not just what their home may sell for, but what they are likely to walk away with after the sale.

Here is a breakdown of the most common expenses St. Louis sellers should consider.

1. Real Estate Commissions

For many sellers, real estate compensation is one of the largest expenses associated with selling a home.

There is no standard real estate commission, and commissions are negotiable. The amount you pay will depend on the listing agreement, the services being provided and the terms negotiated as part of the transaction.

When comparing real estate agents, sellers should look beyond the percentage alone.

Ask what you are receiving for that fee.

At Allen Brake Real Estate, our listing strategy may include services such as:

• Professional pricing and market analysis
• Professional photography
• Online listing exposure
• Zillow Showcase marketing when applicable
• Social media marketing
• Open-house promotion
• Agent-to-agent marketing
• Reverse prospecting to agents with matching buyers
• Follow-up with interested buyers and agents
• Showing feedback and communication
• Contract negotiation
• Inspection negotiation
• Listing management
• Transaction coordination through closing

A lower fee does not necessarily result in a higher net to the seller if the home is poorly priced, marketed or negotiated.

The real question should be:

Which strategy gives me the best opportunity to walk away with the most money while making the process as smooth as possible?

2. Title and Closing Costs

The title company handles several important pieces of the transaction, including verifying ownership, addressing liens or other title issues and coordinating the closing.

Depending on the transaction, seller expenses may include:

• Owner's title insurance
• Title search or title service fees
• Settlement or closing fees
• Deed preparation
• Recording-related fees
• Mortgage payoff processing
• HOA documentation or transfer fees, if applicable

Missouri does not currently impose a state real estate transfer tax, which eliminates one expense sellers face in many other states.

The exact title charges depend on the property, sale price and title company.

3. Property Taxes and Mortgage Payoff

If you still have a mortgage on your home, the remaining loan balance will be paid from your proceeds at closing.

Your payoff may include:

• Remaining principal
• Accrued interest
• Certain lender fees, if applicable

Property taxes are also prorated as part of the transaction.

These technically aren't always considered a "cost of selling," but they absolutely affect the amount of money you receive at closing.

This is one reason we recommend preparing a seller net sheet before making major decisions.

A net sheet gives you a much clearer picture of:

Estimated sale price – estimated selling expenses – mortgage payoff = estimated proceeds to you.

4. Home Inspections

In many transactions, the buyer pays for their own home inspection.

However, an inspection can still create expenses for the seller.

After inspections, a buyer may request:

• Repairs
• Replacement of certain items
• A credit at closing
• A price adjustment
• Specialized inspections or evaluations

Not every request needs to be accepted.

This is where having an experienced listing agent can make a substantial difference.

Our job is to help determine which requests are reasonable, which should be negotiated and which may not make financial sense for the seller.

5. Repairs Before or After Listing

One of the biggest variables in the cost of selling a St. Louis home is its condition.

Before listing, sellers sometimes spend money on:

• Interior paint
• Exterior touch-ups
• Flooring
• Landscaping
• Plumbing repairs
• Electrical repairs
• HVAC maintenance
• Roof repairs
• Foundation issues
• Lighting
• Hardware
• Minor kitchen or bathroom updates

But here is something we tell sellers frequently:

Do not start spending thousands of dollars on your house before talking with an experienced local real estate agent.

We have seen homeowners prepare to spend significant amounts of money on improvements that weren't necessary to get the home sold.

Sometimes a $2,000 cosmetic improvement makes sense.

Sometimes selling the home exactly as it sits makes more sense.

The right answer depends on the house, neighborhood, price range and likely buyer.

6. Seller Concessions

A buyer may ask the seller to contribute toward certain costs as part of their offer.

These are generally referred to as seller concessions or seller credits.

Examples can include money toward:

• Buyer closing costs
• Repairs
• Interest-rate buydowns
• Prepaid expenses
• Other allowable buyer costs

Seller concessions are negotiable.

You are not automatically required to provide them simply because a buyer asks.

The decision should be evaluated as part of the entire offer.

For example, an offer of $525,000 with a $10,000 concession could potentially be less attractive than an offer of $520,000 with no concession, depending on the other terms.

We help sellers evaluate the net offer, not just the number at the top of the contract.

7. Staging

Not every St. Louis home needs professional staging.

Some homes show beautifully with the owner's existing furniture and a few strategic changes.

Others may benefit significantly from:

• Professional staging consultation
• Furniture rearrangement
• Removing excess furniture
• Decluttering
• Accessories
• Vacant-home staging

The goal is not to make your home look like a furniture showroom.

It is to help buyers understand the space, photograph the property well and make the home feel as appealing as possible when buyers walk through the door.

Before recommending staging expenses, we look at whether we believe those expenses are likely to improve the home's marketability.

8. Pre-Listing Preparation

Some of the least expensive improvements can have the biggest impact.

Before listing, we may recommend things such as:

• Deep cleaning
• Window cleaning
• Carpet cleaning
• Decluttering
• Removing personal items
• Touch-up paint
• Fresh mulch
• Trimming landscaping
• Pressure washing
• Replacing burnt-out light bulbs
• Minor handyman repairs

You may spend a few hundred dollars preparing a home, or several thousand.

There is not one number that applies to every St. Louis property.

That's why we prefer to walk through the home before the seller starts spending money.

9. Moving Expenses

This is easy to forget when calculating the cost of selling.

Depending on your situation, you may also have:

• Movers
• Storage
• Packing supplies
• Temporary housing
• Junk removal
• Estate-sale expenses
• Cleaning expenses

These are not technically closing costs, but they're part of the overall financial picture when planning a move.

So, How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in St. Louis?

There is not one universal percentage.

Some sellers have very few expenses beyond their negotiated real estate compensation, title-related expenses and prorated items.

Other homes require repairs, staging, buyer concessions or significant preparation.

Published estimates often place total St. Louis seller expenses somewhere around 7% to 9% of the sale price when commissions and other costs are combined, but actual costs can be substantially different depending on the property and negotiated terms.

That's why we do not recommend relying on a generic online percentage.

We would rather calculate the numbers specifically for your home.

What Would You Actually Walk Away With?

Ultimately, this is the number that matters.

If you think your home might sell for $500,000, knowing that number alone is not enough.

You need to know:

What will I net after everything is paid?

At Allen Brake Real Estate, we can prepare a personalized seller net sheet showing estimated:

• Sale price
• Real estate compensation
• Title and closing expenses
• Mortgage payoff
• Property tax adjustments
• Potential concessions
• Other expected costs
• Estimated proceeds to you at closing

That allows you to make a much better decision about whether selling makes sense and what price you need to achieve.

Thinking About Selling a Home in St. Louis?

Before you start making repairs, spending money on updates or deciding what your home should be listed for, talk with an experienced local real estate team.

Allen Brake Real Estate has more than 24 years of experience helping homeowners throughout the St. Louis area sell their homes.

We will walk through your property, discuss what we would, and would not recommend doing before listing, review your home's likely market value and help you understand the financial side of the sale.

Want a Personalized Seller Net Sheet?

Contact Allen Brake Real Estate for a personalized estimate of what you could potentially walk away with from the sale of your St. Louis home.

Schedule a complimentary listing consultation today 314-375-3030