What will you actually walk away with? Net proceeds calculator
The sale price is not what you keep. Commission, closing costs, repair concessions, carrying costs while the listing runs, and the mortgage payoff all come out first. This calculator puts a listed sale and a direct private sale side by side so you can compare what actually lands in your account.
Estimate your net proceeds
Rough estimates only — costs vary by state, contract, and property. Adjust every number to match your situation.
Listed sale — estimated net
$1,060,000
Commission: −$100,000
Closing costs: −$40,000
Repair concessions: −$0
Carrying cost (6 mo): −$0
Mortgage payoff: −$800,000
Direct private sale — estimated net
$1,160,000
Commission: −$0
Closing costs: −$40,000
Mortgage payoff: −$800,000
Weeks to close, so carrying costs are minimal.
On these numbers, a direct sale nets an estimated $100,000 more — but a listed sale can bring a higher price through wider exposure. The honest comparison is your best realistic listed price minus all listed costs, against a direct offer with almost none of them.
Educational estimate only — not an offer, appraisal, or tax, legal, or investment advice. Actual costs depend on your state, contract terms, and property. Confirm numbers with your attorney, CPA, and title company.
How to use the numbers honestly
The fair comparison is not "listed price vs. direct offer." It is your realistic listed price minus every listed-sale cost — commission, concessions, and months of carrying costs — against a direct offer that skips most of them. Sometimes the listed path still wins, especially for trophy assets in hot markets with competitive bidding. For ordinary income-producing property, the gap between the two nets is usually far smaller than owners expect, and the direct path buys speed, privacy, and certainty.
The line most owners forget: carrying cost
Every month a property sits on the market you keep paying taxes, insurance, maintenance, and debt service. If the property fully covers itself from rents, this line may be zero — but for a vacant building, a struggling strip center, or an owner already managing from out of state, six to twelve months of carrying costs quietly consume the price advantage a listing was supposed to deliver.
Taxes are the bigger conversation
Nothing here touches capital gains, depreciation recapture, or a 1031 exchange — the items that often decide whether selling now makes sense at all. Read our capital gains & 1031 guide for the plain-English version, then confirm the numbers with your CPA before you commit to any path.
Frequently asked questions
What costs come out of a commercial sale price?
The big five: the mortgage payoff (plus any prepayment penalty), broker commission on a listed sale (commonly 4–6% for commercial), closing costs such as transfer taxes, title, attorney and recording fees (commonly 1–3%, varying widely by state), repair credits negotiated after inspection, and the carrying costs you pay every month the property sits on the market.
Why does a direct private sale often net more even at a slightly lower price?
Because most of those costs shrink or disappear: there is no commission, no months of carrying costs while a listing runs, and repairs are typically priced into the offer rather than renegotiated after inspection. A direct offer a few percent below a hoped-for listed price can still net the same or more once all listed-sale costs are subtracted.
What is not included in this calculator?
Taxes on the gain — capital gains, depreciation recapture, and state income tax — which depend entirely on your basis, depreciation history, and whether you use a 1031 exchange. Those usually matter more than any line in this calculator, so run the sale past your CPA. Our capital gains and 1031 guide covers the basics in plain English.
Are these numbers an offer or an appraisal?
No. The calculator is an educational estimate using numbers you enter. An actual offer on your property is based on its rent roll, trailing-12 financials, condition, and market — if you want one, the form below starts a private, no-obligation conversation.
What commission do commercial brokers actually charge?
Commercial commissions are negotiable and commonly land between 4% and 6% of the sale price, sometimes lower on large assets and higher on small ones. On a $2M building, each percentage point is $20,000 — which is why the commission line dominates the listed-sale math.
Want a real number instead of an estimate?
Tell us about the property and we'll follow up discreetly. No public listing, no commissions, no pressure — or text us at 202-932-7527.