Tools

Seller’s net sheet

What you actually walk away with, after commission, payoff, taxes and closing costs. Built on the fee schedule my closing attorney uses, so the numbers are real rather than national averages.

This is an estimate, not a quote. It uses current published figures and reasonable assumptions. A firm number can only come from the closing agent, who will prepare it once a contract exists. Use this to plan, not to decide.

The sale

Sale price

Total commission Both sides combined. Whatever the split is called, it comes out of your proceeds.

Mortgage payoff Principal balance plus accrued interest. Enter 0 if you own it outright.

Property taxes

Take these two lines straight off last year’s tax bill. The closing agent prorates from the prior year’s bill when the current one isn’t out yet, which is most of the year.

Ad valorem taxes The value-based portion. Tax year runs 1 January to 31 December.

Non-ad valorem assessments Utilities, fire, solid waste. Fiscal year runs 1 October to 30 September.

Estimated closing date

Closing costs

Settlement fee (seller)

Title search

Municipal lien search

Survey Often the buyer’s cost. Set to 0 if you are not paying it.

Repairs, credits or anything else

What each line is

Documentary stamps on the deed are a state tax of $0.70 per $100 of sale price. In Lee County this is customarily the seller’s cost, and on a three-quarter-million-dollar sale it is the largest line after commission and payoff.

The owner’s title policy is calculated on Florida’s promulgated rate: $5.75 per $1,000 on the first $100,000, $5.00 per $1,000 to $1 million, $2.50 per $1,000 to $5 million. In Florida the party who pays for the policy chooses the closing agent, and here that is customarily the seller.

Tax proration is not a fee. It is your share of a bill that has not been issued yet. Florida taxes are assessed on 1 January and billed the following November, so at closing you credit the buyer for the days you owned the property, and the buyer pays the whole bill when it arrives. Non-ad valorem assessments prorate on their own fiscal year, which is why they are entered separately.

Commission is entered as one number. The split is disclosed and negotiated separately, but it is paid from your proceeds either way, so a net sheet that shows only one side of it understates what the sale costs you.

If you want this run properly for a specific address — with your actual tax bill, your actual payoff, and a real closing date — call 239-529-0555. That is free, and it takes about ten minutes.