Most Pennsylvania sellers spend about 7% to 9% of the sale price to sell a home once everything is counted. The biggest pieces are real estate commission (2026 surveys put the national total between roughly 5.5% and 6%, and it’s negotiable), the seller’s share of the realty transfer tax (usually 1% of the price, since the 2% total is customarily split with the buyer) and smaller settlement costs like deed preparation, municipal resale inspections and final utility bills. In Allentown the total transfer tax is now 2.5%, and in the City of Reading it’s 5%.
Most sellers know the price they hope to get. Fewer know what they’ll actually walk away with. The gap between those two numbers catches plenty of people off guard, especially first time sellers and anyone who bought their last home in another state.
If you’re getting ready to list, our seller resources page explains how the Chris Troxell Team works with sellers across Eastern Pennsylvania. This guide sticks to the money: what each cost is, roughly what it runs and where you have room to save.
Typical Total Cost
7% – 9%
Of the sale price, before mortgage payoff
At the Median
$27K – $35K
On a $389,500 Lehigh Valley home
Transfer Tax
1%
Seller’s customary half of the 2% total
The number that matters isn’t your list price or even your sale price. It’s your net — what’s left after commission, taxes, fees, repairs and the mortgage payoff.
A good rule of thumb is 7% to 9% of your sale price, not counting your mortgage payoff. On a $389,500 home, the Lehigh Valley’s record median price this past July, that works out to roughly $27,000 to $35,000.
Where your number lands depends on four things: the commission you negotiate, where the house sits, how much work it needs and how much your buyer asks for along the way. The sections below take each one in turn.
Low End
~$27,000
About 7% on a $389,500 sale — leaner commission, few repairs, standard transfer tax.
High End
~$35,000
About 9% on the same sale — higher commission, concessions or a city with a steeper transfer tax.
Commission is still the largest single cost of selling. The rules shifted in August 2024. Buyer agent pay is no longer advertised through the MLS, and buyers now sign a written agreement with their own agent before they tour homes.
What hasn’t changed much is the total. National agent surveys in 2026 put the average combined commission somewhere between about 5.5% and 6%, and most agents say sellers still usually cover the buyer’s agent. Commissions are negotiable, though, and no rate is set by law.
Offering to pay toward the buyer’s agent is a choice, not a requirement. Many sellers still do it because it widens the pool of buyers who can realistically make an offer. A buyer who pays their own agent has to bring that cash to closing on top of the down payment, and in a price range full of first time buyers that can be a real hurdle.
What the 2024 rules changed
Pennsylvania charges a 1% state transfer tax on most home sales, and nearly every municipality adds a 1% local tax on top. That 2% total is customarily split down the middle, so most sellers pay 1% of the price. On a $389,500 sale, your half comes to $3,895.
A few places charge more. Allentown raised its local share at the start of 2026, bringing the total to 2.5%. That puts a seller’s half at 1.25%, which comes to about $4,870 on the same price. The City of Reading has one of the highest rates in the state at 5% total, so a seller’s half on a $250,000 Reading home would be $6,250. Most of the rest of Lehigh, Northampton and Berks counties, including Bethlehem, Easton and Wyomissing, sits at the standard 2%, as do the Poconos.
Most of Eastern PA
2% total
1% seller half. Bethlehem, Easton, Wyomissing, Poconos.
Allentown
2.5% total
1.25% seller half. About $4,870 on $389,500.
City of Reading
5% total
2.5% seller half. $6,250 on a $250,000 home.
The even split is a custom, not a law. The state holds buyer and seller jointly responsible for the tax, which means the share each side pays can be negotiated in the agreement of sale.
Beyond commission and transfer tax, the rest of a seller’s closing costs are smaller. They still add up, so it helps to know what’s coming.
Deed preparation
The settlement company prepares the new deed, usually for a modest flat fee.
Mortgage payoff
Your lender’s payoff figure includes interest through the closing date, plus a small charge to record the release of the lien.
Property tax prorations
Pennsylvania property taxes are billed by the year, so the settlement agent divides them by the closing date. If you’ve already paid a full year’s bill, the buyer credits you for the months after you move out.
Final utility bills
Water, sewer and trash balances get settled at closing. Some townships also require a final reading or certification before the sale.
Association fees
If your home is in a condo or HOA community, expect a fee for the resale certificate the buyer is entitled to receive.
Pennsylvania doesn’t require an attorney at closing, and the buyer typically pays for title insurance here. That keeps the seller’s side of the settlement sheet fairly lean.
Many Lehigh Valley towns require a municipal inspection before a home changes hands, including Allentown, Bethlehem and a long list of surrounding boroughs and townships. The fee itself is usually modest. Freemansburg, for example, charges $200 per unit for a residential resale inspection.
The bigger cost is whatever the inspector flags. Missing smoke detectors, loose handrails, a cracked sidewalk or an electrical issue all have to be fixed or formally addressed before the sale can close. Bethlehem updated its inspection rules in 2026, and in some cases a sale can now close with the buyer taking responsibility for correcting violations afterward.
Our guide to selling as is or fixing up first covers how these inspections work in Allentown and Bethlehem and what happens when a home doesn’t pass on the first try.
The Fee
$200
Per unit in Freemansburg — typical of the range across the valley.
The Real Cost
Whatever the inspector flags. Smoke detectors, handrails, sidewalks and electrical items all come before closing.
Then there are the costs you control. Most sellers spend something to get a house market ready: a deep clean, fresh paint, some landscaping or a handful of small repairs. A pre listing home inspection runs a few hundred dollars and can head off surprises later.
Once the buyer’s inspection comes back, repair requests usually turn into a negotiation. Many sellers prefer to offer a credit at closing rather than hire contractors on a deadline. Buyers may also ask for help with their own closing costs, especially with FHA loans and other low down payment financing.
Don’t forget the move itself. Movers, storage and a month of overlapping housing costs never show up on the settlement sheet, but they’re very real.
Market-Ready Work
Clean, paint, landscaping and small repairs.
Pre-Listing Inspection
A few hundred dollars to avoid surprises later.
The Move Itself
Movers, storage and overlapping housing costs.
Here’s how the math might look on a home selling at the Lehigh Valley’s July median in a town with the standard 2% transfer tax. These are illustrative numbers, not a quote. Your commission, inspection results and negotiations will all move them.
Illustrative Net Sheet
Subtract your mortgage payoff from that last line and you have a realistic picture of the check you’ll carry into your next home. For a version built around your actual property, start with a free home valuation.
Price it right from day one
Homes that sit tend to sell for less and pick up more concessions on the way to closing.
Fix the small things before listing
A day with a handyman usually costs less than a repair credit negotiated under pressure.
Start the municipal inspection early
Finding violations in week one beats finding them a week before closing.
Talk through the deal terms up front
Know your position on buyer agent compensation and the transfer tax split before offers come in.
Every home and every sale is a little different. The Chris Troxell Team can walk you through a real net sheet based on your home, your town’s transfer tax and today’s market. Start with a free home valuation, learn more about selling with our team or contact us to talk it through.
The Chris Troxell Team is a top 1% producing Keller Williams team based in Allentown, serving the Lehigh Valley, Pocono Mountains, Berks County and Eastern Pennsylvania.