How Much Does It Cost to Sell My Phoenix Home?

Most sellers fixate on the price tag and miss the number that matters most. If you’re planning a move, net proceeds is the number that tells you what you’ll have left when the dust settles.

That matters a lot if you’re downsizing, helping a parent move, or trying to figure out whether the next home can be bought with little debt, or none at all. So let’s walk through this together and keep it simple.

Download my “20 Questions Downsizers Must Ask Before Selling”

The number that matters most is what you take home

When people ask me, “How much does it cost to sell my Phoenix home?” they’re usually thinking about commissions and closing costs. That’s fair. Still, the better question is this: how much money will I have left after the sale?

Your list price is only a starting point. It tells me where we may begin the conversation with the market. Your sales price is what a buyer agrees to pay. But your net proceeds is what lands in your pocket after commissions, closing costs, and other selling fees.

Here’s the quick kitchen-table version:

• List price: what you hope to get
• Sales price: what the buyer pays
• Net proceeds: what you keep

This part matters more than people think.

I’ve seen plenty of homeowners, especially longtime owners in The Sheaborhood (85028) and the Magic Zip Code (85254), assume that a strong sale price automatically means an easy next move. Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it isn’t. If the costs are higher than expected, or there’s still a loan balance to pay off, the number in your head can shrink fast.

On the other hand, many longtime Phoenix owners are sitting on substantial equity. In those cases, the net can be strong enough to open real options. That may mean buying a smaller place outright, moving closer to family, or simply reducing monthly stress. If you’re already thinking about that next chapter, my guide on the benefits of downsizing in Phoenix is a helpful place to start.

A high sale price sounds nice. A clear net number helps you make a plan.

What it usually costs to sell a Phoenix home

In most Phoenix area sales, total selling costs often run about 6 to 8 percent of the sales price. That range usually includes commissions, closing costs, and other fees tied to the transaction.

That doesn’t mean every sale lands in the exact same spot. Homes, price points, and terms vary. Still, as a rough planning number, 6 to 8 percent is a practical range for most sellers to use early on.

A simple example on a $700,000 home

Let’s use a clean example. Say your home sells for $700,000 and you own it free and clear. That means there’s no mortgage payoff hanging over the sale.

Here’s what the rough math looks like:

Sales price	Estimated selling costs (6 to 8%)	Estimated net proceeds
$700,000	$42,000 to $56,000	$644,000 to $658,000

So, if you sell at $700,000 and own the home outright, you may walk away with something in that $644,000 to $658,000 range.

That’s why I tell people not to stop at the sale price. The better question is always, “What will I net?”

Selling costs usually fall into a few basic buckets:

1. Real estate commissions
2. Closing costs
3. Other transaction-related fees

Those numbers add up quickly, which is why early planning helps. Before a home goes on the market, I also like sellers to think through the condition of the property, because smart prep can affect both price and terms. My pre-listing checklist for Phoenix sellers lays that out in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming.

If you still have a mortgage, subtract that too

Now let’s talk about the part many people forget. If you still owe money on the house, your mortgage payoff comes out of the proceeds too.

So the math works like this:

• If you own the home free and clear, your net is the sale price minus selling costs
• If you still have a mortgage, your net is the sale price minus selling costs, minus the loan payoff

For example, if the same $700,000 home nets $644,000 to $658,000 before the loan payoff, and you still owe $150,000, then that loan balance must be subtracted from the final amount.

That’s not bad news. It’s simply part of getting the real number.

Because of that, I never want a seller building their whole next move around the headline price. If you’re trying to buy the next place, help a parent move into something smaller, or sort through retirement timing, you need the true take-home number, not the feel-good number.

Why this matters so much for downsizing in Phoenix

For downsizers, net proceeds isn’t a side detail. It’s the base layer of the whole plan.

If you’ve lived in your home for years, there’s a good chance a large share of your wealth is tied up in that house. That’s common in Phoenix, and I see it often in The Sheaborhood, the Magic Zip Code (85254), and parts of Arcadia. Many owners bought years ago, watched values rise over time, and now want less maintenance and more freedom.

That’s where this number gets practical, fast.

Maybe you’re hoping to move to a single-level home. Maybe you want less yard work, fewer stairs, or a home that fits how you live now instead of how you lived 20 years ago. Maybe an adult child is helping a parent figure out whether selling the family home can fund the next move without strain. In every one of those cases, net proceeds helps answer the question, “What can we comfortably do next?”

In my experience, sellers feel calmer once they see the math in black and white. Guessing creates anxiety. A written estimate creates options.

I’ve also found that downsizing goes better when families think about money and logistics at the same time. That’s why I often point people toward my downsizing tips for Phoenix seniors. It helps you think through timing, what to keep, what to let go of, and how to avoid turning the move into a last-minute scramble.

If you’re trying to stay close to familiar routines, Phoenix has good options. Some homeowners want to remain near doctors, stores, church, or grandchildren. Others want to trade a larger home for something easier without leaving the neighborhood they know. In places like The Sheaborhood and 85254, that can be a smart move when the numbers line up.

The smoother downsizing moves usually start before the move feels urgent.

How I figure out your real number

I don’t guess at net proceeds, and I don’t pull it from a generic online estimate. I start with two things: a full comparative market analysis, and a projected net sheet.

The comparative market analysis, or CMA, helps me pin down a realistic sale range based on nearby sales, active competition, and the condition of your home. That’s how I move past broad zip code talk and get closer to what your specific house might bring in the current market.

Then I build a projected net sheet. That’s where the rubber meets the road. It estimates the likely selling costs and shows what you may walk away with after those costs are paid. If there’s a mortgage, I factor that in too.

This is the foundation for every decision that follows.

Without it, you’re guessing about whether you can buy the next home with cash, how much you’ll have left over, or whether the timing makes sense. With it, you can compare real options and make a calm decision.

Because neighborhood-level numbers matter in Phoenix, I also like sellers to look at strong local data instead of headlines. My article on trustworthy Phoenix real estate data explains how I think about pricing, comps, and what actually matters in a neighborhood like 85028.

If you’re considering a move to another nearby area, it also helps to compare the lifestyle, not only the math. For sellers thinking about a smaller home in a close-in neighborhood, my Arcadia Phoenix real estate guide can give you a feel for one of the areas many downsizers look at.

The next step doesn’t need to be complicated

If you’re in the early stage, here’s the order I like:

1. Get a realistic value range for your current home
2. Estimate the selling costs
3. Subtract any mortgage payoff
4. Compare that number to your next housing plan

That’s it. No pressure. No big dramatic speech. Just good information in the right order.

I’m Bob Hertzog, your Real Estate Dad, and this is the kind of straight talk I believe sellers deserve. If you want help running the numbers for your home, I’m happy to talk it through. You can book a call with me here.

The bottom line

If you’re asking how much it costs to sell your Phoenix home, the short answer is often 6 to 8 percent of the sale price. The more useful answer is your net proceeds, because that’s the number that tells you what your next move can look like.

Once you know that number, the fog lifts. You can plan with more confidence, move on your timeline, and make a choice that fits your life now.

If you’re ready to see your numbers on paper, book a low-pressure call with me. I’ll help you sort through it, one step at a time.