A seller resource

What It Costs to Sell a House Here

Selling a house in DeKalb and Cherokee counties, Alabama, or Chattooga County, Georgia, comes with a short list of costs. Some every seller pays. Some depend on your contract. Some you can skip entirely when you sell as-is. Here’s the list, in plain English.

Costs nearly every seller has

• Your loan payoff. Whatever you still owe, plus interest to the day it’s paid. Your lender sends the exact payoff to the title company or closing attorney.
• The brokerage fee. Set in your listing agreement before anything goes on the market. It’s negotiable, and you’ll see it on your net sheet as a dollar figure, not a percentage.
• Closing and settlement fees. What the closing attorney and title company charge to handle the closing, plus small fees for wiring money and recording documents at the courthouse.
• Property taxes up to closing. You pay your share of this year’s taxes up to the day you close, usually as a credit to the buyer.
• Owner’s title insurance. It protects the buyer’s ownership, and here the seller normally pays for it. The cost goes up with the price.
• The state tax on the deed. Alabama charges a deed tax of $0.50 per $500 of value. Georgia charges a transfer tax of $1 per $1,000 of price. On a $150,000 house, either one comes to about $150. Here it’s normally the seller’s cost, though the contract can say otherwise.

Costs your contract decides

• A survey. Sometimes required by the buyer’s lender. The contract says who pays.
• Help with the buyer’s costs. A buyer may ask you to pay some of their closing costs, or their agent’s fee. You only pay what you agree to, and it shows on the net sheet before you sign.

Costs you can skip when you sell as-is

• Remodeling the kitchen or bathroom
• New flooring and fresh paint throughout
• Repairs the buyer asks for after the inspection, unless you agree to them
• A home warranty for the buyer

Some repairs still pay for themselves, especially ones that stop a buyer’s loan. See Fix It or Sell It As-Is? Run the Math Both Ways.

Alabama and Georgia close a little differently

State tax rates from the Alabama Department of Revenue and the Georgia Department of Revenue, checked October 2026.

Put it all on one page

Every one of these costs goes on your net sheet, so you see your number before you list. See What a Net Sheet Is.

Melissa Harmel, Realtor®, CRS, ABR · eXp Realty, LLC · AL # 000164573-0 · GA # 451015 · Equal Housing Opportunity. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your closing attorney prepares the final numbers.