What will you actually walk away with?

Both pay closing costs in Utah. Sellers typically cover the real estate commission, the owner's title insurance policy, escrow fees on the seller side, recording fees for the release of the trust deed, and any prorated property taxes and HOA dues through the closing date. Buyers cover their own lender fees, the lender's title policy, the appraisal, and prorated taxes from closing forward. Utah has no state real estate transfer tax.

Excluding the mortgage payoff, Southern Utah sellers commonly pay between 5.5% and 7% of the sale price in closing costs. The real estate commission is the largest line, usually 5% to 6% total and always negotiable. Title insurance, escrow, recording, and prorated taxes round out the rest. The exact number depends on commission negotiation, sale price, time of year, and whether the seller offers buyer concessions or a home warranty.

Utah property taxes run on a calendar year and are billed in November, due November 30. At closing, the seller credits the buyer for the portion of the year the seller occupied the home but for which taxes have not yet been paid. If you close on July 1, you credit the buyer for roughly January through June of that year's taxes. This shows up as a debit on the seller side of the settlement statement.

Yes. Commission has always been negotiable in Utah and across the country. There is no standard, required, or set rate. The total combined commission and the split between the listing side and buyer's agent compensation are both up to the parties. After the 2024 NAR settlement, buyer's agent compensation must be negotiated separately and disclosed in writing. The default in this calculator is a common Southern Utah figure, not a rule.

In most Utah counties, including Iron and Washington, custom has the seller pay for the owner's title insurance policy that protects the buyer. The buyer pays for the lender's policy that protects their lender. This is convention, not a legal requirement. In a strong seller's market, the parties occasionally negotiate this differently, but the Southern Utah default is that the seller covers the owner's policy.

A net sheet is an estimate prepared before or during the listing process to show the seller a projected walk-away amount. A closing disclosure, or seller settlement statement, is the final line-by-line document the title company produces at closing with the actual numbers. Net sheets are educational. The settlement statement is the legal record.

Most primary-residence sellers in Utah owe nothing thanks to the IRS Section 121 exclusion. If you owned and lived in the home for at least 2 of the last 5 years, you can exclude up to $250,000 of gain filing single, or $500,000 married filing jointly. Investment properties, second homes, and short-hold sales may not qualify and could owe capital gains tax. This calculator does not compute capital gains. Talk to a CPA before listing if you think you might be exposed.

The calculator uses current published Southern Utah title and escrow norms and the commission rate you set. For a typical Cedar City or St. George primary residence, the estimate is usually within a few hundred dollars of the title company's final settlement statement, assuming your sale price, payoff, and tax inputs are accurate. It does not model post-inspection repair credits beyond the optional reserve line, FHA or VA non-allowable charges that may shift to the seller, solar lease assumptions or PACE liens, or specialty water and mineral rights transfers. Scott provides a transaction-specific net sheet during the listing consultation.