What does it cost to sell a house in Seattle?

Selling a home in Seattle involves a stack of closing costs beyond broker compensation, including Washington's Real Estate Excise Tax, escrow fees, title insurance, recording charges, prorated property taxes, and any concessions you've agreed to. None of these costs are identical from sale to sale, and most are negotiable in your purchase and sale agreement. The only reliable way to know your actual net proceeds is to run a personalized seller net sheet with someone who knows this market.

The Full Seattle Seller Cost Stack

Here's what I walk every seller through before we even talk about list price. Understanding each category, what it is, who typically pays it, and whether it's negotiable, is how you avoid surprises on closing day.

Broker Compensation

Broker fees are the most visible line item on a seller's closing statement, and they're also the most misunderstood post-settlement. Here's what matters: broker compensation is fully negotiable, there is no standard, customary, or fixed rate set by law. Under chapter 18.85 RCW, Washington licenses real estate brokers and firms but sets no commission amounts. The Washington State Department of Licensing confirms broker fees must be negotiated between the licensee and their client.

Your listing-side fee is agreed in your listing agreement. Any compensation a seller chooses to offer a buyer's agent is a separate, optional, and independently negotiable decision, it is not automatically bundled in, and it is no longer communicated through the MLS. If you want to understand what makes sense for your situation, that's a conversation to have directly with me before you sign anything.

Real Estate Excise Tax (REET)

This is Washington's transfer tax, and it's the one cost on the seller's side that has a statutory basis. Under chapter 82.45 RCW, an excise tax is imposed on each sale of real property based on the selling price. The Washington State Department of Revenue confirms REET is typically paid by the seller, but payment can be negotiated between buyer and seller in the purchase and sale agreement.

For Seattle sales, you're dealing with two REET components: the state-level tax and a local add-on. King County Treasury collects and remits REET for all transactions within the county, and the tax is due the moment the deed is presented for recording, King County won't record without it. Your escrow company calculates the amount based on the contract price and remits it to the county at closing; it shows up as a tax line item on your side of the settlement statement.

One thing worth knowing if you're selling a higher-priced home: Washington's state REET has been on a graduated rate structure since January 1, 2020, per RCW 82.45.060. That means a larger share of a luxury-price sale falls into upper brackets, so the REET burden is proportionally heavier at the top of the market. The Department of Revenue's current rate schedule, the most recent published as of July 2026, is available directly on their REET page.

One clarification that comes up often: Washington does not impose a separate documentary transfer tax beyond REET, and Seattle has no independent municipal transfer tax. REET, state plus local, is the transfer-tax component for a typical Seattle sale.

Escrow and Title

In Seattle and King County, closings almost always run through a third-party escrow company. The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) regulates escrow agents and describes escrow as a neutral third party that holds funds and documents until all conditions of the sale are met. Escrow and title are separate services, sometimes handled by different firms, sometimes by the same title company with an escrow division.

Here's what escrow actually does for your transaction: opens the file after mutual acceptance, collects payoff information on your existing mortgage, coordinates with the title company, prepares the settlement statement, disburses funds at closing, pays off any liens, remits REET to King County, and files the deed for recording. The sale isn't legally complete until that deed is recorded.

On the title side, the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner explains that title insurance protects against defects in title, and lenders typically require a lender's policy as security for the buyer's mortgage. An owner's title policy, which protects the buyer, is also commonly purchased. Who pays for which policy is a matter of local custom and contract negotiation; title companies operating in Washington note that responsibility can be altered by agreement between the parties. This is exactly the kind of line item I negotiate on behalf of my sellers depending on market conditions.

Prorations, Payoffs, and Other Line Items

Beyond the big three, compensation, REET, and escrow/title, a Seattle seller's closing statement typically includes several additional items.

• Property tax prorations. King County property taxes are billed in two installments: first half due April 30, second half due October 31. Your proration is calculated based on your actual closing date, you're responsible for your share of the year's taxes up to closing, and the buyer covers the period after. Depending on timing and whether you've already paid, this shows up as either a debit or a credit on your settlement statement. Escrow handles the math.
• HOA and COA dues. If you're selling a condo or townhome in a community with monthly dues, those are prorated to the closing date as well. Any unpaid amounts are owed by the seller; any prepaid amounts are credited back. Special assessments get the same treatment, escrow works from the association's ledger.
• Mortgage payoff and reconveyance. If you have an existing mortgage, your lender's payoff amount, including any per-diem interest to the closing date, comes off your proceeds. There's also a trustee's reconveyance fee for releasing the deed of trust once the loan is paid. These aren't negotiable, but they are predictable; your escrow officer will get the payoff figure directly from your lender.
• Recording fees. King County charges recording fees for the deed and any related documents. These are relatively modest but appear on the closing statement.
• Miscellaneous. Depending on your contract and situation, you might also see a home warranty premium (if you've agreed to provide one), wire or courier fees, or other negotiated allowances.

Seller Concessions

Concessions are where net proceeds can shift significantly, and where a lot of sellers get caught off guard. Since mortgage rates rose starting in 2022, the National Association of REALTORS® has documented a national increase in seller concessions, including closing-cost credits, rate buy-downs, and inspection-related repairs. Seattle has followed that pattern, particularly for properties that aren't drawing multiple offers.

Common concessions in Seattle transactions right now include:

• Closing-cost credits, a dollar amount applied at closing toward the buyer's costs
• Interest-rate buy-down credits, funds the buyer uses to purchase mortgage points and lower their rate
• Inspection repair credits or agreed repairs, either a credit toward items found in inspection, or a commitment to fix them before closing

Every one of these reduces your net proceeds, even though they may look like buyer-side benefits on the closing disclosure. I always tell my sellers: a concession is a price reduction by another name. Whether it makes sense to offer one, and how much, depends entirely on your specific property, the offer in front of you, and what the market is doing in your neighborhood at that moment. That's not a number I can put in a blog post; it's a conversation.

What the Closing Statement Actually Looks Like

Near closing, your escrow officer prepares a settlement statement, and for financed transactions, a Closing Disclosure, that itemizes every debit and credit on both sides of the transaction. As a seller, your side shows all the costs above as debits against your sale proceeds, with any credits (like prepaid taxes) working in your favor.

The table below summarizes the cost categories, their legal basis, and negotiability, without dollar amounts, because those depend entirely on your sale price, closing date, contract terms, and market conditions.