Your Sale Price Isn't Your Take-Home Number: Reading a Seller Net Sheet
A net sheet starts with the sale price and subtracts selling costs, credits, taxes, and loan payoffs. It estimates what you'll receive at closing; it isn't a final closing statement or a promise of proceeds.
Start with the money that matters to your move
A $300,000 offer doesn't mean $300,000 will reach your bank account. If you're buying another home, dividing estate proceeds, or paying off debt, the amount left matters more than the headline.
I want you to see that estimate before we list and again when offers arrive. You should be able to follow the math without needing someone to translate every line.
Read it from top to bottom
Start with the proposed price. Subtract the agreed listing fee, any buyer-agent compensation or buyer credits, estimated title and closing costs, applicable transfer fee, and property-tax proration.
Then account for mortgage and other lien payoffs. Use a current payoff estimate rather than the last statement balance: interest, release charges, and timing can change the amount.
If a repair program is involved, show its repayment and fees separately. Don't hide those in a general closing-cost line.
Mark what's known and what's estimated
The agreed commission may be known. The exact closing date, tax calculation, lender payoff, or title charge may still be an estimate.
Ask what each estimate is based on. A useful sheet tells you which figures could move and who will confirm them. Keep contractor bills already paid separate from costs deducted at closing, so nothing gets counted twice.
Compare offers using the same assumptions
Put both offers on the same worksheet. If one buyer wants a credit, subtract it. If one closes later, compare the added carrying costs separately.
Be careful with mortgage payments in that comparison. Principal repayment changes your loan balance; it isn't all an extra expense. We should avoid counting the same dollars as both a carrying cost and a payoff.
Refresh before you make the next commitment
When terms change, the net sheet should change too. Before closing, compare it with the actual settlement statement and ask the closing company about differences.
A net sheet gives you a better question than “Which offer is highest?” It lets you ask “What would I keep, and what has to happen to get it?”
Questions people ask about this
Is a net sheet a guarantee?+
No. It's an estimate based on stated assumptions. Final charges and payoffs come through closing.
Does it include my mortgage?+
It should if you're trying to estimate cash you'll receive. Check that the payoff is current.
Are repairs counted twice?+
They shouldn't be. Separate bills already paid from amounts that will be deducted at closing.
Why does a later closing matter?+
It can change interest, taxes, utilities, insurance, and other carrying costs.
Can the highest offer leave me with less?+
Yes. Credits, fees, repair obligations, and timing can change what you keep.
Get a starting number. You don’t have to decide today.
Start with a free online estimate, then ask me to check your updates, repairs, and nearby sales before you pick a price.
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