A $300,000 sale price is not a $300,000 check. Between commissions, Washington’s excise tax, closing costs, and your mortgage payoff, a real chunk of the price is spoken for before you see a dime.

Here’s the math for a typical $300,000 sale in Pierce County, line by line, plus how to run the numbers for your own house.

The Quick Answer

On a $300,000 sale in Pierce County, most sellers pay roughly $25,000 to $30,000 in selling costs — agent commissions, Washington’s real estate excise tax, title and escrow fees, and pre-sale prep. That leaves about $270,000 before your mortgage is paid off. With a $150,000 mortgage balance, you’d walk away with roughly $120,000 to $125,000.

The Line-by-Line Math

Line item	Typical in Pierce County	On a $300,000 sale
Sale price		$300,000
Listing agent commission	About 2.5–3%	– $9,000 (3%)
Buyer’s agent commission (if you offer it)	Negotiable, often 2–2.5%	– $7,500 (2.5%)
Washington real estate excise tax	1.1% state + about 0.5% local	– $4,800
Title, escrow, and recording fees	Varies by company	– $2,500 (estimate)
Repairs, cleaning, and prep before listing	Varies widely	– $5,000 (example)
Selling costs subtotal	About 8–10% of price	– $28,800
Mortgage payoff	Your remaining balance	– $150,000 (example)
Your estimated net		≈ $121,200

Every number above moves with your situation, so treat this as a starting point, not a quote. Here’s what drives each line.

Where the Money Goes

Agent commissions

Commissions are the biggest selling cost for most people. Since the 2024 industry settlement, what the buyer’s agent is paid is negotiated separately rather than baked into the listing, and sellers aren’t required to offer it. Many still do, because it helps attract buyers. Either way, every percentage point on a $300,000 sale is $3,000.

Washington’s real estate excise tax

Washington charges sellers an excise tax on every sale. The state portion is graduated; for the part of the price up to $525,000, it’s 1.1%. Most Pierce County cities add a local 0.5% on top, so a $300,000 sale typically pays about 1.6%, or around $4,800. It’s paid at closing, before the deed can be recorded. The Washington Department of Revenue publishes the current rates for every city.

Title, escrow, and closing fees

Sellers in Washington typically pay for the buyer’s owner’s title insurance policy and split the escrow fee, plus smaller recording and document fees. Your property taxes are also prorated to the closing date, so you’ll settle up for the part of the year you owned the house.

Mortgage payoff

Your lender is paid first, straight out of escrow. The payoff is your balance plus interest through the payoff date, so it’s usually a little higher than the balance on your last statement. If there’s a second mortgage, a HELOC, or a lien, those come off the top too.

Repairs, prep, and inspection credits

This is the line sellers most often underestimate. Beyond cleaning and touch-ups before listing, the buyer’s inspection usually produces a repair list, and most sellers end up fixing items or giving a credit to keep the deal together. On an older house, that number can run well past the $5,000 example above.

The cost of waiting

Every month the house is on the market, you’re still paying the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and utilities. Those holding costs don’t show up on the closing statement, but they come out of the same pocket.

Will You Owe Capital Gains Tax?

For most homeowners selling their primary residence, no. If you’ve owned and lived in the home for at least two of the last five years, federal rules let you exclude up to $250,000 of profit ($500,000 for married couples filing jointly). Washington’s separate 7% capital gains tax does not apply to real estate sales.

Rentals, second homes, and inherited properties follow different rules. Inherited houses generally get a “stepped-up” basis, which often means little or no gain — our guide to selling an inherited house in Washington covers that. A CPA can confirm your situation.

How to Estimate Your Own Number

Start with a realistic sale price — what similar homes near you have actually sold for, not what they were listed at.
Subtract about 7–8% for commissions, excise tax, and closing costs.
Subtract your mortgage payoff and any other liens.
Subtract what you’d realistically spend on repairs, prep, and inspection credits for your house’s condition.

For an exact figure on your house, ask a title company or listing agent for a “seller net sheet.”

How the Math Changes When You Sell As-Is

Selling as-is to a cash buyer changes almost every line on that sheet. The price is lower, because the buyer is taking on the repairs. But depending on the buyer, the commissions, the closing costs, the prep, the inspection credits, and the months of holding costs can all drop off.

At Jay Primrose Properties, there are no commissions or fees and we pay all closing costs, so the number on our offer is the number you work from. The honest way to decide is to compare net to net: what a listing would realistically put in your pocket after everything above, versus what an as-is sale puts in your pocket. If the house is in good shape and you have time, listing often wins, and we’ll tell you if we think that’s true for your house. If it needs real work or time matters, the gap is often smaller than people expect. You can see how our process works or read more about selling a house in poor condition.

Get Your Own Number

If you’re weighing whether to list or sell your house fast in Tacoma or anywhere in Pierce County, one call gets you a firm as-is number to put next to your listing estimate — no pressure, no obligation. Call Justin at (253) 697-0007 or request your offer here.

This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Costs vary by property, city, lender, and title company.