Selling · 6 min read
What Are Seller Closing Costs in Pennsylvania?
The sale price is not what you walk away with. Selling a house in Pennsylvania comes with its own set of costs, some expected and some that surprise sellers at the closing table. Here is what actually comes out of your proceeds, and where a cash sale changes the math.
Published July 14, 2026
The big ones
A few costs make up most of what a sale takes off the top:
- Real estate commission. Usually the largest cost, split between the listing and buyer agents. It is negotiable and worth discussing upfront.
- Pennsylvania transfer tax. The state charges 1 percent and most municipalities and school districts add another 1 percent, for 2 percent total, typically split between buyer and seller by local custom.
- Your remaining mortgage payoff. Not a fee, but it comes out of the proceeds at closing.
The smaller ones that add up
Then come the line items that are easy to forget:
- Title and settlement fees.
- Prorated property taxes owed through the closing date.
- Any buyer closing-cost help you agreed to.
- Deed preparation and notary fees.
The costs before you even list
Traditional sales also carry pre-sale costs that are easy to overlook: repairs from the buyer's inspection, staging or cleaning, and the carrying costs (mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities) for every month the home sits on the market. On a home that needs work, those can add up fast.
Where a cash sale changes the math
A cash sale trades a bit of top-line price for a much shorter, cheaper list of costs. There are no agent commissions, no repairs, no staging, and no months of carrying costs, and Apex covers the typical closing costs. It is not always more money in your pocket, but sometimes it is, once you subtract everything a traditional sale costs. We will show you both numbers.
Common Questions
Quick answers.
The questions this guide gets most.
Between commission, transfer tax, and settlement fees, sellers commonly pay somewhere around 7 to 9 percent of the sale price in a traditional sale, before any repairs or carrying costs. The exact figure depends on your commission and the local transfer-tax split.
By custom it is usually split evenly between buyer and seller, though it is negotiable. The combined state and local rate is commonly 2 percent of the sale price.
We cover the typical closing costs on our cash purchases, and there are no commissions or repair costs. What we offer is what you get, and we put it in writing.
See what you'd net
We'll lay out what your home would net listed and what we'd pay in cash, so you can compare the real numbers.