Guides · Sky Realty Associates
What it costs to sell a house in New Jersey
Knowing your costs up front tells you what you will actually take home. These are the usual seller costs in New Jersey. Your attorney gives you the exact numbers for your sale.
Updated October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
The main costs
Real estate commission. Commission is negotiable - there is no set rate in New Jersey. Ask what is included: pricing, photos, marketing, open houses and negotiation.
Attorney fees. Most New Jersey home sales use attorneys. After the contract is signed, the buyer and seller each have three business days of attorney review.
Realty transfer fee. The seller pays New Jersey's realty transfer fee when the deed is recorded. It rises with the sale price. A reduced fee applies to qualifying senior citizens aged 62 or older, blind or disabled persons, and sales of low and moderate income housing.
Graduated fee on sales over $1 million. Since July 10, 2025 the seller - not the buyer - pays this fee (formerly called the "mansion tax"): 1% over $1 million up to $2 million, 2% up to $2.5 million, 2.5% up to $3 million, 3% up to $3.5 million and 3.5% above $3.5 million, applied to the whole price.
Mortgage payoff and property taxes. Your remaining loan is paid at closing, and property taxes are split between buyer and seller to the day of closing.
Certificates and repairs. New Jersey requires a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm and fire extinguisher certificate when a one- or two-family home is sold, and many towns require their own inspection. Repairs or credits agreed after the buyer's inspection also come off your proceeds.
How to keep more of the price
Price it right from the start - homes priced well sell faster and with fewer price cuts. Fix small problems before listing so the inspection goes smoothly, and get your town's certificate inspections scheduled early.
Ask a Sky Realty agent for a free price opinion and an estimate of your net proceeds.
Questions people ask
Who pays the New Jersey mansion tax now?
Since July 10, 2025 the seller pays the graduated fee on sales over $1 million (1% to 3.5% depending on the price), under the 2025 state budget law.
Who pays the realty transfer fee in New Jersey?
The seller pays the realty transfer fee when the deed is recorded. A reduced fee applies to qualifying senior citizens aged 62 or older, blind or disabled persons, and sales of low and moderate income housing.
Is real estate commission fixed in New Jersey?
No. Commission is negotiable between the seller and the brokerage.