Key Details:
- Clever Offers reports that selling a home in 2025 costs an average of $67,245, more than triple seller expectations of $18,557.
- Repairs alone averaged $21,024, commissions totaled $27,895, and closing costs came in at $8,217.
- With 55% of sellers blindsided by expenses and 80% left with regrets, agents play a crucial role in setting expectations.
Selling a home has never been cheap, but in 2025, the costs are reaching eye-watering levels.
According to new data from Clever Offers, the average cost of selling a home has climbed to $67,245, more than triple what sellers expected to pay.
That disconnect between expectation and reality is more than a budgeting hiccup. Take it as a reminder of how important it is to set expectations early for and guide clients through the true cost of selling.
Read on for data points you’ll want to share.
The Real Price Tag of a Home Sale
Sellers walked into the process thinking they’d spend about $18,557 to get their homes sold.
Instead, the final bill averaged more than $67,000, leaving 55% of sellers surprised (not in a fun way) and 40% feeling financially squeezed. Almost one in four even took on debt to cover selling costs.
The average cost of a home sale included:
- Repairs and renovations: $21,024
- Listing agent commission: $14,204
- Buyer’s agent commission: $13,691
- Closing costs: $8,217
- Concessions to the buyer: $5,277
- Moving costs: $2,439
- Marketing and staging: $2,393
For many, the cumulative effect of these costs came as a shock and a painful hit to their bottom line.
Closing Costs and Commission: The Pain Points
Among all the expenses, sellers pointed to closing costs as the most unexpectedly expensive and least worthwhile. At $8,217 on average, these fees often felt unclear, with 20% of sellers saying they weren’t even explained to them.
Agent commission sparked its own frustrations.
Sellers typically spent $27,895 in total, with 19% saying they regretted how much they paid.
Still, most represented sellers acknowledged the value: 72% said their agent was worth the cost, and 81% were satisfied with their decision to work with one.
Key frustrations include:
- 24% said they overspent on closing costs
- 21% felt closing costs were least worth the money
- 19% regretted the financial toll of their agent’s commission, saying it was too high
- 72% of represented sellers said their agent was worth the money
The bottom line: commissions aren’t the problem when clients understand what they’re paying for. Transparency and demonstrated value matter more than ever.
Why FSBO Does Not Deliver the Savings
Some sellers tried to cut costs by skipping an agent. Two-thirds of unrepresented sellers (67%) believed they saved money without one.
The numbers tell a different story.
On average, those sellers saved just $5,953 more than represented sellers. They also spent significantly more on repairs, concessions, and closing fees, costs that an experienced agent could have helped manage.
They also had to go through the entire process alone, managing everything from listing their home to marketing it to negotiating terms with buyers and their agents and finally closing.
I knew a guy who was proud of selling his own home and avoiding the cost of an agent’s commission, even when he admitted he may have set the price too low. His clue? Dozens of buyers parked near his home well before the open house started. He received an offer within minutes of opening the door.
For some folks, selling quickly takes priority over profits. For plenty others…it does not.
More than half (56%) of the sellers in Clever’s survey later admitted they regretted selling without representation, and 60% believe they would have sold for a higher price with an agent.
The profit gap backs that up: 84% of represented sellers made money on their sale, compared to just 68% of unrepresented sellers.
What looks like savings up front often turns into lost profit down the line.
The Profit Picture
Even with high costs, most sellers still made money thanks to years of appreciation.
In 2025, profits averaged $166,702, up 14% from last year. But half of the surveyed sellers said those profits were smaller than they expected.
The report highlights:
- 79% of sellers made a profit
- 51% said profits were lower than expected due to costs
- 43% lowered their asking price
- 34% ended up selling below their asking price
For many, what frustrated them was not making as large a profit as they thought they would, meaning they faced unexpected costs and had less money left over than they expected. Rather than feeling guided through the process, they were left to stumble from one surprise expense to the next.
And that segues nicely to our next point.
Regret Is the Common Theme
Clever’s report found that 80% of sellers had regrets about their sale.
High commission costs topped the list, but sellers also wished they’d made more money, negotiated harder with buyers, or waited for a better market.
Closing costs were another sore spot, with 14% citing them as a top regret.
Other top regrets included:
- Commission was too high (19%)
- Did not make enough money on the sale (17%)
- Did not negotiate enough with the buyer (16%)
- Underestimated selling costs (15%)
In hindsight, three-quarters of sellers said they would have done something differently, from negotiating more with buyers to listing at a higher price or budgeting more realistically from the start.
On average, they believe smarter decisions could have put $35,915 more in their pockets.
The numbers tell a consistent story: sellers are often unprepared for the true cost of selling a home, and that lack of preparation leads to regret.
Agents who educate their clients up front on commissions, repairs, concessions, and all the hidden fees can prevent frustration and build trust.
That includes:
- Walking sellers through a full cost breakdown at the start
- Offering guidance on which repairs provide the highest ROI
- Helping sellers set realistic expectations for concessions and closing costs
When sellers understand where the money goes and how each choice affects their bottom line, they’re far less likely to second-guess their decision to work with an agent.
And in a market where 80% of sellers walk away with regrets, being the professional who helps them avoid that outcome is a potent differentiator.
