Every seller I meet fixates on one number — the commission. It’s a fair question, but it isn’t the whole bill. Between title, taxes, and the credits a buyer asks for after the inspection, the gap between your sale price and the check you actually walk away with is wider than most people plan for. Here’s the honest math for selling in Frisco and across Collin County.

The good news: none of this is a surprise if you run the numbers before you list. A real net sheet — what you keep, not what you list for — turns every line below from a shock into a plan.

The commission is negotiable — and now it’s itemized

Real estate commissions are not set by law and never have been; they’re negotiable. Since the 2024 industry settlement, they’re also unbundled: you negotiate what you pay your listing agent, and separately whether — and how much — you offer toward the buyer’s agent.

In a market where buyers are stretched on both rate and down payment, offering to cover some of the buyer-side fee is often what keeps your home competitive. That’s a strategy conversation for your specific home and price band, not a fixed percentage. Ask any agent to put their fee, and exactly what it includes, in writing before you sign anything.

Title and closing costs — and the Texas quirk

Here’s the one that catches out-of-state sellers off guard: in Texas, the seller customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy. It isn’t small — it scales with the sale price, and on a Frisco home it runs into the thousands. Layer on the rest and it adds up:

• Owner’s title policy — customarily the seller’s cost in Texas, priced off the sale amount
• Escrow / settlement fee — usually split with the buyer
• Document prep, recording, and tax certificates
• HOA resale certificate and transfer fees — most Collin County communities charge these

None of it is dramatic on its own. Together it’s a line you have to budget for, not discover at closing.

Property taxes: you pay for the days you owned it

Texas has no state income tax and comparatively high property taxes — and at closing, those taxes get prorated. You’ll credit the buyer for your share of the year up to the closing date, even though the bill isn’t due until the fall. On a Collin County home at a 1.8–2.2% effective rate, that proration is real money.

If you’re in a newer development with a MUD or PID assessment, that gets prorated too, and it won’t show up in any online estimate. Ask for the full figure in writing.

The pre-list spend: some of it returns, most of it doesn’t

There’s a category of fix that returns more than it costs, and a category that quietly lights money on fire. I’ll walk your house before you spend a dollar and tell you honestly which is which.

• Usually worth it: fresh paint, a deep clean, decluttering, tidy landscaping, fixing the obvious deferred maintenance, and light staging
• Usually not: a brand-new kitchen the month before listing, premium finishes chasing a higher bracket, or over-improving past what the street supports

The goal isn’t the nicest house on the block. It’s the house that shows best against its actual competition this month.

The credits a buyer asks for after inspection

Your price is one number. The check is another. After the option period, buyers come back with an inspection report and a request — repairs, a credit, or a price reduction. Budget for it.

The way you protect yourself here is a pre-list inspection: find the foundation, roof, and HVAC issues before the buyer’s inspector does, so you control the conversation instead of reacting to it. In North Texas, foundation is the one that moves deals — get ahead of it.

The costs that quietly run while it sits

Every month your home is listed, you’re still paying the mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities, and lawn care on it. That’s why days on market is a dollar figure, not a vanity metric — and why pricing correctly in the first two weeks matters more than any other decision you’ll make.

Homes that launch at the right number sell faster and, counterintuitively, for more. Homes that chase the market down almost always net less than if they’d been priced right on day one.

The short version

• The commission is negotiable and now itemized — get it in writing
• In Texas, the seller customarily pays the owner’s title policy — budget for it
• Property taxes prorate to your closing date; MUD/PID too
• Spend on paint, cleaning and staging — not a pre-sale remodel
• Expect a post-inspection ask; a pre-list inspection puts you in control
• Price right in the first two weeks — days on market is money

Thinking about selling in Frisco, Prosper, McKinney, or anywhere in Collin County? I’ll build you a real net sheet — what you’ll actually walk away with — before you list, and tell you honestly what I think the home will do. 847-401-6690.