Most sellers in Staten Island and Brooklyn walk into the listing conversation with a number in their head: the price they want. Almost none of them walk in with the more important number — the price they will actually pocket after every line item is paid out at closing. In NYC, the gap between those two numbers is wider than almost anywhere else in the country.
The Standard NYC Seller Cost Stack
For a typical Staten Island or Brooklyn home sale, the seller pays the following layers in this order:
- Agent commission — typically 5 to 6 percent total, split between the listing broker and the buyer’s broker.
- NYC Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT) — 1.0 percent on residential sales of $500,000 or less, jumping to 1.425 percent above $500,000.
- NYS Real Estate Transfer Tax — a flat 0.4 percent of the consideration.
- NYS supplemental tax on $1M+ sales — an additional 0.65 percent that the seller pays.
- Attorney fee — usually $2,500 to $4,000 in NYC.
- Title and payoff fees — title search, satisfaction of mortgage, courier, and miscellaneous fees that typically run $1,000 to $2,000.
- Co-op flip tax (if applicable) — 1 to 3 percent of the sale price, set by your building’s proprietary lease.
A Real Staten Island Example
Let’s walk through a $750,000 home in Oakwood with a $300,000 mortgage payoff. Commission at 5 percent is $37,500. NYC RPTT at 1.425 percent is $10,687. NYS transfer at 0.4 percent is $3,000. Attorney $2,500. Title fees $1,500. Total deductions before mortgage payoff: $55,187. Subtract the $300,000 payoff and the seller walks with $394,813 — or about 53 percent of the gross sale price. This is the kind of math sellers need to see before they pick a list price, not after.
Where Sellers Actually Lose Money
The transfer taxes are non-negotiable, set by law. Where you can move the needle is on commission structure (which I’m always happy to discuss), repair credits and concessions (which we head off with proper pre-listing prep), and avoiding the dreaded $1,000,001 sale price that triggers the supplemental tax surcharge. Pricing strategically at $999,000 instead of $1.05M can sometimes save you almost $7,000 in NYS transfer tax — and net you the same buyers.
Run Your Numbers
Plug your details into the free calculator — no email required, no sign-up wall.
What This Calculator Does Differently
Most online “net proceeds” tools ignore the 0.65 percent NYS supplemental tax, the co-op flip tax, and any concession credits. Mine includes all of them, defaults to NYC-realistic fee ranges, and shows you a line-by-line breakdown so you understand exactly where each dollar went. If you’re thinking about listing in 2026, run your numbers first. The result will probably change how you think about pricing.
Want a custom net sheet for your specific home? Book a 20-minute consultation and I’ll walk you through it.
