Sellers tend to think about sale price. Buyers of your house think about sale price. But the number that actually determines what happens to you is net proceeds — what lands in your account after everything comes out. Here is everything that comes out.
Agent commission
In a conventional sale this is usually the largest single line item. Historically total commissions in most markets ran in the 5–6% range, split between the listing side and the buyer's side. Since the industry-wide changes that took effect in 2024, buyer-agent compensation is negotiated separately rather than advertised through the MLS, and commissions overall are more openly negotiable than they once were. Ask directly what you will pay and get it in writing.
Documentary stamp tax and recording
Oklahoma charges a documentary stamp tax on deeds conveying real property where the consideration exceeds $100, at a rate of $0.75 per $500 of consideration (or any fractional part of it). That rate has been stable for a long time.
On top of that, the deed has to be recorded with the county clerk: a flat statutory fee for the first page, a smaller fee for each additional page, and a records preservation fee per instrument. A standard two-page deed typically comes to a modest flat amount.
Oklahoma law does not assign the documentary stamp tax to either buyer or seller by default — who pays it is a matter of the purchase contract and local closing custom.
Other closing costs
- Title insurance and title search. Who pays varies by contract and custom.
- Closing or escrow fee charged by the title company.
- Prorated property taxes for the portion of the year you owned the house.
- Mortgage payoff, including any interest accrued to the payoff date and potentially a prepayment charge on some loans.
- Liens and judgments against the property, paid from proceeds.
- HOA dues and transfer fees, where applicable.
The costs sellers forget
These three are routinely left out of the mental math, and they are frequently larger than the ones above:
Pre-listing repairs and preparation
Paint, flooring, landscaping, cleaning, minor repairs, and staging. Whatever it takes to make the house show well.
Post-inspection concessions
Very few sales close at the accepted offer price. The inspection produces a report, the report produces a request for credits or repairs, and money comes off the top. Budget for this.
Carrying costs
Mortgage, property tax, insurance, and utilities for every month the house sits on the market and then sits under contract. On a typical metro house, three months of carrying costs is real money, and it is money you spend before you get paid.
Work out your real number
Net proceeds = sale price − commission − closing costs − documentary stamp tax and recording − prep and repairs − post-inspection concessions − carrying costs − mortgage and lien payoffs
This is also the only fair way to compare a conventional listing against a direct cash sale. In a cash sale most of those lines are zero: no commission, typically no closing costs charged to you, no prep, no repairs, no concessions, and days rather than months of carrying cost. The headline price is lower; the subtractions are much smaller. Run both all the way down before you decide.
General information about Oklahoma procedure, not legal or tax advice. Consult a licensed Oklahoma attorney or tax professional about your own situation.
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