Net Proceeds: What You Actually Walk Away With Selling an Arizona Home
The first question every seller asks me isn’t “what’s my home worth?” It’s “what do I actually walk away with?” Those are very different numbers. A $600,000 sale doesn’t mean a $600,000 check, and if you’re counting on that money for your next down payment, you need the real figure before you list, not three days before closing.
So in this post I’m going to build a full seller net sheet, the same way I do it at a listing appointment. If you want the fee-by-fee reference, I already wrote that: seller closing costs in Arizona. This one is the math. Three scenarios on a $600,000 Maricopa County sale: a clean deal, a deal with buyer concessions, and a deal with a price cut plus a repair credit. That last one is the most common in 2026.
For context, Phoenix Agent Magazine reported the August 2026 Maricopa County median sale price at $499,990, flat year over year, with sellers receiving 98.1% of asking on average. Homes are taking longer to sell, and that changes what ends up on the net sheet.
How Net Proceeds Actually Work
Net proceeds are simple in concept: the sale price minus everything that gets paid out of it at closing. The escrow company collects the buyer’s funds, pays off your loan, pays everyone else on the settlement statement, and wires you what’s left. The formula:
- Sale price
- minus mortgage payoff (and any HELOC or second lien)
- minus brokerage compensation
- minus title and escrow fees
- minus prorated property taxes and HOA dues
- minus concessions, credits, and repairs you agree to
- = net proceeds
Notice what’s not on that list: your down payment or what you originally paid. Net proceeds are about cash at closing. Profit and taxes are a separate conversation, which I cover further down.
The Three-Scenario Net Sheet on a $600,000 Home
Assumptions: $380,000 mortgage payoff, closing October 15, estimated annual property tax of $3,200, 2.5% listing brokerage fee. Owner’s title policy is estimated from filed Arizona title rates, which run about 0.5% to 0.8% of price. Escrow fee is split 50/50 per Maricopa County custom. I ran these numbers myself; your title company will produce the real one.
| Line item | A: Clean sale | B: 3% concessions | C: Price cut + repairs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $600,000 | $600,000 | $590,000 |
| Mortgage payoff (incl. ~15 days interest) | -$380,000 | -$380,000 | -$380,000 |
| Listing brokerage (2.5%) | -$15,000 | -$15,000 | -$14,750 |
| Buyer-broker compensation | -$15,000 | -$15,000 | -$11,800 |
| Owner’s title policy (est.) | -$3,500 | -$3,500 | -$3,500 |
| Seller half of escrow fee | -$950 | -$950 | -$950 |
| Recording, courier, wire | -$150 | -$150 | -$150 |
| Property tax proration (Jan 1–Oct 15) | -$2,525 | -$2,525 | -$2,525 |
| HOA payoff/transfer/disclosure fees | -$500 | -$500 | -$500 |
| Seller concessions toward buyer costs | $0 | -$18,000 | -$6,000 |
| Repair credit / BINSR repairs | $0 | $0 | -$7,500 |
| Estimated net proceeds | $182,375 | $164,375 | $162,325 |
| Net as % of sale price | 30.4% | 27.4% | 27.5% |
Look at the spread. The clean sale nets about $182,375. Scenario C, which is honestly what a lot of 2026 deals look like, nets about $162,325. That’s a $20,050 difference on what’s technically “the same” house. When I price a listing, I show sellers all three columns, because planning around column A in this market sets you up for disappointment.
How Net Proceeds Scale by Price Point
The $600,000 example is useful, but percentages shift depending on price. Fixed costs like recording and HOA fees matter more on a cheaper home, while commission and title scale with price. Here’s the same clean-sale math (2.5% + 2.5% brokerage, estimated title, half escrow, fees, and about 9.5 months of tax proration at roughly 0.53% of value annually) at different Maricopa County price points, before any mortgage payoff:
| Sale price | Brokerage (5%) | Title + seller escrow | Tax proration | Total selling costs | % of price | Net before payoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | $20,000 | $3,180 | $1,673 | $25,503 | 6.4% | $374,497 |
| $500,000 | $25,000 | $3,800 | $2,091 | $31,541 | 6.3% | $468,459 |
| $600,000 | $30,000 | $4,420 | $2,509 | $37,579 | 6.3% | $562,421 |
| $800,000 | $40,000 | $5,660 | $3,346 | $49,656 | 6.2% | $750,344 |
| $1,200,000 | $60,000 | $8,140 | $5,018 | $73,808 | 6.2% | $1,126,192 |
Two takeaways. First, on a clean deal, plan for selling costs of roughly 6% to 7% of your price. Second, that’s before concessions. In a market where two out of three Phoenix sellers are giving something back, I tell sellers to budget another 1% to 3% as a cushion. If you don’t need it, great, that’s money back in your pocket. If you do, you’re not scrambling.
Time on market matters here too. Every extra month your home sits, you’re paying another mortgage payment, another month of utilities, HOA dues, insurance, and pool service if you have one. On a typical $600,000 Valley home, that carrying cost is easily $3,500 to $4,500 a month. It never shows up on the settlement statement, but it comes straight out of what you walk away with. I break down realistic timelines in how long it takes to sell a home in Arizona.
Brokerage Compensation After the NAR Settlement
Since the 2024 NAR settlement, listing and buyer-broker compensation are separate negotiations, and buyer-broker pay is no longer advertised in the MLS. In practice, most Arizona sellers still offer something toward the buyer’s agent, because buyers who have to pay their own agent out of pocket tend to ask for a concession instead. Oliver Realty’s 2026 state commission report puts the Arizona average at 5.82% total, split roughly 2.91% listing and 2.91% buyer side.
| Structure | Listing side | Buyer side | Total on $600K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona average (2026) | 2.91% | 2.91% | $34,920 |
| Common negotiated | 2.5% | 2.5% | $30,000 |
| Buyer side reduced | 2.5% | 2.0% | $27,000 |
| Seller pays listing only | 2.5% | 0% (buyer pays) | $15,000 (plus likely concession request) |
My honest take: the “offer zero to buyer agents” strategy saves money on paper and costs you buyers in practice. Most buyers using FHA or VA loans, or stretching on a conventional loan, don’t have an extra $12,000 to $15,000 in cash for their agent. You either cover it or you shrink your buyer pool. That said, every listing is different, and we talk through it before you sign anything.
Title, Escrow, and the Fees Nobody Mentions
In Maricopa County, the seller customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy that protects the buyer, and escrow fees are split. Those two lines together run about $4,000 to $5,500 on a $600,000 sale. Then come the small ones:
- Recording and wire fees. Usually $100 to $200 combined.
- HOA fees. Your HOA or its management company charges for the resale disclosure packet and transfer. Arizona caps these under A.R.S. 33-1806 and 33-1260, with inflation adjustments, but between disclosure, statement, and rush fees many sellers pay $400 to $600.
- Home warranty. Optional, but many sellers offer one; figure $500 to $700.
- Payoff interest. Mortgage interest is paid in arrears too, so your payoff includes interest through the day it’s received. Request a current payoff statement; don’t use the balance on your monthly statement.
Property Tax Proration: Why It Shows Up as a Debit
This surprises people every time. Arizona property taxes are paid in arrears: the first half of the year’s bill is due October 1 and the second half March 1. So when you sell, you almost always owe the buyer a credit for the days you owned the home that haven’t been paid yet. Close on October 15 with a $3,200 annual bill, and you’re debited about $2,525 for January 1 through October 15. It’s not an extra tax, it’s your tax, just settled at closing. If you want to understand how your bill is calculated in the first place, see my Maricopa County property tax guide.
Concessions and Repair Credits: The 2026 Reality
According to Redfin, 67.4% of Phoenix-area sellers gave buyers some concession in the most recent period, one of the highest rates in the country. A year ago it was about half. That’s the biggest shift on seller net sheets right now.
Concessions usually come in three forms: closing-cost credits (the buyer’s lender, title, and prepaid costs), rate buydowns, and repair credits after inspection. On the Arizona contract, the buyer sends a Buyer’s Inspection Notice and Seller Response (BINSR) within the inspection period, and you negotiate from there. A credit is often cleaner than doing repairs yourself, but either way it comes out of your net.
The best way to limit concessions is to fix the obvious stuff before you list and price correctly on day one. I go deeper on both in how to increase home value before selling and how to price your home right in 2026. Overpriced homes sit, and homes that sit end up in column C.
Capital Gains: Net Proceeds Aren’t Profit
Your net proceeds check isn’t taxable income by itself. What matters is your gain: sale price minus selling costs minus your adjusted basis (what you paid plus capital improvements). Under Section 121 of the tax code, if you owned and lived in the home as your primary residence for at least two of the last five years, you can exclude up to $250,000 of gain if single or $500,000 if married filing jointly.
| Situation | Federal treatment | Arizona treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Primary residence, gain under exclusion | Excluded under Section 121 | Follows federal; no AZ tax on excluded gain |
| Primary residence, gain above exclusion | Long-term capital gains rates (0/15/20%) plus possible 3.8% NIIT | Taxed as income at the 2.5% flat rate |
| Rental or investment property | Taxable gain plus depreciation recapture; 1031 exchange possible | 2.5% flat rate on taxable gain |
| Owned or lived in less than 2 years | Partial exclusion may apply for job, health, or unforeseen reasons | Follows federal |
Most Maricopa County homeowners I work with fall under the exclusion. The ones who get caught are long-time owners in Scottsdale or Arcadia with big gains, and people selling a former home they turned into a rental. If that’s you, call your CPA before you list.
What Your Net Proceeds Mean for Your Next Move
If you’re selling to buy, your net proceeds are your next down payment and closing costs. That’s why I build the net sheet first and the purchase budget second. And if you need to buy before you sell, the timing gets trickier; I walked through the options in buying and selling at the same time in Phoenix.
A few ways to protect your number:
- Get a real payoff figure from your lender, including any HELOC.
- Price to the market, not to the number you need. The market doesn’t know what you owe.
- Pre-inspect or fix the big stuff (roof, HVAC, water heater) so the BINSR doesn’t turn into a $10,000 credit.
- Negotiate brokerage terms up front and understand how buyer-broker compensation will be handled.
- Time the close with property tax installments and your next purchase in mind.
- Follow a prep plan. My Phoenix home selling checklist covers it step by step.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much will I net selling a $600,000 home in Arizona?
Most Arizona sellers keep roughly 90% to 93% of the sale price before paying off their mortgage. On a $600,000 Maricopa County sale, brokerage, title, escrow, tax prorations, and HOA fees typically total $36,000 to $40,000 on a clean deal. Add buyer concessions or repair credits, which about two-thirds of Phoenix sellers now give, and costs can climb to $45,000 to $55,000. Then subtract your loan payoff.
Who pays for title insurance when selling a home in Arizona?
In Maricopa County, the seller customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy, and the escrow fee is split 50/50. The owner’s policy is based on sale price and usually runs about 0.5% to 0.8% of price, or roughly $3,000 to $4,800 on a $600,000 home. The buyer pays for the lender’s policy. These customs are negotiable in the purchase contract.
Why do I owe property taxes at closing in Arizona?
Arizona property taxes are paid in arrears, so sellers credit the buyer for the portion of the year they owned the home that hasn’t been paid yet. Maricopa County bills in two halves, due October 1 and March 1. Escrow calculates your share through the closing date and shows it as a debit on your settlement statement. It’s your own tax bill, just settled at closing.
Do I pay capital gains tax when I sell my house in Arizona?
Most homeowners don’t, because the federal Section 121 exclusion shields up to $250,000 of gain (single) or $500,000 (married filing jointly) on a primary residence. You must have owned and lived in the home for two of the last five years. Gain above the exclusion is taxed at federal long-term capital gains rates and by Arizona at the 2.5% flat income tax rate. Rentals don’t qualify but may use a 1031 exchange.
How long after closing do I get my money in Arizona?
Arizona sellers usually receive their net proceeds by wire the same day the deed records, or the next business day. Maricopa County records electronically, so most closings fund and record within hours. Confirm wire instructions by phone with your escrow officer at a known number, never from an email, to avoid wire fraud.
Want Your Real Number?
Every net sheet in this post is an estimate. Yours depends on your payoff, your HOA, your price point, and what the market is doing the week you list. If you’re thinking about selling anywhere in Maricopa County, I’ll build you a custom three-scenario net sheet, no pressure and no obligation. Reach out here and let’s find out what you’ll actually walk away with.
