Most sellers walk into a listing appointment focused on one number. What can we get for it?
The number that actually matters sits further down the page. It's the one at the bottom of the net sheet, what lands in your account on closing day.
I bring a net sheet to every listing appointment, and I bring more than one. Here is how to read it, and which lines are worth asking about.
First: a net sheet is an estimate, not a bill
Nothing on it is final until the closing statement is issued. It's a projection built on a price nobody has agreed to yet.
That's not a reason to ignore it. It's a reason to read it as a range. A net sheet should be run at three prices, your list price, a realistic contract price, and a price you would not love but would accept. If the bottom line still works at the low end, you can negotiate from a calm place. If it doesn't, you have learned something important before the sign goes in the yard.
The lines you decide before you list
Sale price. The only real input, and the least certain one. Everything else on the page is a function of it.
Brokerage compensation. Negotiated and documented up front in your listing agreement. It should appear on the net sheet exactly as you agreed it, no surprises, nothing described to you as "standard." If you don't understand how it's structured or who it compensates, ask before you sign, not at closing.
Title and closing fees. In Florida, who pays for the owner's title insurance policy is customary rather than statutory, and the custom varies by county. In Central Florida it is commonly a seller expense, but it is negotiable, and in a competitive offer it sometimes moves. Know which column it's sitting in on your sheet.
The lines that are mostly fixed
Transfer taxes and recording. Florida charges a documentary stamp tax on the deed, calculated on the sale price, plus recording fees. These scale directly with price and aren't negotiable. Ask your agent or title company for the current rate so you can run the math yourself.
Your mortgage payoff. This is the line sellers most often get wrong, and it is not your statement balance. A payoff includes interest through the actual closing date, and sometimes a recording or wire fee. On a seven-figure loan, the gap between "balance" and "payoff" is not small. Order it early.
The lines that move
Prorations. Property taxes get divided between you and the buyer based on the closing date. So do HOA dues, and CDD assessments where you have them. Depending on the month you close, this shows up as a credit or a debit, and it can swing by a meaningful amount.
Liens, assessments and open permits. A special assessment, an unresolved permit, an old contractor lien, anything attached to the property gets cleared at closing out of your proceeds. Most sellers don't know one exists until title turns it up. That is an argument for getting your paperwork together before you list, not during inspection week.
Concessions and repairs. This is the line that is never on the first net sheet and almost always on the last one. A post-inspection credit, a rate buy-down, a contribution toward closing costs. Ask what a typical concession looks like in your price band so the number doesn't land as a shock in week three.
At the upper price points, the percentages stop being abstract
Every line on this page scales with the sale price. A small difference in how one item is handled is a rounding error on a starter home and real money at $1.5M.
That's also why I would rather have the uncomfortable conversation at the listing appointment than at the closing table. The sellers who negotiate well are the ones who already know their floor.
What it depends on
Your loan, your county, your HOA or CDD, whatever is attached to the title, and your closing date. Two nearly identical homes in two different counties can net differently.
If you want to see your actual numbers before you decide about listing — or relisting — book a call. I'll run your net sheet at three prices and we'll look at the bottom line together instead of the headline.
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