Beyond Zillow: Calculating Your True Home Sale Profits"

The One Number You Need Before Selling: Calculating Real Net Proceeds Michele Wollet, a licensed real estate broker with 40 years of experience, explains that retirees should focus on their real net proceeds—what actually lands in their bank account after selling—rather than Zillow’s estimate, which can be off by 2% to over 6% and doesn’t account for a home’s unique factors. She outlines how to calculate net proceeds by starting with a realistic comparable-based sale price and subtracting agent commission (typically 5–6%), seller closing costs (about 1–3%), repairs and staging, remaining mortgage balance, moving costs, and potential capital gains taxes (noting the IRS exclusion of $250,000 single/$500,000 married if residency requirements are met). Using a $350,000 example, she shows net proceeds of $310,750 and urges listeners to run their own numbers, seek an honest agent CMA, and evaluate whether the result supports their next chapter. 00:00 Calculating Your Real Net Proceeds 12:07 Opening Hook