Cost to Sell a House in New Hampshire: Seller Closing Costs Revealed

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  Written by Greg Isaacson

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  Edited by Steve Nicastro

Cost to sell in New Hampshire | Realtor commission | How to save | Closing cost calculator | FAQs

The average cost to sell a house in New Hampshire is 6.16% of a home’s final sale price, which includes realtor commission (5.12% of the sale price) and seller closing costs (1.0%).

It costs home sellers in the Granite State an average of $26,076 to sell a home priced at $421,015 (New Hampshire’s average home price).

Thankfully, you can save thousands on your home sale by using an agent matching service like Clever Real Estate. Clever has negotiated a reduced listing commission of 1.5% – far lower than the New Hampshire average of 2.66%.

Here’s a complete breakdown of the average costs of selling a house in New Hampshire, including tips on how to save on your sale.

Cost of selling a house in New Hampshire

*Costs assume a sale price of $421,015. Numbers are rounded off and may not be 100% precise.

The cost of selling a home in New Hampshire is about average for the U.S. The table above shows that sellers pay 6.16% of the home’s purchase price when factoring in realtor commissions and seller closing costs.

That’s slightly higher than the national average of 6.53%. And with New Hampshire’s relatively low home values, it’s a bit cheaper to sell on a total cost basis compared to the national average.

Overall home prices in New Hampshire are high compared to the regional (and national) average. Neighboring Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont are all less expensive states.

New Hampshire’s cost to sell as a percentage of the home price is also higher than other states in the region at 6.16%. Sellers pay an average of $26,076 in New Hampshire.

Home values vary quite a bit across the state, so your total home sale costs will also vary. Median sale prices in New Hampshire ranged from $227,450 in Coos County to $513,750 in Rockingham County in August, according to data from New Hampshire Realtors.

To determine the current market value of a your home, you can ask a real estate agent for a free comparative market analysis (CMA). Most real estate agents consider it a part of their job to provide a CMA report when you ask about listing your home. (It’s a way for them to show you that they’re knowledgeable about the local market and hopefully earn your future business.)

Here’s an example of your potential costs at various price points, including realtor fees and seller closing costs.

The main factors impacting your New Hampshire home sale costs include: 

Typical real estate agent commission in your area

While the statewide average rate is 5.12%, rates may be higher or lower depending on what’s normal in your area.

Your success (or failure) in negotiating rates

Realtor fees aren’t fixed — they are completely negotiable. You may be able to negotiate a rate lower than what’s typical in your area.

How successful you are in negotiating realtor fees depends on a variety of factors, including your property value, local market demand, and your agent’s relationship with their brokerage.

How you find a realtor

You can potentially save thousands in realtor fees (without sacrificing service) by finding an experienced realtor through an agent-matching service like Clever Real Estate. 

Clever has pre-negotiated a 1.5% listing agent fee with agents in its network, much lower than the typical listing agent commission rate of 2.66%.

Optional costs

The estimated total cost to sell of 6.16% in New Hampshire does not include other potential costs like home staging, deep cleaning, and pre-listing repairs, which could add thousands more to your home sale costs.

Your negotiated contract

New Hampshire home sellers are typically responsible for covering all commissions, state transfer taxes, title fees, and prorated property taxes.

Sellers may also be responsible for home preparation costs, a pre-listing appraisal and inspection, attorney fees, homeowners association (HOA) fees, and a mortgage payoff.

Buyers take on the remaining expenses, which generally include appraisal and inspection fees, lender’s title insurance, a home warranty, and buyer closing costs for the mortgage such as an origination fee.

Sellers may offer to cover certain buyer closing costs to motivate potential buyers to submit an offer. This practice is more likely if your housing market currently favors buyers over sellers.

Here’s a deeper look at your expected home sale costs.

1. New Hampshire realtor commission (5.12%)

Using a realtor costs New Hampshire home sellers an average of 5.12% of the home’s sale price.

It costs sellers an average of $21,556 in realtor commissions, based on the average New Hampshire home value of $421,015. That includes both the buyer’s agent and the seller’s agent commission, which sellers are responsible for paying in New Hampshire.

Your actual commission cost depends on your home’s final sale price. Here’s what you might expect to pay in realtor fees at various price points.

*Median sale prices as of August 2022 according to New Hampshire Realtors. Commission costs assume an average realtor commission of 5.12%.

How to save on New Hampshire realtor fees

Here are some tips on how to save money on your home sale. 

Use a discount broker

A discount real estate broker offers sellers a reduced commission fee with no strings attached. The broker’s listing agents charge less than the average rate, such as a 1–2% listing fee vs. the typical 2.5–3% rate.

Selling at a higher price point leads to even bigger commission savings using a discount broker versus finding a realtor through traditional sources, like through a family member or friend.

For example, Clever offers listing fees of just 1.5%, compared to the average New Hampshire listing commission rate of 2.66%.

Agents that partner with these firms also provide all of the services you’d expect to receive from a traditional realtor. The service is free to try with no obligation, so it’s worth starting here. 

» MORE: The Best Discount Brokers for Every Budget

List your home without a realtor

You can avoid paying New Hampshire listing commission entirely by selling without a realtor. Expect to save 2.66% off of your home sale, since you avoid paying listing agent commission.

However, the typical FSBO home sells for close to $60,000 less than agent-listed homes, according to the National Association of Realtors, so you might lose money on the sale. You’ll also be on the hook for all of the tasks normally handled by a listing agent, which can eat up a lot of your time.

Negotiate a lower rate

Agent commissions aren’t set in stone. There’s no law setting a fixed realtor fee in any part of the country, including New Hampshire, so you can try to negotiate a lower commission rate with your realtor.

You may have more luck reducing the commission rate if you plan to buy a new home with the same agent that’s helping you sell since the agent will earn a commission on both transactions.

Negotiating commission may also work on a high-value property, since the agent will still earn a substantial commission on the home sale, despite the lower rate.

» LEARN how Clever can do the negotiating for you 

2. Closing costs for sellers in New Hampshire (1.0%)

Seller closing costs typically add another cost of 1.0% or more to the home’s final sale price, according to our data. (Closing costs do not include realtor commission.)

Based on the average New Hampshire home value of $421,015, the typical home sellers pays $4,520 in closing costs.

New Hampshire seller closing costs typically include transfer taxes, title fees, prorated property taxes, and miscellaneous costs such as outstanding utility bills.

The seller might also be responsible for attorney fees, home preparation costs, a pre-listing appraisal and inspection, a land survey, HOA fees, and a mortgage payoff.

Buyers are on the hook for everything else, which could include appraisal and inspection fees, title insurance, a home warranty, and buyer closing costs for the mortgage.

The exact breakdown of closing costs between the buyer and seller varies with each transaction. The purchase and sale agreement spells out who is responsible for paying each cost.

If the local market is more favorable to buyers, the seller may agree to cover certain buyer closing costs, such as title insurance or the buyer’s portion of property taxes due at closing.

Transfer taxes

New Hampshire imposes transfer taxes on every home sale. The transfer tax rate is $15 per $1,000 of the sale price, or 1.5%, split equally between buyer and seller.

In other words, the seller pays a transfer tax of 0.75% of the sale. A typical New Hampshire home value of $421,015 generates $3,158 in transfer taxes for the seller.

Title fees

Sellers are responsible for paying title fees, including a deed preparation fee and a discharge tracker fee.

The deed preparation fee can range from $125-200, depending on the title company, according to an article by Bedford-based realtor Kevin Cooper. You may also pay a discharge tracking fee for the title company to pay off your mortgage and verify that it’s recorded correctly at the Registry of Deeds.

Prorated property taxes

New Hampshire home sellers must pay property taxes on the days they’ve owned their home in the calendar year. Taxes are prorated and split between the seller and buyer.

The tax is due at closing. Actual costs depend on your annual taxes, and how many days you live in your home up until the closing date.

Speak with your realtor or attorney for more details on what you might owe in prorated taxes.

3. Other potential costs

Attorney fees

The average hourly rate for real estate attorneys in New Hampshire is $281, according to legal technology firm Clio.

Although New Hampshire law does not require an attorney to handle a home sale, buyers and sellers can hire an attorney to offer legal advice, review their documents, and represent them at the closing.

It’s a good idea to consult an experienced lawyer if your home sale involves any legal issues, from easements to title defects. Attorneys in New Hampshire can also handle the title search, escrow of funds, issuance of title insurance, and closing process — services that are otherwise provided by a title company.

» LEARN: Do I Need a Lawyer to Sell My House?

Home preparation costs

Preparing your home for sale could add thousands more to your upfront costs.

Home staging costs $745-2,659 on average in the U.S., according to HomeAdvisor. Actual costs vary widely based on your location, the size of the home, and the number of rooms furnished.

Regardless of your choice, you need high-quality photos of your house to display online. Professional photos can cost $100–300, but your real estate agent will likely arrange and pay for this.

Expect to spend at least $300 for deep cleaning, if required. Finally, pre-listing home repairs and improvements could add hundreds, if not thousands to your budget, depending on your home’s condition.

Pre-listing appraisal and inspection

An appraisal is a professional estimation of a home’s value. Buyers usually pay for appraisals in New Hampshire, but obtaining a pre-sale appraisal can give you a more accurate starting point for pricing your home.

The cost of an appraisal for a single-family home in New Hampshire ranges from $280–444, averaging $362, according to ProMatcher.

You may also want to consider ordering a pre-listing inspection to identify any problems with the house before the buyer can discover them, so there are fewer surprises during negotiations.

Home inspection services in New Hampshire typically range from $292–409 for a 2,000-square-foot house, averaging $350, according to ProMatcher.

Land survey

A land survey defines the legal boundaries of your property. You should hire a surveyor if you’re unsure about the precise location of your property’s lot lines. In many cases, the buyer’s lender requires a land survey for the mortgage loan.

In New Hampshire, the buyer typically pays for a survey, but who covers this cost may be negotiable. The cost of a survey varies based on the surveyor and the individual property.

Residential boundary surveys for properties up to 1/2 acre range in price from $492–994, averaging $743, according to ProMatcher.

Homeowners association dues

You may owe homeowners association (HOA) dues if your home is located in an HOA community. Sellers are typically responsible for covering a prorated amount of their annual membership dues at closing.

If the HOA charges fees to transfer homeownership records to the buyer at closing, the seller usually pays them. Costs vary between communities, but they commonly range from $150-500. Check with your agent, attorney, or HOA board for more information on what you might owe.

Buyer’s closing costs

In addition to the above costs, buyers may request that sellers cover some of their closing costs. Seller concessions include anything the seller gives the buyer to close the deal.

Seller concessions often come in the form of seller credits towards the buyer’s closing costs — 2–3% of the sale price is common — or home warranty policies. However, they can also include compromises that don’t hold monetary value, such as an agreement to close on a date that’s preferable to the buyer.

Appraisal and inspection fees

Many New Hampshire home buyers pay for an appraisal and inspection to determine the value and condition of the property.

Lenders require an appraisal as part of the approval process for most home purchase loans. The price of an appraisal for a single-family home in New Hampshire ranges from $325–425, according to HomeAdvisor.

Although home inspections are not required in New Hampshire, prospective buyers usually conduct a general home inspection to uncover any serious issues with the property, such as water damage, cracks in the foundation, or dysfunctional HVAC systems.

Sellers may offer to pay for inspections as a buyer incentive, and some sellers purchase their own pre-listing inspections. Rochester-based Reveal Home Inspection estimates that you’ll pay between $323–452 for an average home inspection in Concord, though prices may vary in other parts of New Hampshire.

Title insurance

Title insurance protects home buyers or lenders from possible losses arising after the transaction due to issues with the property’s ownership or title. An owner’s policy protects the buyer’s interest in the property, whereas a lender’s policy protects the lending institution.

If the buyer is taking out a mortgage, their lender will require them to purchase a lender’s title insurance policy. In New Hampshire, owner’s title insurance is customarily paid for by the buyer as well, but the seller may offer to cover it as an incentive.

Title insurance costs vary based on the home’s sale price or the mortgage amount. An owner’s title insurance premium in New Hampshire ranges from $700 for a $200,000 home to $2,850 for a $1 million home, according to Anytime Estimate.

Home warranty

A home warranty offers protection from high repair costs on major appliances and electrical and plumbing systems. The homeowner pays an annual or semi-annual premium and enjoys reduced service rates when a technician comes to evaluate or fix a problem.

Homebuyers can purchase a home warranty for themselves, but some sellers offer to buy a home warranty plan for the buyer if components of the home such as the air conditioning or water heater are worn out.

Annual premiums for a home warranty in New Hampshire average $671 for a single-family home, according to Review Home Warranties.

Capital gains tax

The IRS offers a tax break on capital gains from the sale of your primary residence, as long as you meet certain requirements:

• Single homeowners can deduct up to $250,000 of gains from the sale of their property;
• Married couples can deduct up to $500,000 of gains. 
• You must have occupied the property for at least two of the past five years. 
• You can also deduct certain repairs and improvements from your home’s cost basis. 

» LEARN: How to avoid capital gains on a home sale

Cost of selling a house in New Hampshire calculator

Use our calculator to get a rough estimate of what you might walk away with in your home sale. Change the home sale price and closing costs to fit your particular situation.

For more accurate numbers, we recommend finding a local realtor to provide you with a free seller’s net sheet: a personalized document that estimates how much you may earn in your home sale.

New Hampshire seller closing costs: FAQs

Recommended reading

The True Costs of Selling a Home Revealed: What does it really cost to sell a house in the U.S.? We explore all the ordinary expenses in a home sale, and how you can save thousands.

How to Sell a House Without a Realtor in New Hampshire: Selling a home For Sale by Owner (FSBO) in New Hampshire means you avoid paying a listing commission, but there are challenges you should learn about first.

How to Find a Realtor: Find out how you can connect with a great real estate agent. We help you zero in on the best approach, whether you’re selling or buying.

Seller Net Sheet Guide: Learn how a net sheet can help you estimate your potential home sale proceeds, and how to get one for free.

Negotiating Realtor Commission: Knocking your real estate commission down just one percentage point could save you a ton of money on your home sale.