According to our research, selling a house in Oregon costs 5.3-8.4% of the final sale price.
We gathered data from title companies in the state and found additional information by polling real estate agents in the state. Below, we’ve outlined all of the relevant costs associated with selling a home in Oregon.
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Average Cost to Sell a Home in Oregon
We estimate that on average it costs 5.3-8.4% of the purchase price to sell a home in Oregon.
Included in our cost estimate are fees like the owner’s title insurance, title closing fees, and realtor commission. Since the seller usually pays the realtor commission for both the their own and their buyer’s agent, this makes up the most significant portion of the cost.
NOTE: If you still owe money on your mortgage when you sell your house, the balance will have to be paid when your sale closes, which will reduce your final profit from the sale.
The average home value in Oregon is around $394,000. Based on this, we estimate that it costs $21,000-$33,000 to sell a house. Below is the breakdown of the costs:
| Costs | % of sale price |
| Realtor commission | 4.8% – 5.6% |
| Seller closing costs | 0.5% – 2.8% |
| Preparing to sell | Varies* |
* Home preparation costs can vary greatly depending on your home and it’s condition; some will need major repairs before being listed while others are better off being sold as is.
It’s worth noting that home values in Portland, Oregon are much higher than they are in the rest of the state. The average home value in Portland is about $498,000, so selling costs in Portland could range from $26,000-$42,000.
Preparing to Sell in Oregon
While some houses are already in ready-to-list condition, others might need a range of upgrades and renovations in order to be more appealing to potential buyers. This is particularly true of older homes that have had minimal repairs and upgrades over their lifetime.
If you’re selling in Portland, prepping to sell your home costs around $7,500, according to a 2019 Zillow report. Included in this estimate are popular improvements like interior and exterior painting, local moving costs, home staging, lawn care, and carpet and house cleaning.
Things like painting your house, installing new light fixtures, or upgrading your kitchen cabinets will all increase the cost of selling your house, sometimes by thousands of dollars.
On the other hand, neglecting important improvements could make it difficult to find a buyer who sees the full value of your home.
Is it Worth Upgrading Your Home Before You Sell?
The truth is that upgrades don’t always pay for themselves. In many cases, you might pay out a hefty sum to make improvements to your home but fail to recoup those costs in your final sale price.
According to a report on home upgrades from Remodeling.net, the highest return on investment (ROI) upgrade in Oregon is the addition of a manufactured stone veneer to your home.
| Highest value home upgrades (cost) | Return on investment (ROI) |
| Manufactured Stone Veneer ($10,175) | 119.5% |
| Garage Door Replacement ($3,874) | 117.1% |
| Entry Door Replacement – Steel ($2,048) | 87.9% |
| Minor Kitchen Remodel – Midrange ($26,150) | 86.6% |
| Siding Replacement – Fiber-Cement ($20,064) | 78.0% |
Before you start spending money on upgrades, get advice from a real estate agent. Local agents know what buyers are looking for, how quickly homes are selling, and what other sellers are doing.
What Should I Fix Before I Sell My Home?
Any broken or damaged items in your house could turn away potential buyers or result in offers that are much lower than you hoped for. It’s better to get ahead of these problems by fixing them before you list your property.
Because Oregon has such a damp climate, common issues with older homes include:
- A leaky roof
- Rotting deck boards
- Clogged gutters
NOTE: In Oregon, sellers are required to disclose any material defects on the state’s property disclosure form. This means that you have a legal obligation to disclose any problems that you are aware of. Failing to disclose defects could result in a rescinded sale, at best, and a serious lawsuit, at worst.
Home Inspections and Buying “As-is”
Most buyers request a home inspection from a certified inspector. If you fail to make much-needed repairs before listing, it’s likely that these problems will be identified during the inspection.
In the end, you might end up having to pay for these fixes anyway to keep the buyer from backing out of the deal.
Being proactive with repairs will help you to avoid hiccups like this and get the best possible offer on your home.
Of course, if you want to minimize your selling costs, selling “as-is” is also an option. When a house is sold “as-is,” the buyer agrees to purchase the property with all of its flaws. It’s understood that the seller will not spend any additional money on fixing problems or making improvements before the sale is finalized.
As you’d expect, although this can help the seller to save money on repair costs, it will also result in lower offers from potential buyers.
Real Estate Commission in Oregon
In Oregon, realtor commissions range from 4.8-5.6% of the final sale price.
This means that for a home with Oregon’s median sale price of around $394,000, realtor commission costs would be approximately $19,000-$22,000.
However, it is possible to negotiate your realtor’s commission for a better rate.
| Sale price | Realtor Commission Cost |
| $300,000 | $14,000-$17,000 |
| $400,000 | $19,000-$22,000 |
| $500,000 | $24,000-$28,000 |
| $600,000 | $28,000-$34,000 |
There are ways that you can reduce your fees. For example, you can work with a discount broker, or use a flat-fee listing service to list your property.
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Another option is to sell your home by owner (FSBO). While this can save you money, it’s difficult if you don’t have any real estate experience and may result in a lower sale price.
Seller Closing Costs in Oregon
Sellers in Oregon can expect to pay between 0.5-2.8% of their home’s sale price in closing costs.
The most significant seller closing costs in Oregon are owner’s title insurance (0.3-0.4%), and title closing fees (0.2-0.5%). Seller concessions are another important consideration, and they can range from 0-2% of the sale price.
It’s typical for the seller to pay for the buyer’s title insurance policy and some of the fees incurred from the title insurance company. The exact details of who pays will be noted in the final purchase agreement.
Owner’s Title Insurance: 0.3-0.4%
Title insurance protects the buyer from any errors related to the title of the property they’re purchasing. For example, if it’s discovered later that the property has a lien against it, title insurance will protect the buyer from being liable.
In most cases, the seller pays the buyer’s title insurance policy. In Oregon, this ranges from 0.3-0.4% of the final sale price.
Title Closing Fees: 0.2-0.5%
Title companies typically charge a variety of fees for their services, such as title search fees. These fees may be bundled together or split up, but the seller usually pays 0.2-0.5%.
If the title company is conducting the closing, their fees will be much higher given the use of escrow services. However, a separate entity might handle escrow.
In Oregon, state-licensed escrow companies usually perform the closing. Since real estate attorneys aren’t required in Oregon, it’s rare for attorneys to handle closing.
Seller Concessions: Varies
Seller concessions are costs that sellers agree to pay for during the course of their negations with the buyer. This helps to make the purchase more affordable for buyers.
Seller concessions can amount to 2% of the sale price, or even more depending on the situation. In a strong market with lots of potential buyers, you may not have to offer any concessions.
However, if you’re having a hard time closing a deal, granting some concessions may help you get to closing.
Examples of common seller’s concessions include:
- Purchasing a home warranty for the buyer
- Offering repair credits
- Accepting a lower sale price
What About Transfer Taxes?
In many states, municipalities or counties impose a “transfer tax” when properties are bought and sold.
The good news is that in Oregon, there are no transfer taxes. In fact, it’s actually against the law for any jurisdiction in Oregon to impose transfer taxes on real estate transactions.
Methodology
Home selling prices are estimated and are meant to give prospective home sellers a ballpark figure of their costs. We utilized the following datasets to provide the analysis in this article:
- Home values — Zillow Home Value data collected in October 2020.
- Realtor commission — From our survey of 11 Oregon real estate agents.
- Seller closing costs — From our dataset of hundreds of pricing quotes from major title companies in Oregon.
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