Jason and Stacey Johnson Realty
WHAT WAITING REALLY COSTS
THE COST OF HOLDING
Waiting to sell is not free. Every month you keep a home, you keep paying for it. This two-page worksheet puts those costs in plain dollars.
  1. Page 1: the pink boxes hold the numbers for this home. Change any box and everything updates.
  2. Page 1, Section 4: what it costs to keep the home for 1, 2, or 3 more years.
  3. Page 2: how much money you walk away with if you sell today, compared with selling later.

1Your price and your loan

What the home can sell for today, and what you still owe.

Recommended sale price today
Price you are hoping to get
Mortgage balance you owe today
Mortgage interest rate (%)
Monthly mortgage payment*
Other loans (HELOC, etc.)

*Principal and interest only. If your payment also includes taxes and insurance, leave that part out here. Enter them in Section 3 instead.

2Costs to sell

Paid out of the sale price at closing, whether you sell today or later.

Listing agent compensation (%)
Buyer's agent compensation (%)
Other closing costs (% of price)
Repairs or credits to the buyer

Other closing costs include North Carolina's excise tax (0.2% of the price) and attorney fees.

3What it costs to own this home

The bills you keep paying as long as you own the home. Leave a box blank if it does not apply. Property taxes and insurance are counted only here, never in the Section 1 payment, so nothing is counted twice.

Every month
Utilities (power, gas, water)
Lawn care and landscaping
HOA dues
Pest and termite service
Pool or dock upkeep
Security monitoring
Other monthly
Monthly bills total
Every year
Property taxes
Homeowners insurance
Vacant home insurance add-on
Maintenance and repairs
Heating and A/C servicing
Gutter cleaning
Pressure washing
Yearly bills total
One-time HOA special assessment coming up (if any)

4What waiting costs you

Add up your mortgage payments and bills from Sections 1 and 3. Part of each mortgage payment pays down your loan, and you get that part back when you sell, so it is subtracted. What is left is money that is gone.

Show:
If you keep the home for1 year2 years3 years
Money you pay outMortgage payments plus all bills
Minus loan paid downYou get this back when you sell
What waiting really costs you
THE COST OF HOLDING: THE BOTTOM LINE
If you sell today, you walk away with
The sale price, minus the costs to sell and paying off your loan.
Waiting costs you about this much every month
From Section 4: money that is gone, not counting loan paid down.
To come out the same a year from now, the home would have to sell for
Your hoped-for price is above today's price by
Compare this with one year of waiting costs in Section 4.

5Sell today or sell later?

No one knows what home prices will do, so this table shows outcomes from prices falling 10% a year to rising 10% a year. None is more likely than another.

How to read it: pick a row (how prices change each year) and a column (when you sell). Each result shows whether you would end up with more or less money than selling today, after paying the costs of waiting.

Show:
If you sell in 1 yearIf you sell in 2 yearsIf you sell in 3 years
Prices change each yearSale priceCompared with selling todaySale priceCompared with selling todaySale priceCompared with selling today

Costs are held at today's amounts. Loan payoff goes down as principal is paid.

Jason & Stacey Johnson
REALTORS® | Keller Williams Lake Norman
Cell: 402-619-7492
Email: JasonJohnsonRealty7@gmail.com
For illustration only. The yearly price changes shown are a range of simple math scenarios, not predictions, and none is presented as more likely than another. This is not a guarantee of future value, sale price, or outcome, and it is not an appraisal. Cost figures are supplied by or confirmed with the homeowner. Not included: income taxes on a sale, investment returns on proceeds, refinancing, or changes in costs over time. General information only, not legal, tax, or financial advice; consult your attorney, CPA, or financial advisor. Brokerage compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable. Compensation to a buyer's agent is not legally required but may be recommended as part of a competitive marketing strategy. Broker may modify or substitute strategies at professional discretion. Services are provided without discrimination and with no requirement to use any affiliated vendor, and broker receives no vendor compensation or referral fee. Each Keller Williams office is independently owned and operated. NC License #362854.