HomeBlogPersonal FinanceWhat to Budget to Sell a House in St. Peters, MO Share on Like what you see? Share with a friend. What to Budget to Sell a House in St. Peters, MO Chris Kirshenboim | October 17, 2020 Last updated August 10, 2026 If you are going to list it yourself, the first job is a budget to sell a house honestly rather than hopefully. Start with the buyer agent commission, usually around three percent, because a for-sale-by-owner still pays that side in most St. Peters deals. Add a pre-listing inspection if you want to know what the buyer's inspector will find, roughly four to six hundred dollars. Add repairs, and be honest here, because a St. Charles County buyer with an FHA loan will not close on peeling paint or a failed water heater. Add title work, the seller's share of closing costs and the county transfer paperwork. Add utilities, lawn care and a mortgage payment for however many months the house sits. Add a photographer, a lockbox and a sign in the yard. Most sellers land somewhere between six and nine percent of the sale price, before the price negotiation itself begins. That is what selling on your own budget has to cover. Set it against a cash number where none of those lines exist, read how we buy houses, and pick whichever leaves more in your pocket. Our offer stays good while you run the math, and we absorb the costs of selling on our side. What Should I Budget For If I Sell My House On My Own In St. Peters, MO Commission Fees In St. Peters Let's get this one out of the way right off the bat. A lot of sellers think that in a hot market they can sell a property themselves and thus avoid the standard commission fees. But the truth is otherwise. Even if you sell your house on your own, you still have to pay the buyer's agent's brokerage fees. Repairs In St. Peters, Missouri Most homebuyers in Missouri aren't interested in a house that has problems – and most homes have some kind of issues. Most of the time, most sellers have to do some repairs before they put their property on the market. And if the maintenance has been allowed to lapse, these repair costs can be fairly substantial. A new roof, for example, can set you back by as much as $20,000. Landscaping In St. Peters, MO Curb appeal is of utmost importance: it's what gets potential buyers to stop and then come in the door. And landscaping is the number-one improvement that most enhances curb appeal. The cost of a thorough, full-blown landscaping job performed by a professional landscaping service runs, on average, just a little over $3,000. Staging And Photography In MO Many people – when asking, "What should I budget for if I sell my house on my own in St. Peters, MO?" – often neglect to factor in this expense. But if you don't want your home to sit on the market for months on end, you probably shouldn't neglect staging and professional photography. Staging involves setting up and arranging your home so that it appears as appealing and inviting as possible. And then to display the staging in online listings, which is where a large percentage of buyers begin their search, you will likely need some professional photos, ranging in cost from $500 to $1,000. Utilities In Missouri If you plan to move out of your current house into a new home, you can't just shut the utilities off in the home you vacate and intend to sell. Buyers absolutely do not want to walk through a cold (or sweltering) and dark home. (Also keep in mind that if you turn off the electricity and air conditioning during the summer, you run a high risk of developing a mold problem.) So, at the least, you will need to keep the electricity on and probably the gas as well in the wintertime. If the property is one you've been living in, then you already know what it will cost you to keep the utilities on. Capital Gains Taxes In St.Peters And then there are capital gains taxes. If your home has appreciated quite a bit, you may have to pay this tax (which is based on the difference between purchase and sale prices, minus the cost of documented improvements). There are, however, some pretty generous exemptions, but just bear in mind that Uncle Sam may take a cut. Cash For Houses In St. Peters, MO So if you're wondering, "What should I budget for if I sell my property on my own in St. Peters, MO?" you now know the answer. It is quite a lot, actually. But as professional Missouri home buyers, we can offer a fast, easy solution that may allow you to keep more of the sale price when you sell your house in St. Louis directly to us. Contact Us By Phone At (314) 334-1481 Or Fill Out The Form To Discover More! FAQs Frequently Asked Questions Do I still pay a commission if I sell without an agent? + Almost always the buyer side, since most buyers arrive with their own agent who expects to be paid out of the sale. Budget two and a half to three percent for that alone. What if the house has code violations before I list? + Open code violations in St. Peters have to be disclosed, and most financed buyers will require them cleared before closing. A cash purchase can take them on instead. How much should I set aside for repairs? + For an older St. Charles County house, plan on one to two percent of the sale price, and more if the roof, furnace or sewer lateral is near the end of its service life.
