When people call us about selling a house, one of the first questions is almost always the same. What is this going to cost me at closing? It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends entirely on how you sell. Selling to a cash buyer and listing on the open market produce two very different numbers at the bottom of the settlement statement. This article walks through both, using real North Carolina figures, so you can see exactly where your money goes either way.
What We Cover When You Sell to Us
Start here, because this is the part that surprises most sellers. When you sell your house to J&B Homebuyers, we cover the standard closing costs. That includes the title work, the attorney closing fee, the deed preparation, and the county recording fees at the Register of Deeds. North Carolina is an attorney closing state, which means every sale has to close at a licensed North Carolina real estate attorney. We pay for that side of it. There is no commission, because we are the buyer, not an agent. There are no repair credits, because we buy the house as is. What we offer is what you are working from.
What Still Comes Out of Your Proceeds
We want to be straight with you about the things we cannot simply wave away, because they are tied to you or to the property, not to the transaction fees.
Property taxes owed on the home are prorated and settled at closing. If you owe back taxes or the current year is due, that gets handled from the sale.
Any mortgage still on the house gets paid off from the proceeds. We cannot gift away a loan balance. It comes out of what you are owed, and whatever is left after the payoff is yours.
Liens against the property, such as a tax lien or a contractor lien, also get cleared from proceeds so the title transfers clean.
None of that is unique to selling to us. Those debts follow the house no matter how you sell it. The difference is that with us, you are not stacking commission, concessions, and repair costs on top of them.
Help Getting Into Your Next Place
Selling is only half of it. You still have to land somewhere. Depending on the situation, we can sometimes advance a portion of your proceeds before closing to help you put down a deposit or secure your next place. It is not automatic and it depends on the deal, but if timing is tight, ask us. We would rather solve that problem with you than watch it hold up your move.
What You Actually Pay When You List on the Market
Now the other side. A traditional listing works well for a house in good condition when you have time to wait. But the costs are real, and in today’s market they are climbing.
Agent commission is the big one. It has traditionally run 5 to 6 percent of the sale price, split between the two agents. On a 300,000 dollar house that is 15,000 to 18,000 dollars.
The North Carolina excise tax, also called revenue stamps, is 2 dollars for every 1,000 dollars of sale price, and by custom the seller pays it. On that same 300,000 dollar house, that is 600 dollars.
Then there are seller concessions, and this is where the current market really shows up. A concession is money you agree to hand back to the buyer, usually toward their closing costs or a mortgage rate buydown. In the three months ending in May 2026, sellers nationwide gave concessions in 46.2 percent of home sales, the highest share on record. In the Charlotte metro it was 71.4 percent, the second highest of any major market in the country. If you are selling in western North Carolina right now, you should plan on a buyer asking for a concession, because most of them are.
On top of that come repair credits after the inspection, prorated property taxes, and the carrying costs of every month the house sits on the market with the mortgage, insurance, and utilities still running.
Cash Sale vs Listing at a Glance
| What it costs you | Sell to J&B Homebuyers | List with an agent |
|---|---|---|
| Closing timeline | As little as 7 days | 60 to 120 plus days |
| Agent commission | 0 dollars | 5 to 6 percent of sale price |
| Standard closing costs | We cover them | Seller pays roughly 2 to 3 percent |
| Seller concessions | None | Common today, 71 percent of Charlotte area sales in early 2026 |
| Repairs before sale | None, we buy as is | Often required after inspection |
| Carrying costs while it sells | None | Mortgage, taxes, and insurance every month it sits |
| Financing fall through risk | None, we use our own funds | A buyer loan can collapse the deal |
| Showings | None | Multiple |
| Who you deal with | Joshua or Jessica directly | An agent, plus buyers and their agents |
The one thing that is the same either way is the debt tied to the house. Any mortgage payoff, liens, and property taxes owed come out of your proceeds no matter how you sell.
The Bottom Line
Put the two side by side on a 300,000 dollar sale. List it, and between commission, the excise tax, a typical concession, and likely repair credits, it is easy to give back 25,000 to 35,000 dollars before you account for the months of carrying costs while it sells. Sell it to us, and you start from the offer with the standard closing costs already covered, minus only the taxes, loan payoff, and any liens that would follow the house regardless.
A cash offer is below full retail. We are direct about that. What you are trading that discount for is speed, certainty, and a closing sheet with far fewer lines on it. For a lot of sellers, especially once commission and concessions are in the picture, the two numbers end up closer than they expected.
How Much Would You Actually Walk Away With?
After agent commissions, closing costs, repairs, and the months your home sits on the market, the number on the listing is rarely the number you keep. Run your home through our free net proceeds calculator and see what a traditional sale would leave you with next to a cash offer. It takes about two minutes and there is no obligation.
About J&B Homebuyers
J&B Homebuyers is a direct cash home buying company based at 5105 Hawthorne Lane in Shelby NC. The company was co founded in 2019 by Joshua Brooks and Jessica Quito and has purchased more than 45 homes across Cleveland, Gaston, Catawba, Lincoln, and Mecklenburg counties since then. J&B Homebuyers has held a Better Business Bureau A+ rating since June 2023. Jessica Quito is a licensed North Carolina real estate agent, so we can also run an honest comparison of what a listing would net you versus a cash offer, and tell you which one actually puts more in your pocket. We are a direct buyer, not a wholesaler. Reach us at (704) 286-9391.
If you have a property in any of these areas, reach out:
- Shelby NC (Cleveland County)
- Charlotte NC (Mecklenburg County)
- Gastonia NC (Gaston County)
- Lincolnton NC (Lincoln County)
- Hickory NC (Catawba County)
- Belmont NC (Gaston County)
- Bessemer City NC (Gaston County)
- Dallas NC (Gaston County)
- Mount Holly NC (Gaston County)
- Kings Mountain NC (Cleveland County)
Disclaimer
This article is general information based on North Carolina practice as of 2026 and reflects how J&B Homebuyers structures its own purchases. Closing cost customs can vary by contract and by county, and the figures here are examples, not a quote. Nothing in this article is legal, financial, or tax advice. Always consult a licensed North Carolina real estate attorney, financial advisor, or tax professional before making a property decision.
