PATRICK’S QUICK ANSWER
Selling a home in San Antonio or the Hill Country typically costs 6-9% of the sale price once you add the commission, seller closing costs, and any repairs or credits. The biggest line item is the agent commission, usually 5-6%, with the owner's title policy and prorated taxes next. The deciding factors are your price, the commission you negotiate, and what you offer in concessions. Ask for a seller net sheet so you know your true number before you accept an offer.
The honest number most sellers do not plan for: selling a home in San Antonio or the Texas Hill Country usually costs somewhere around 8% to 10% of the sale price before you pay off your mortgage, when you count everything. That includes the real estate commission, the title policy and escrow fees, prorated property taxes, concessions and repairs, and the cost of moving and cleaning out the house. Your exact number depends on the price, your closing date, and how much you negotiate, so treat every figure here as an estimate.
I am a Realtor and a loan officer, so I have sat on both sides of the closing table more times than I can count. Here is the full cost stack, bucket by bucket, and a worked example on a $350,000 San Antonio home so you can see the math.
Bucket 1: Real Estate Commissions
The commission is the biggest line item, and it is negotiable in Texas, which means there is no fixed percentage. A typical total for both the listing side and the buyer side runs about 5% to 6% of the sale price (an estimate). On a $350,000 sale at 5.5%, that is $19,250. It pays for the listing, the marketing, the showings, and the negotiation, and it is usually split between the two brokers at closing.
Bucket 2: Title Policy, Escrow, and Closing Fees
Texas is a title state: the seller commonly pays for the title search, the cost of releasing the existing mortgage, and the owner's title policy that protects the buyer against title problems. Escrow services are typically charged by the title company. Texas has no state transfer tax, which saves sellers thousands compared with many other states.
- Title search and examination.
- Owner's title insurance policy premium.
- Escrow or settlement fee at the title company.
- Recording and courier fees.
- The cost of releasing your current mortgage.
Bucket 3: Prorated Property Taxes
Texas property taxes are collected in arrears, so at closing the seller credits the buyer for the taxes already paid that cover the rest of the year, or pays the unpaid portion for the months the seller still owns the home. Bexar and Comal county effective rates typically run around 1.8% to 2.2% of taxable value (an estimate that varies by district), so on a $350,000 home the annual bill might be $6,000 to $8,000, and the proration covers your share of the calendar year at closing.
Bucket 4: Concessions and Repairs
In a balanced market, most sellers give something on the way to a signed contract: a closing-cost concession, a repair credit from the inspection, or money toward the buyer's rate. In 2026, concessions that let the buyer buy down their rate carry real leverage, because rates are in the upper 6s. Budget zero if your home is fresh and competitively priced, and $3,000 to $10,000 if it needs work or your market position is weaker. Both are estimates.
Bucket 5: Moving, Cleaning, and Prep
The stuff you cannot schedule at closing: movers, a storage unit if there is a gap, a final cleaning, light staging, and hauling away what you do not take. Small by comparison, but it is cash out the door before you see a dime of proceeds. A typical estimate is $1,500 to $4,000 depending on how much you move and how much prep the home needs.
What Lowers the Bill
The sellers who pay the least are not the ones with the cheapest agent; they are the ones who price and prep so the cost stack stays small.
- Price right on day one so you avoid a lower second offer and a longer market time.
- Do the cheap cosmetic prep so inspection credits shrink.
- Shop the title quote: Texas title premiums follow county rate schedules, but fees vary by provider.
- Use concessions strategically: a rate buydown or closing credit can close the deal for less than a price cut.
Nerd Alert
The actual numbers and math behind this topic, the way I run them on the channel.
Worked example on a $350,000 San Antonio home, with every figure labeled an estimate for illustration. Sale price $350,000. Commission at a typical 5.5% total: $19,250. Title, escrow, recording, and mortgage release: $2,800 (estimate from standard title fee schedules). Prorated property taxes on an annual bill near 2% of value, closing midyear: roughly $4,000 (estimate from Bexar or Comal county rates; it adjusts with your closing date). Concessions and repair credits: $4,500 midpoint of a $3,000 to $6,000 balanced-market estimate. Moving, cleaning, and prep: $2,500 (estimate).
- Cash leaving the table before payoff: $19,250 + $2,800 + $4,000 + $4,500 + $2,500 = about $33,050.
- Total cost as a percent of sale price: about 9.4%, which matches the 8% to 10% planning range.
- Net before your mortgage payoff: $350,000 minus $33,050 = about $316,950.
Sources for the ranges: current San Antonio Board of REALTORS and Texas REALTORS market summaries, published title fee schedules by county, and county appraisal district rates. None of this is a quote; your actual numbers come from your title company, your closing date, and your contract. The sellers who handle this well never get surprised at closing, because they built the whole stack into their pricing decision before they listed. Plan 8% to 10%, keep prep sharp so credits stay small, and know your net before you negotiate. That is the math I run on your side.
These are estimates for illustration, not quotes. Figures use publicly available rates and program terms at the time of writing, and your actual rate, fees, and payment depend on your credit file, loan program, and closing date.
