East Cobb and Marietta sellers typically walk away with less than the sale price after agent fees, Georgia transfer tax, prorated property taxes, title costs, and any buyer credits. The exact amount depends on your price, mortgage payoff, and negotiated terms, a personalized net sheet from a local agent is the only reliable way to know your number.
How much will I net selling my house in East Cobb or Marietta, GA?
Your net proceeds are your sale price minus your mortgage payoff, agent fees, Georgia transfer tax, title and closing costs, prorated property taxes, and any credits you’ve agreed to give the buyer. Every one of those line items is negotiable or variable, which means the only reliable answer comes from a personalized net sheet built around your specific home, your loan balance, and the current market, not a generic percentage range found online.
I get this question from nearly every seller I sit down with, and I understand why. You want a real number before you commit to listing. This post walks you through every cost category you’ll see on a Georgia closing disclosure, explains what’s fixed versus negotiable, and tells you exactly how to get a number you can actually plan around.
The Cost Categories Every East Cobb Seller Needs to Understand
Georgia doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all closing cost structure. What you’ll see on your settlement statement breaks down into a handful of distinct buckets. Here’s what each one is and what drives the amount.
Agent Fees and Broker Compensation
Broker fees and commissions are fully negotiable and not set by law. There is no standard, typical, or customary rate. The listing fee is agreed upon in your listing agreement with your agent. Any compensation a seller chooses to offer a buyer’s agent is optional and separately negotiable, it is not automatically bundled in, and it is not shared on the MLS. If you want to know what it would cost in your situation, that’s a direct conversation to have with me before you sign anything.
Georgia Real Estate Transfer Tax
Georgia imposes a real estate transfer tax at closing. Under Georgia Department of Revenue rules, the tax is calculated on the sale price. Who pays it is commonly negotiated between the parties, do not assume one side automatically covers it. Confirm who bears this cost in your own purchase and sale agreement, and verify the current rate directly with the Georgia DOR or your closing attorney.
Prorated Property Taxes
Georgia property taxes are paid in arrears, meaning the bill for a given year typically comes due later in that year. At closing, your taxes are prorated to the day you hand over the keys. The buyer gets a credit for the portion of the year you owned the home, and that credit comes out of your proceeds.
Your proration is based on your home’s assessed value and the millage rate set by Cobb County. I always point sellers to the Cobb County Tax Commissioner and the Cobb County Tax Assessor to look up their current assessed value before we build a net sheet, it’s one of the bigger variables and one most sellers underestimate. If you want deeper context on how East Cobb property taxes work year-round, my post on property taxes in East Cobb covers the full picture.
Title Insurance and Closing Attorney Fees
Georgia is an attorney-closing state, which means a licensed Georgia real estate attorney must conduct the closing, not a title company acting alone. You’ll see charges for the owner’s title insurance policy, the lender’s title policy (paid by the buyer’s lender requirement, but it shows up on the disclosure), attorney fees, and document preparation. Some of these are negotiable; some are set by the attorney’s fee schedule. Your closing attorney is the right person to walk you through each line.
The Georgia Real Estate Commission licenses the agents in your transaction, but the closing itself is governed by the attorney and the terms of your contract.
Mortgage Payoff
This is almost always the largest single deduction from your proceeds. Your payoff is not your current statement balance, it includes accrued interest through the day the lender receives funds, plus any prepayment penalty if your loan has one. Request a formal payoff quote from your lender once you have a contract, and ask for it to be good through a date a few days past your expected closing date to give yourself a buffer.
Buyer Credits and Repair Concessions
In the current East Cobb market, it’s common for buyers to request a credit toward closing costs or repairs after the inspection. These credits reduce your net dollar-for-dollar. I’ve seen sellers lose thousands in negotiated proceeds they didn’t account for in their original estimate, which is exactly why I build a conservative net sheet that includes a realistic credit assumption before we ever go under contract.
HOA Transfer Fees and Resale Disclosures
If your home is in a community with a homeowners association, and many East Cobb neighborhoods like Indian Hills, Chimney Springs, Eagle Watch, and Walton Reserve are, you’ll likely pay an HOA transfer fee and possibly a resale certificate fee at closing. These amounts vary by association and are set by the HOA, not by law. Ask your HOA management company for the current schedule before you list.
Why You Can’t Rely on an Online Net Sheet Calculator
Generic online calculators use national averages or state-level estimates that don’t reflect what’s actually happening in East Cobb and Marietta right now. They can’t account for your specific mortgage payoff, your HOA’s transfer fee schedule, the buyer credits that came out of your inspection negotiation, or the proration based on your actual Cobb County assessed value.
Here’s a simple illustration of how much the variables matter:
| Variable | What It Depends On | Who Sets It |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage payoff | Your loan balance + accrued interest | Your lender |
| Agent/broker fees | Your listing agreement | Fully negotiable |
| Transfer tax | Sale price; who pays is negotiated | GA DOR rate; contract terms |
| Tax proration | Assessed value + millage + closing date | Cobb County; closing attorney |
| Title and attorney fees | Attorney’s schedule; policy amount | Closing attorney |
| HOA transfer fee | Your specific HOA | HOA management company |
| Buyer credits / repairs | Inspection findings; negotiation | Negotiated in contract |
Every single row in that table is a moving target. Plug the wrong number into any one of them and your estimate is off by thousands. That’s not a knock on sellers who try to estimate, it’s just the reality of how Georgia closings work.
One thing I tell every seller who asks me this: pricing your home right in the first week beats chasing the market down. An overpriced home that sits and eventually sells at a discount nets you less than a well-priced home that sells fast, even before you factor in the carrying costs of extra mortgage payments, taxes, and utilities during the extended time on market. Your net sheet starts with your list price strategy, not just your closing day math.
According to NAR’s research and statistics, homes that are priced correctly from the start consistently outperform those that require price reductions, a fact that shows up directly in seller net proceeds, not just days on market.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also has helpful guidance on reading your closing disclosure so you understand every line before you sign, worth bookmarking once you’re under contract.
For context on how East Cobb compares to other Metro Atlanta submarkets as you think through your move, my post on East Cobb vs. other Atlanta suburbs covers the broader picture.
The Georgia REALTORS® association publishes the standard Purchase and Sale Agreement used in most Georgia transactions, your closing attorney and agent can walk you through the default terms around who pays what, and where those terms are negotiable.
For recording and deed transfer mechanics at the county level, the Cobb County Superior Court Clerk handles deed recording and can confirm current recording fees, which also appear on your closing disclosure.
How to Get Your Actual Net Sheet Before You List
A real net sheet requires four inputs that only you and your agent can assemble together: your expected sale price (based on a current comparative market analysis), your mortgage payoff quote, your Cobb County assessed value for the tax proration, and your HOA fee schedule if applicable.
Here’s the process I walk every East Cobb seller through before we go to market:
- Pull a current CMA. Your net sheet is only as good as your price estimate. I build this from recent closed sales in your specific neighborhood, not zip-code averages.
- Request a payoff quote from your lender. Ask for a 30-day payoff so it covers your expected closing window.
- Look up your assessed value. Check the Cobb County Tax Commissioner site to confirm what the county has on record. If you’ve had a recent assessment change, that affects the proration.
- Get your HOA fee schedule. Call your management company and ask for the transfer fee, resale certificate fee, and any capital contribution that applies to a sale.
- Build the net sheet together. With those four inputs, I can put together a realistic range, conservative and optimistic, so you know what you’re working with before you sign a listing agreement.
Every situation is different, and the only way to know your real number is to run it with someone who knows this market. That’s exactly what I do in a pre-listing consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Georgia real estate transfer tax work for sellers in Cobb County?
Georgia imposes a transfer tax based on the sale price of the property, administered by the Georgia Department of Revenue. Who pays it, buyer or seller, is a negotiated term in your Purchase and Sale Agreement, not an automatic seller obligation. Confirm the current rate and who bears it in your specific contract with your closing attorney before you finalize any net estimate.
How are property taxes prorated at closing in Georgia?
Georgia taxes are paid in arrears, so at closing the buyer typically receives a credit for the portion of the year the seller owned the home. The proration is calculated using your Cobb County assessed value and the current millage rate. The exact dollar amount varies by closing date and your home’s assessed value, check the Cobb County Tax Commissioner for your current figures.
Do I have to pay the buyer’s agent fee as a seller in Georgia?
No. Since the 2024 NAR settlement, any compensation a seller offers a buyer’s agent is optional and separately negotiable, it is not required, and it cannot be advertised on the MLS. Your listing fee is set in your listing agreement, and any buyer-agent offer is a separate decision you make with your agent. Broker fees and commissions are fully negotiable and not set by law.
Why does my Zillow or online estimate differ from what my agent says I’ll net?
Online estimates use automated valuation models that don’t account for your specific mortgage payoff, your HOA transfer fees, the buyer credits that came out of your inspection, or your exact Cobb County tax proration. They also can’t factor in your negotiated contract terms. A local agent’s net sheet built from your actual numbers will always be more accurate than a calculator using regional averages.
Do East Cobb HOA communities charge fees at closing?
Yes, most do. Communities like Indian Hills, Eagle Watch, Chimney Springs, and Walton Reserve typically charge a transfer fee and a resale certificate fee when the home sells. The amounts are set by each HOA’s management company, not by law, and they vary. Contact your HOA management company directly for the current fee schedule before you build your net sheet.
Your net proceeds are the number that matters most when you’re deciding whether and when to sell. The categories are knowable, the exact dollar amount isn’t, until someone builds it from your specific facts. That’s the conversation I have with every seller before we list.
If you’re thinking about selling in East Cobb or Marietta and want a real net sheet built around your home, schedule a pre-listing consultation with me and we’ll work through the numbers together before you commit to anything.
Equal Housing Opportunity. Kellie Krull is a licensed REALTOR® regulated by the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC). This article is general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm your specific costs, tax obligations, and contract terms with your closing attorney, tax advisor, lender, or escrow officer.