Seller Closing Costs in NYC: What You Pay When You Sell a Brooklyn Home in 2026

Stock photos of a home sale closing. Photos: Kindel Media, Mikhail Nilov, Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.

Seller closing costs in NYC: the full list

The full list of seller closing costs in NYC: the state and city transfer taxes, your broker commission, your attorney fee, your mortgage payoff and, in a co-op or condo, the building’s fees. In total, Hauseit, a New York City brokerage, puts seller closing costs at 8% to 10% of the sale price, with a 6% broker fee as the largest part.

That total is Hauseit’s estimate, not a city figure. Your commission moves it the most.

NYS and NYC transfer tax rates for sellers

These are the transfer tax rates a seller pays in 2026, by sale price, as published by the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance (updated June 1, 2026) and the NYC Department of Finance.

Rates for one to three family houses, condo units and co-op apartments.

The seller pays both. The state says its tax is “paid by the grantor (seller).” The city says the seller is normally liable for its tax too.

Most Brooklyn sellers land in the middle row. In the last 12 months, 84.1% of Brooklyn home sales were over $500,000, and 6.6% were $3 million or more.

The city tax is paid at closing. Its return is filed through ACRIS, the city’s property recording system, within 30 days, even when no tax is due.

What sellers paid in transfer tax at real Brooklyn prices

We took the median sale of the last 12 months from the city’s recorded sales and worked out both taxes. This is what a typical seller in each place paid.

Houses are one to three family homes. Medians from NYC Department of Finance rolling sales, Brooklyn, sales October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, $100,000 or more, package deals counted once.

So a seller of a typical Midwood house paid $26,006 in transfer taxes. Add an attorney at Hauseit’s $2,000 to $3,000 and you are at $28,006 to $29,006 before any commission.

The co-op seller paid far less in tax, because a sale under $500,000 falls in the lower city rate. But a flip tax of 1% to 2% on that co-op would be $4,600 to $9,200, about as much as both taxes or more.

Broker commission and who pays the buyer’s agent now

Commission is the biggest cost for most sellers, and it is negotiable. The National Association of Realtors says it plainly: “Agent compensation for home buyers and sellers continues to be fully negotiable.”

The rules changed on August 17, 2024. Sellers can no longer offer the buyer’s agent a fee on the listing system. You can still offer it in the deal itself, or offer the buyer a credit toward closing costs.

• Your broker: the rate you sign in the listing agreement, paid at closing.
• The buyer’s agent: paid by the buyer, unless you agree to pay it in the contract.
• Credits to the buyer: a way to help a buyer with their closing costs. Agree the amount up front.

Every 1% of commission on a typical Madison house is $12,440. That is why the rate matters more than any other line.

Co-op and condo extras: flip tax, managing agent, move-out

A co-op or condo adds the building’s own charges. Your offering plan, bylaws or the managing agent tells you the exact amounts.

• Flip tax or transfer fee: paid to the building, not the government. Brick Underground’s experts say most buildings charge about 1% to 2% of the price.
• Move-out deposit and fees: a building may charge both when you move out.
• Managing agent fee: paid to the managing agent for the closing.

A flip tax is not a tax at all, despite its name. Brick Underground notes there are no deductions to take for it.

Seller’s attorney fee and other fixed costs

In New York City, sellers usually hire a real estate attorney for the contract and the closing. Hauseit says: “A typical real estate attorney in NYC charges a flat fee of $2k to $3k for a sale or purchase transaction.”

• Mortgage payoff: your loan is paid off from the sale money at closing. Hauseit lists “a bank loans satisfaction fee if there’s an outstanding mortgage” as a cost.
• Buyer credits: only what you agree to in the contract.

The mansion tax is the buyer’s, not the seller’s

The mansion tax is a buyer cost. The state says: “The additional tax (mansion tax) and supplemental tax are paid by the buyer. If the buyer doesn’t pay the tax or is exempt, the seller must pay the tax.”

• Mansion tax: 1% of the price from $1 million.
• NYC supplemental tax: 0.25% to 2.9% from $2 million, also paid by the buyer.

Did the rates change in 2026? The state’s transfer tax page, updated June 1, 2026, still shows the same rates. Lawmakers proposed higher taxes on homes of $5 million or more in March 2026, and the state page shows no new tier.

Capital gains and the home sale exclusion

Capital gains tax is not a closing cost, but it changes what you keep. The IRS lets you exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 on a joint return, on the sale of your main home.

To qualify you must have owned and lived in the home for at least two of the five years before the sale. Ask your CPA how it applies to you.

Where The Behfar Team fits

Before you list, we show you what your home is likely to sell for and what you would keep after these costs. We sell homes in Midwood, Madison and Marine Park, so we use what sold near you, not a borough average.

We are not your attorney or your accountant, and we do not give tax advice. We will tell you which questions to ask them. When you are ready, see how we sell a Brooklyn home.

Sources

• NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, Real estate transfer tax (updated June 1, 2026).
• NYC Department of Finance, Real Property Transfer Tax and its 2025 report.
• NYC Department of Finance, rolling sales, Brooklyn, file dated October 13, 2026: sales October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026.
• National Association of Realtors, What the NAR settlement means for home buyers and sellers.
• Hauseit, Seller closing costs in NYC; Brick Underground, Flip tax and transfer fee trends.
• The Real Deal, New York lawmakers pitch mansion tax in budget bills, March 2026.
• Internal Revenue Service, Topic 701, Sale of your home.

Tax rates come from New York State and New York City agencies. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Talk to your attorney and accountant about your own sale.