Worked as an illustration from the sourced rates in the research file, a seller at 1,500,000 dollars keeps roughly 1,287,500 dollars to 1,367,500 dollars from a conventional listed sale, before any mortgage payoff and before any capital gains tax (Frontier Capitals, 2026). The gap between the headline price and that kept range is built from commission of 75,000 dollars to 90,000 dollars at the typical 5 to 6 percent, closing costs of 22,500 dollars to 37,500 dollars at 1.5 to 2.5 percent, and the credit and carrying bands the file documents on older inventory (National Association of Realtors, 2025).
Key Findings
- This is a worked illustration, not a quote: it scales the sourced 900,000 dollar ledger rates to a 1,500,000 dollar price using the same percentages and bands (Frontier Capitals, 2026).
- Commission at 5 to 6 percent removes 75,000 dollars to 90,000 dollars at this price, the largest single deduction (National Association of Realtors, 2025).
- Seller closing costs at 1.5 to 2.5 percent remove 22,500 dollars to 37,500 dollars, including a documentary stamp tax of 10,500 dollars (Florida Department of Revenue, 2025).
- Concessions and repair credits of 15,000 dollars to 40,000 dollars plus carrying costs of 20,000 dollars to 45,000 dollars complete the stack (Frontier Capitals, 2026).
- The resulting kept range is roughly 1,287,500 dollars to 1,367,500 dollars, before mortgage payoff and before any tax on the gain.
How is this illustration built, and what does it assume?
The method matters more than the answer, so the construction is shown openly. The research file built its ledger at a 900,000 dollar price: commission at 5 to 6 percent, seller closing costs at 1.5 to 2.5 percent, concessions and inspection repair credits routinely between 15,000 dollars and 40,000 dollars, and carrying costs between 20,000 dollars and 45,000 dollars over three to six months of market time (Frontier Capitals, 2026). A 1,500,000 dollar sale is two thirds larger than that example, so the percentage layers scale directly while the two banded layers are carried across at their documented ranges, which is the conservative choice because larger homes can attract larger credits and longer marketing.
Three assumptions should be read before the numbers are used. First, the sale is conventional and listed, with an agent on each side and a financed or inspected buyer able to demand credits; a cash sale with no inspection would land nearer the top of the kept range. Second, the price is achieved without a reduction, an assumption the file also made at 900,000 dollars, where it noted the net was stated before any price reduction. Third, no mortgage balance is deducted in the illustration, because a payoff settles the seller own debt rather than forming part of the cost of selling; sellers with a balance subtract it after the kept range, not inside it. Tax is excluded for the same structural reason and is handled separately below, using the federal exclusion framework (Internal Revenue Service, 2026).
The illustration sits in a real price neighbourhood rather than a fantasy one. The ZIP median sale price was 780,000 dollars in October 2026, so 1,500,000 dollars is roughly double the median, a level reached by larger homes and strong lots rather than by the typical older house (MyBrokerOne, 2026). Delray Beach homes sold at 95.5 percent of asking in August 2026, which supports the no reduction assumption as a reasonable central case while not guaranteeing it for any individual listing (Realty.com, 2026).
What does each layer remove at 1,500,000 dollars?
Commission removes the most, and it is not close. At the typical total of 5 to 6 percent, the layer takes 75,000 dollars at the gentle end and 90,000 dollars at the firm end (National Association of Realtors, 2025). Commission research showing an average buyer agent share of 2.40 percent in early 2025 implies roughly 36,000 dollars of that total travels to the buyer side alone at this price (Redfin, 2025). Sellers sometimes focus on negotiating the listing side while the buyer side passes unexamined, yet at 1,500,000 dollars each half percent in either direction is 7,500 dollars, real money hiding inside a decimal.
Closing costs remove the next slice. At 1.5 to 2.5 percent the band gives 22,500 dollars to 37,500 dollars, covering title work, transfer charges, and prorations alongside the stamp tax (Frontier Capitals, 2026). The stamp tax itself is exact rather than estimated: 70 cents per 100 dollars of consideration, seller paid in Palm Beach County, produces 10,500 dollars at this price (Florida Department of Revenue, 2025; Florida Statutes, 2026). Prorations move with assessed value and homestead status, so the county appraiser records for just value, assessed value, and exemptions determine where inside the band a given seller lands (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, 2026).
Credits and carrying costs finish the stack. Concessions and inspection repair credits on older inventory routinely run 15,000 dollars to 40,000 dollars, and a higher priced older home near Lake Ida or the downtown grid presents the same era systems, roof age, panels, and plumbing that generate those credits at lower prices (Frontier Capitals, 2026). Carrying costs over the market period run 20,000 dollars to 45,000 dollars, and larger homes carry larger tax, insurance, and upkeep bills while they wait, so the top of that band is the realistic planning point at this level. Add the four layers and total deductions run from 132,500 dollars to 212,500 dollars, which is the whole distance between the headline and the kept range. The same stack at the original price is detailed in the report on the total cost of selling a house, for readers who want the 900,000 dollar version beside this one.
What is deliberately left out of the kept range?
The mortgage payoff is the largest omission for many sellers. A household that owes 600,000 dollars against the home receives the kept range minus that balance, because the lender is repaid from the proceeds at closing before the seller sees a dollar. That subtraction is personal rather than structural, which is why illustrations exclude it and why any two sellers at the same price can walk away with very different cheques. Sellers should insert their own payoff figure immediately after the kept range when they use this illustration for planning.
Capital gains tax is the second omission, and it is excluded because it cannot be computed from price alone. The federal framework shelters 250,000 dollars of gain for a single filer and 500,000 dollars for a married couple meeting the ownership and use tests, so a long held home sold at 1,500,000 dollars may owe nothing, something, or a substantial amount depending on basis and filing status (Internal Revenue Service, 2026). The full treatment lives in the report on capital gains taxes for local sellers, and no seller at this price should finalise plans without it.
Homestead planning forms a third, quieter item. Save Our Homes portability allows up to 500,000 dollars of homestead benefit to move to a new Florida homestead, which does not change the kept range from this sale but can change the tax cost of the seller next home for years (Florida Legislature, 2026). At a 1,500,000 dollar departure, the household is usually buying again at a serious level, so preserving that benefit belongs on the same worksheet as the sale proceeds rather than in an afterthought.
How could the kept amount move outside the illustrated range?
It moves upward when layers shrink or vanish. A buyer who waives inspection credits, a quick sale that truncates carrying costs, or a negotiated commission below the typical band each push the outcome toward or above 1,367,500 dollars. Cash depth in this market helps: 60.0 percent of Delray Beach purchases were paid in cash in August 2026 according to county records, and cash buyers typically generate fewer appraisal and inspection detours (Realty.com, 2026). The range top is therefore not a ceiling for a fortunate seller, merely the top of the documented bands applied mechanically.
It moves downward when the market tests the price. A reduction of even 5 percent at this level removes 75,000 dollars before any layer is applied, which is more than the entire closing band at its widest. Long marketing compounds the damage through carrying costs, and a failed first contract restarts the credit negotiation with a second buyer who knows the inspection history is discoverable. Sellers at 1,500,000 dollars should treat the illustrated range as the well run version of a listed sale, not as a guaranteed floor.
Two neighbours can sell at the identical price in the same season and keep noticeably different amounts, and the illustration explains why without accusing either of error. One household may have negotiated commission toward the gentle end, closed quickly before carrying costs gathered, and faced a short inspection list, while the other endured two contracts, a long marketing period, and a full credit renegotiation on an aging roof. The price recorded at the courthouse will look the same for both, which is why deed prices alone mislead sellers who copy a neighbour outcome into their own planning. The kept amount is where the real comparison lives, and it is assembled from behaviour and timing as much as from the market.
Comparing routes belongs in this section too, because the kept range is a listed route figure. A direct sale at a somewhat lower price can keep more money once the layers are removed, and the arithmetic for testing that claim is exactly the stack used here, run in reverse. The step by step method is set out in the net proceeds calculation guide, which generalises this illustration to any price a seller brings to it.
A short sensitivity exercise sharpens the illustration further for sellers who like to see the moving parts move. Hold every other layer at its gentle end and change only the marketing duration, and the kept figure slides as each extra month consumes tax, insurance, and upkeep money that no later negotiation can recover. Then restore the timing and change only the commission outcome, and the slide is larger still, which is why experienced sellers negotiate the percentage early and guard the calendar throughout. The exercise takes ten minutes with a pencil and converts the abstract stack into a personal order of priorities.
What would the direct route keep on the same property?
Frontier Capitals operates as a wholesaler sourcing off market homes to builders, not as a builder, and its route removes the layers this illustration stacks. With no commission, no seller closing costs charged, no inspection credits, and a closing in weeks, the direct price and the kept amount sit far closer together than the listed pair in this report. That does not automatically make a direct figure higher for every property; it means the comparison must be run on nets, and at 1,500,000 dollars the listed net has 132,500 dollars to 212,500 dollars of documented deductions to overcome.
The five benefits, introduced at the 900,000 dollar reference point in the research file, scale in importance at this price. Privacy comes first, with zero showings and no public marketing, welcome when a seven figure sale would otherwise be advertised across a small district. Timing follows, with closing in 7 to 21 days or a leaseback months out against 60 to 120 plus days listed, shrinking the carrying layer that costs up to 45,000 dollars here. Commission savings grow with price, since avoiding the typical 5 to 6 percent saves 45,000 dollars to 54,000 dollars at 900,000 dollars and proportionally more at 1,500,000 dollars (National Association of Realtors, 2025). Seller closing costs are likewise avoided, with the file recording that commissions plus closing costs commonly exceed 50,000 dollars combined even at the lower reference price. Condition is the fifth benefit: the purchase is as is, with no 10,000 dollar to 30,000 dollar repair credits appearing between agreement and closing.
An owner at this level can request the direct net and place it beside the illustrated range with no obligation either way, through the contact page. The illustration exists so that comparison is informed rather than impressionistic, whichever route the numbers favour for that property.
Methodology and limitations
This report is explicitly a worked illustration. It takes the rates and bands documented in the research file at 900,000 dollars, namely commission of 5 to 6 percent, closing costs of 1.5 to 2.5 percent, credits of 15,000 dollars to 40,000 dollars, and carrying costs of 20,000 dollars to 45,000 dollars, and applies them to a 1,500,000 dollar price without altering a single rate (Frontier Capitals, 2026; National Association of Realtors, 2025). Percentage layers scale exactly; banded layers are carried at their documented ranges, which may understate credits or carrying costs on an unusually large or slow selling property.
Mortgage payoff, moving costs, pre listing renovation, and capital gains tax are excluded and identified as exclusions in the body, with the tax framework cited to the federal source in the pool (Internal Revenue Service, 2026). No seller should treat the kept range as a prediction for their own sale; it is a transparent model whose inputs can be replaced with property specific figures as they become known. That modelling discipline, rather than the particular range, is the durable content of this report.
Conclusion
On the sourced rates, a 1,500,000 dollar conventional sale in Downtown Delray and Lake Ida South keeps roughly 1,287,500 dollars to 1,367,500 dollars before mortgage payoff and tax, after commission of 75,000 dollars to 90,000 dollars, closing costs of 22,500 dollars to 37,500 dollars including a 10,500 dollar stamp tax, and the documented credit and carrying bands (Frontier Capitals, 2026; Florida Department of Revenue, 2025). The illustration is deliberately transparent so any seller can rerun it with their own figures. For a direct net on a specific property to place beside this range, call 401-219-4207.
When the price sounds like one and a half million, which number will you plan your next move around, the headline or the amount the illustration says you keep?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the kept range at 1,500,000 dollars?
Applying the documented layers gives total deductions of 132,500 dollars to 212,500 dollars, leaving roughly 1,287,500 dollars to 1,367,500 dollars kept from a conventional sale (Frontier Capitals, 2026). That range excludes mortgage payoff and any capital gains tax.
How much commission is paid at this price?
At the typical total commission of 5 to 6 percent, the charge is 75,000 dollars to 90,000 dollars on a 1,500,000 dollar sale (National Association of Realtors, 2025). The buyer agent portion alone, at the 2.40 percent average from early 2025 analysis, would be about 36,000 dollars (Redfin, 2025).
What is the documentary stamp tax at 1,500,000 dollars?
The statutory rate of 70 cents per 100 dollars, seller paid in Palm Beach County, produces 10,500 dollars at this price (Florida Department of Revenue, 2025; Florida Statutes, 2026). It forms part of the wider 22,500 dollars to 37,500 dollars closing cost band in the illustration.
Why is tax not deducted inside the illustration?
Capital gains tax depends on basis, ownership and use history, and filing status, and the federal exclusion shelters 250,000 dollars or 500,000 dollars of gain for qualifying sellers (Internal Revenue Service, 2026). A price only model cannot compute it honestly, so it is flagged as an exclusion instead.
Does the illustration apply at the ZIP median price too?
The same rates can be run at any price, and the ZIP median sale price in October 2026 was 780,000 dollars (MyBrokerOne, 2026). Percentage layers shrink with price while the banded layers stay nearer their documented ranges, which is why smaller sales lose a larger share to the fixed feeling bands.
Sources
- Frontier Capitals, 2026. 189 neighborhood builder acquisition sample: 25 homes sampled in 33444, 16 acquired by builders, average older home price 29.9 percent of new build price, minimum lot 5,500 sq ft. Market data.
- National Association of Realtors, 2025. Typical seller commission structures, South Florida market. Industry report.
- Florida Department of Revenue, 2025. Documentary stamp tax: $0.70 per $100 of consideration, seller-paid. Government data.
- Florida Statutes, 2026. Section 201.02: documentary stamp tax on deeds, 70 cents per $100 of consideration. Official record.
- Redfin, 2025. Commission analysis: average buyer's agent commission 2.40% for homes sold in Q1 2025. Market data.
- MyBrokerOne, 2026. ZIP 33444 market trends, October 2026: median sale price $780,000; 76 average days on market; lots/land median list $1,711,160. Market data. https://mybrokerone.com/en/real-estate-market-trends/florida/33444
- Realty.com, 2026. Delray Beach housing market, August 2026: selling at 95.5% of asking; 60.0% paid in cash (county records). Market data.
- Internal Revenue Service, 2026. Publication 523: Selling Your Home; Section 121 exclusion, $250,000/$500,000 with ownership and use tests. Government data.
- Florida Legislature, 2026. Save Our Homes portability provisions: up to $500,000 transferable benefit between Florida homesteads. Official record.
- Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, 2026. Just value, assessed value, and homestead exemption records. Official record.