This post is an illustration at the 1,500,000 dollar price point, built from the Kirkland commission and closing cost ranges documented in this set, and it should be read as arithmetic rather than as a prediction for any specific house. Start with the two certain layers. On a 1,500,000 dollar sale, a commission in the usual 5 to 6 percent range removes between 75,000 and 90,000 dollars (National Association of Realtors, 2025). Seller side closing costs at the typical 1 to 2 percent take a further 15,000 to 30,000 dollars, covering title, the Washington excise tax, and prorations (Washington State Department of Revenue, 2026). Together those layers remove 90,000 to 120,000 dollars, leaving 1,380,000 to 1,410,000 dollars before repair credits, carrying costs, any mortgage payoff, and any tax are considered. That single subtraction is the heart of the answer: a seller at this price keeps roughly 92 to 94 percent of the price through the transaction toll, and everything else depends on the house, the calendar, and the loan.
Key Findings
- Commission on a 1,500,000 dollar Kirkland sale runs 75,000 to 90,000 dollars at the typical 5 to 6 percent range (National Association of Realtors, 2025).
- Seller closing costs at the same price run 15,000 to 30,000 dollars at the typical 1 to 2 percent range for title, excise tax, and prorations (Washington State Department of Revenue, 2026).
- After those two layers, 1,380,000 to 1,410,000 dollars remain, before credits, carrying costs, mortgage payoff, and taxes.
- Inspection credits on older Kirkland homes commonly run 10,000 to 25,000 dollars, and carrying costs in the sample ran 15,000 to 35,000 dollars over a normal selling period (Frontier Capitals, 2026).
- The mortgage payoff, which includes interest and charges through the payoff date, is subtracted from whatever remains and varies entirely by household (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026).
How is the 1,500,000 dollar illustration built, line by line?
The commission line uses the Seattle metro structure documented for this set, and national profile research describes the same two sided arrangement that most listed sellers pay for (National Association of Realtors, 2025). Reporting since the industry settlement found commission levels broadly unchanged, so the illustration does not assume a discounted rate appearing to rescue the arithmetic (Redfin, 2025). At 5 percent the line is 75,000 dollars; at 6 percent it is 90,000 dollars. A seller who negotiates a point off commission at this price has saved 15,000 dollars, which is real money, yet the remaining toll still approaches six figures once the next layer lands.
The closing cost layer follows Washington practice. The excise tax inside it follows the graduated schedule published by the revenue department and is documented on the affidavit filed with the sale (Washington State Department of Revenue, 2024). Title charges and prorations complete the layer, and the whole closing is administered through licensed escrow, which itemizes every deduction before releasing the balance (Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, 2026). At 1 percent the layer is 15,000 dollars; at 2 percent it is 30,000 dollars. Adding the two layers gives the range quoted in the opening: total transaction toll of 90,000 to 120,000 dollars, and a remaining figure of 1,380,000 to 1,410,000 dollars.
Two softer lines then apply to most older homes at this price. Inspection negotiations on Kirkland houses aged 50 to 60 years commonly settle between 10,000 and 25,000 dollars in credits, and a house priced at 1,500,000 dollars is not exempt simply because its price is higher; its systems are the same age as its neighbors (Frontier Capitals, 2026). Carrying costs over the two to four months a well presented 98033 home can take, mortgage or equity opportunity cost, insurance, taxes, utilities, and maintenance, ran 15,000 to 35,000 dollars in the sample at lower price points, and this illustration carries that documented range forward without inflating it. Applying both soft lines to the post toll range gives a working span of roughly 1,320,000 to 1,385,000 dollars kept before any mortgage payoff and before any tax calculation. That span, not the headline price, is the figure a household should plan around.
What role does the mortgage play at this price point?
For many Kirkland sellers at 1,500,000 dollars, the mortgage is the largest subtraction of all, and it is the one no article can size for them. The payoff is the amount required to retire the loan on the closing date, and it differs from the statement balance because it includes interest and charges accrued through that date (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026). A household that bought decades ago may owe nothing, and will keep the full working span above. A household that refinanced recently may owe 700,000 dollars or more, and will keep the span minus that payoff. Both households sold for the same price and paid the same percentages; their kept amounts differ by the size of a house.
Escrow handles the mechanics: the payoff is wired from proceeds, the deed records, and the remainder is disbursed to the seller (Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, 2026). Sellers should request the payoff figure early in any sale, because a closing date that drifts also drifts the payoff by the daily interest, and a listed sale that stretches toward the 60 to 120 plus days older homes can take gives that drift time to grow. This is one reason the sample nets for smaller prices, a 1,050,000 dollar sale netting in the low 900,000s and an 850,000 dollar sale netting in the mid 700,000s before reductions, look so much lower than their list prices (Frontier Capitals, 2026). Percentages are only the visible part of the shrinkage; the loan is the rest.
Price context also matters at 1,500,000 dollars, because that figure sits between the Kirkland median and the top of the older home market. Recent sold data for the two ZIP codes show new construction commanding 1,800,000 to 2,700,000 dollars in 98033 and about 1,900,000 to 3,400,000 dollars in 98034 (Redfin, 2026), so a 1,500,000 dollar older home is a substantial property whose buyer pool includes both families and builders. Which pool writes the winning offer changes the soft lines above: a builder bid may carry no credit negotiation at all, while a family bid at the same price may return 25,000 dollars of it through inspection requests.
Where do taxes fit into the amount a seller keeps?
Taxes are deliberately left as a separate step in this illustration, because they depend on facts no price point can supply. Federal tax on a home sale turns on basis, gain, and the exclusion rules in Publication 523, which allows an exclusion of up to 250,000 dollars, or 500,000 dollars on a joint return, when the two of five year ownership and use tests are met (Internal Revenue Service, 2025). A long time Kirkland owner whose gain fits inside that exclusion may owe no federal capital gains tax at all, while a recent buyer or an investor property can owe a meaningful amount. The excise tax at sale, by contrast, is a closing cost rather than an income tax, already counted in the layer above, and it should not be double counted when the tax step is run (Washington State Department of Revenue, 2026).
The ordering matters for planning. First compute the transaction span, as this post does. Then subtract the payoff for the household. Then, and only then, run the tax question with the households actual basis and filing facts, using the separate analysis in whether Kirkland homeowners pay capital gains taxes when selling. A seller who reverses that order, guessing at tax before knowing the toll, usually frightens themselves with a number that the exclusion would have erased. A seller who ignores tax entirely risks the opposite surprise. The illustration method avoids both errors by keeping each subtraction in its own box.
Households should also distinguish proceeds from profit. Keeping 1,350,000 dollars of proceeds after every subtraction is not the same as making 1,350,000 dollars of profit, because the basis, what the household paid and invested, determines the gain for tax and for honest personal accounting. The net proceeds method in how Kirkland homeowners calculate net proceeds keeps proceeds, payoff, and profit in separate columns for exactly that reason. At this price point the columns diverge widely between households, which is why this post refuses to print one kept figure as the answer.
How much more could the same seller keep in a direct sale?
The direct route changes the illustration by removing layers rather than by raising the price, and the five benefits can be priced against the same 1,500,000 dollar figure. Privacy removes the public marketing period, with no showings and no open houses, which on a shoreline street at this value also removes weeks of neighborhood attention. Flexible closing lets the household choose 7 to 21 days or a date months away with a leaseback, instead of the open ended listed calendar that lets payoff interest and carrying costs accumulate. No commission returns the full 75,000 to 90,000 dollars that the first layer took. No seller closing costs returns the 15,000 to 30,000 dollars in the second layer as the direct terms in this set are structured. No inspections or repairs returns the 10,000 to 25,000 dollars credit line and the presale spending that precedes it, because the house is taken as it stands.
Even a direct bid somewhat below 1,500,000 dollars can therefore deposit a kept amount inside or above the listed working span of 1,320,000 to 1,385,000 dollars before payoff, and any household should run that comparison with both nets on one page. The intermediary description belongs in that comparison for clarity: For clarity about who sits on the other side of that comparison: this buyer sources off market homes to builders, purchasing directly from sellers and placing each deal with a vetted builder, and it does not operate as a building company. Its bids are builder backed purchase offers, and the savings above come from transaction structure. Sellers can request the comparison through the contact page and judge the returned figures against this illustration line by line.
How sensitive is the kept amount to a change in price?
The illustration flexes in a predictable way, and knowing the flex helps a seller judge counteroffers at this level. Every 100,000 dollars of price movement carries about 6,000 to 8,000 dollars of toll movement with it, because commission takes 5,000 to 6,000 dollars of each 100,000 dollars at the typical range (National Association of Realtors, 2025) and closing costs take a further 1,000 to 2,000 dollars at their range (Washington State Department of Revenue, 2026). A seller who concedes 50,000 dollars in negotiation therefore gives up roughly 46,000 to 47,000 dollars of kept money, not the full 50,000 dollars, while a seller who holds out for 50,000 dollars more and loses the buyer to a stale listing can trade that theoretical gain for another two months of carrying costs and payoff interest. Sensitivity cuts both ways, and the illustration makes the trade visible before emotion prices it wrong.
Certainty belongs in the same sensitivity check. A slightly lower offer with verified funds, firm earnest money, and a closing date inside the month can deposit more, sooner, than a nominally higher offer that drifts, reopens inspection, and renegotiates credits. The sample nets quoted in this set were achieved by real closings in the two ZIP codes, not by the highest numbers ever written on an offer sheet (Frontier Capitals, 2026), and the sold record behind those nets is the ground truth for what Kirkland buyers actually complete (Redfin, 2026). At the 1,500,000 dollar level, where a single percentage point equals 15,000 dollars, disciplined comparison of kept amounts is not pedantry. It is the difference between planning a purchase, a retirement move, or a family transfer on money that exists and planning it on money that was negotiated away in lines nobody read.
Methodology and limitations
This post is a stated illustration at one price point, 1,500,000 dollars, and every percentage applied to it comes from the ranges documented in this set: commission of 5 to 6 percent (National Association of Realtors, 2025), corroborated by post settlement commission reporting (Redfin, 2025) and profile research (National Association of Realtors, 2025), seller closing costs of 1 to 2 percent including the excise tax under its graduated schedule (Washington State Department of Revenue, 2026) and (Washington State Department of Revenue, 2024), and credit and carrying ranges from the 104 home Kirkland sample (Frontier Capitals, 2026). The payoff discussion follows the federal consumer guidance on payoff amounts (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026), closing mechanics follow state escrow material (Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, 2026), and the tax framing follows Publication 523 (Internal Revenue Service, 2025). No mortgage balance, basis, or tax liability for any reader is known or assumed, no title search, inspection, or appraisal was performed, and the working span of 1,320,000 to 1,385,000 dollars before payoff must not be quoted as a promise for any address. A real kept figure requires the actual commission agreement, the actual payoff, and the households own tax facts.
Conclusion
At a 1,500,000 dollar Kirkland sale price, the certain transaction toll is 90,000 to 120,000 dollars, typical credits and carrying costs bring the kept span to roughly 1,320,000 to 1,385,000 dollars, and the mortgage payoff then decides what the household finally deposits. Sellers who learn those three numbers early, toll, soft lines, and payoff, can judge any offer, listed or direct, without being dazzled by the headline price. To have the illustration rebuilt with your real payoff and commission figures, call 401-219-4207 or write to [email protected]. If your sale closed tomorrow at this price, do you know which of the three subtractions would surprise you most?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the kept amount before any mortgage is paid?
In this illustration, about 1,320,000 to 1,385,000 dollars remains after commission, closing costs, typical inspection credits, and sample carrying costs are applied to a 1,500,000 dollar price (Frontier Capitals, 2026). The mortgage payoff and any tax are then handled as separate steps.
Why does the illustration give a span instead of one number?
Because each input is itself a range: commission at 5 to 6 percent and closing costs at 1 to 2 percent produce different totals at the same price (National Association of Realtors, 2025) and (Washington State Department of Revenue, 2026). A single printed figure would hide the negotiation room inside those ranges.
Does the 1,500,000 dollar seller still pay the excise tax?
Yes, the Washington excise tax is part of the seller closing cost layer and follows the graduated schedule documented on the state affidavit (Washington State Department of Revenue, 2024). It is counted once in this illustration, inside the 15,000 to 30,000 dollar closing range.
Can the exclusion erase the tax on a gain this large?
Possibly in part, since Publication 523 allows an exclusion of up to 250,000 dollars, or 500,000 dollars jointly, when the ownership and use tests are met (Internal Revenue Service, 2025). Gain above the exclusion, or a property that fails the tests, is a household specific calculation.
Why is the payoff not just the balance on the statement?
The payoff includes interest and charges through the payoff date, so it is almost always slightly higher than the last statement balance (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026). Escrow obtains the dated figure and retires the loan from proceeds at closing (Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, 2026).
Sources
- National Association of Realtors, 2025. Typical seller commission structures, Seattle metro market. Industry report.
- National Association of Realtors, 2025. Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. Industry report.
- Redfin, 2025. Real estate commissions report. Market data.
- Washington State Department of Revenue, 2026. Real estate excise tax rates and affidavit requirements. Government data.
- Washington State Department of Revenue, 2024. Real Estate Excise Tax Affidavit and graduated rate schedule. Government data.
- Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, 2026. Escrow agent licensing and closing practices. Government data.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026. What is a payoff amount and is it the same as my current balance?. Government data.
- Frontier Capitals, 2026. 189 neighborhood builder acquisition sample: 104 homes sampled in 98033 and 98034, 16 acquired by builders, average older home price 45.2 percent of new build. Market data.
- Redfin, 2026. Recently sold homes and new construction, ZIP codes 98033 and 98034, Kirkland WA. Market data.
- Internal Revenue Service, 2025. Publication 523, Selling Your Home: exclusion up to $250,000 ($500,000 joint); two-of-five-year ownership and use tests. Government data.