Start with the arithmetic the headline invites, labeled plainly as arithmetic on the stated figures. At a price of 1,500,000 dollars, commission at 5 to 6 percent comes to 75,000 to 90,000 dollars, and seller closing costs at 1 to 2 percent come to 15,000 to 30,000 dollars (National Association of Realtors, 2025). Subtracting only those two layers leaves 1,380,000 to 1,410,000 dollars from the gross price, before inspection credits, carrying months, any mortgage payoff and any tax are considered. That range is the honest beginning of an answer, and this report works each remaining layer in turn.

Aerial view of a Scottsdale luxury area where a 1.5 million dollar sale is worked line by line
Aerial view of Scottsdale homes near the 1.5 million dollar range, where kept proceeds depend on each deduction.

Key Findings

  • 75,000 to 90,000 dollars is the commission arithmetic at 5 to 6 percent on a 1,500,000 dollar sale (National Association of Realtors, 2025)
  • 15,000 to 30,000 dollars is the closing cost arithmetic at 1 to 2 percent on the same price, charged on the seller side
  • 1,380,000 to 1,410,000 dollars is what remains after only those two layers, by subtraction on the stated figures
  • 2.42 percent was the average buyer agent commission in the third quarter of 2025, evidence that the commission layer held steady (Redfin, 2025)
  • 10,000 to 30,000 dollars in repair credits can still be negotiated after inspection, reducing the kept amount further on older homes (Frontier Capitals, 2026)

What does the commission line remove at this price?

Commission is the largest single deduction, and at this price its scale deserves direct statement. The industry profile research documents the typical total commission structure of 5 to 6 percent that sellers encounter in listed transactions (National Association of Realtors, 2025). Applied to 1,500,000 dollars as pure arithmetic, the seller gives up between 75,000 and 90,000 dollars for representation and market access before any other line is read.

The internal split of that commission explains where the money travels. Market reporting measured the average buyer agent commission at 2.4 percent for homes sold in the first quarter of 2025 and at 2.42 percent for the third quarter, figures that sit inside the total rather than on top of it (Redfin, 2025). Coverage of the same period described commissions as largely unchanged under new rules, so a seller at this level should not budget for a structural discount that reporting does not show (Redfin, 2025). Press coverage of the settlement period reached the same stability conclusion for buyer agent pay (Redfin, 2025).

The highlights edition of the national profile summarizes seller experience with these structures for readers comparing channels (National Association of Realtors, 2025). At 1,500,000 dollars the practical translation is simple. Every point of commission equals 15,000 dollars of kept proceeds, which is why the difference between the ends of the stated range matters as much as some entire cost layers below it.

What does the closing layer remove after commission?

Seller closing costs at 1 to 2 percent add 15,000 to 30,000 dollars of deductions at this price, again as arithmetic on the stated range. Title, escrow, recording and proration items make up the layer, and they are itemized for the parties on the closing disclosure that federal guidance explains as the final statement of transaction terms and costs (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2026). A seller meets the exact lines there, although the percentage range was knowable from the day the listing was signed.

Combined, the two predictable layers remove 90,000 to 120,000 dollars, which is the subtraction behind the 1,380,000 to 1,410,000 dollar remainder in the opening of this report. That combined figure is worth pausing on, because it exceeds the entire sale price of many homes in other markets. At Scottsdale luxury prices, percentage based selling costs behave like a second transaction hiding inside the first one.

Seller trend research notes that owners often anchor on the gross price their agent projects and only later rebuild the net figure they will actually keep (Zillow, 2025). The rebuild is painless when it happens at the comparison stage and painful when it happens at the closing table. This report exists to move that rebuild to the beginning of the decision, where it can still change the choice of channel.

What else leaves the kept amount before the seller is done?

Inspection exposure is the first contingent layer. On older homes the research range for repair credits or price reductions after inspection is 10,000 to 30,000 dollars, and a 1,500,000 dollar older Scottsdale home with aging systems can land anywhere inside that band. Subtracting a mid outcome would pull the kept range in this worked example down toward the mid 1,300,000s, as arithmetic on the figures already stated.

Carrying cost is the second contingent layer, driven by time rather than by percentage. The citywide snapshot compiled for this series reported homes averaging 77 days on market with 3.7 months of supply and a median sale price near 906,900 dollars, as reported in September 2026 (Redfin, 2026). A luxury listing that runs longer than that average keeps paying taxes, insurance, utilities, pool care and landscaping for each additional month, and those payments leave the kept amount just as surely as the closing lines do.

Two further items belong in a complete answer even though they are not selling costs in the same sense. A mortgage payoff returns borrowed principal rather than paying a fee, yet it reduces the check the seller receives and must be planned for in any kept amount discussion. Tax on a gain is addressed by federal rules for the sale of a home, including exclusion amounts of 250,000 dollars for a single filer and 500,000 dollars for a married couple filing jointly as set out in the federal topic on home sales (Internal Revenue Service, 2026). Whether tax applies depends on the individual gain and eligibility, which is why this report flags the layer without pricing it.

How does residual pricing frame the direct alternative at this level?

A builder evaluating a 1,500,000 dollar class property works from the replacement side rather than the resale side. The residual method starts with the expected new build sale, subtracts construction, margin and site preparation and lands on a land figure that a direct offer can reflect. The Paradise Valley illustration in the research, with residual land value near 3,500,000 to 4,000,000 dollars on an 8,000,000 dollar new estate, shows how powerful that method becomes at luxury scale (Frontier Capitals, 2026).

The channel contrast is what matters for kept proceeds. A direct offer carries no commission line and no seller closing cost line, so the kept amount equals the agreed price subject only to the seller own obligations such as a mortgage payoff or tax position. Comparing a direct figure with a listed gross price without subtracting the listed layers is the single most common arithmetic error sellers make at this level.

Sample context supports treating the direct channel as ordinary at Scottsdale prices. In 85253, 31 of 51 sampled older estates were acquired by builders at 34.2 percent of new build prices, a market where direct land transactions at seven figure levels are routine (Frontier Capitals, 2026). A seller of a 1,500,000 dollar home is not testing an exotic channel by asking for a direct net figure to compare.

New Scottsdale construction at a luxury price point beside older homes
Luxury new construction in Scottsdale, the replacement value that frames direct offers at this price level.

What does as is protect in a sale of this size?

As is terms protect the kept amount from the contingent layer that sellers can least predict. With no inspection contingency, no repair credit of 10,000 to 30,000 dollars is negotiated after the price is set, and no pre listing preparation program is required to bring the home to market. At 1,500,000 dollars the protection is worth more in absolute terms, because larger homes present inspectors with more systems, more roof area and more pool and mechanical equipment to comment on.

The protection is not a concealment device. Known facts about the property still belong in the seller disclosure, and the sale still closes through a recorded transfer like any other. As is simply assigns condition costs to the buyer who accepted them in the price, rather than reopening the price after an inspection report circulates.

For a luxury seller the secondary protection is privacy of process. An as is direct sale avoids the open house circuit and the showing schedule that publicize a seven figure listing, which some owners value independently of the arithmetic in this report.

How can a seller tell a direct buyer from a bad actor wholesaler at this level?

Larger prices attract larger promises, and the verification standard should rise with the amount at stake. A direct buyer produces proof of funds scaled to the offer, points to recorded closings in the same entity name and signs a contract that closes in that name with earnest money genuinely at risk. Each element can be checked before the seller relies on the promised kept amount.

A bad actor wholesaler offers a headline price designed to win the signature, then uses an assignable contract to search for the real buyer whose funds were never committed. If the search fails, the seller kept amount becomes zero for that attempt and the calendar has been spent. At a 1,500,000 dollar level, a failed contract also means a relaunch into a market that watched the first attempt fail.

Frontier Capitals sources off market deals to builders and states that it is a wholesaler in technical terms, not a builder, so a seller can direct verification questions to the right place. Ask which builders would receive the deal, what they have closed and how the direct figure was built, and reach the firm through the contact page to start that examination.

Does the timeline change what the seller ultimately keeps?

Time converts directly into money at this price level because the carrying load on a luxury property is heavy. A listed sale commonly needs 60 to 120 plus days to close, and each month adds tax, insurance, utility, pool and landscape expense to the deduction stack. The worked comparison in How Can Scottsdale Homeowners Calculate Their Net Proceeds From a Sale? uses the typical commission of 5 to 6 percent alongside the same timeline figures for sellers building a full model (National Association of Realtors, 2025).

A direct closing in 7 to 21 days ends that meter quickly, while a leaseback arrangement can give a seller months of occupancy after closing when the move requires it. The contrast with the 60 to 120 plus days of a listed older home is developed for speed focused sellers in What Is the Fastest Way to Sell an Older Scottsdale House? around the identical 7 to 21 day and 60 to 120 plus day ranges. Kept proceeds are therefore partly a calendar outcome, not only a price outcome.

What remains untouched when a luxury home sells off market?

In a direct sale the kept items are the deductions this report priced, avoided in full. Privacy is kept, with zero showings, zero open houses and no public marketing period for a seven figure property. Discretion at this level is frequently a goal in itself for estates, relocations and family transitions.

The calendar is kept under seller control, with closing in 7 to 21 days or a later date with a leaseback as the move requires. Commission is kept entirely, since none of the typical 5 to 6 percent is charged, which at the headline price corresponds to the full 75,000 to 90,000 dollars of arithmetic stated at the opening (National Association of Realtors, 2025). Seller closing costs are kept entirely as well, since none of the typical 1 to 2 percent is charged, corresponding to the stated 15,000 to 30,000 dollars at this price.

Inspection exposure is kept too, because the as is sale creates no repair credits or reductions in the 10,000 to 30,000 dollar range. Coverage for a luxury address can be confirmed through the coverage checker before a confidential conversation begins.

Established Scottsdale street at a luxury price point where kept proceeds are decided
Established street in Scottsdale at a luxury price point, where sellers compare kept proceeds across channels.

Methodology and limitations

Every dollar figure in the worked example is arithmetic on the stated percentage ranges or on ranges documented in the data file behind this series, and each is labeled accordingly in the text. Commission structure and stability are supported by the industry profile and the commission reporting listed below (National Association of Realtors, 2025). Tax remarks are limited to the exclusion amounts published in the federal topic on home sales and are not tax advice for any individual seller (Internal Revenue Service, 2026).

No seller at this price point was interviewed and no actual closing statement at 1,500,000 dollars was reproduced. Mortgage balances, individual tax positions and negotiated commission variations will move any real kept amount away from the worked ranges in directions this report cannot foresee.

The central limit is that a worked example is a template, not a settlement statement. Your kept amount depends on your contract, your payoff, your tax situation and the channel you choose, and only figures prepared for your transaction can settle the question finally.

Conclusion

After a listed sale at 1,500,000 dollars, the predictable layers alone leave 1,380,000 to 1,410,000 dollars by arithmetic on the stated commission and closing ranges, and inspection credits plus carrying months reduce the kept amount from there. A direct sale keeps its agreed price intact because those layers belong to the listed channel rather than to the property. The seller decision at this level is therefore a comparison between a gross price with a deep deduction stack and a direct price with almost none.

Owners who want both figures built for their own property can contact Frontier Capitals at 401-219-4207 or [email protected] for a side by side net comparison. At a price where one percentage point equals 15,000 dollars, how carefully have you counted the points your current plan gives away?

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if Frontier Capitals buys in my ZIP code?

The firm buys across the 189 neighborhoods in the builder demand study, including the Scottsdale luxury areas sampled in this series. Check your address through the coverage checker on this site, or call 401-219-4207 to confirm coverage privately.

Is the 1,380,000 to 1,410,000 dollar remainder my final proceeds?

That remainder only subtracts commission and seller closing costs as arithmetic on the stated ranges. Inspection credits, carrying expense during marketing, any mortgage payoff and any applicable tax would still reduce the amount a particular seller receives.

Why is commission so large at this price if rates look modest?

Percentage fees scale with price, so 5 to 6 percent of 1,500,000 dollars becomes 75,000 to 90,000 dollars of arithmetic. The rate did not change, yet the dollars did, which is why luxury sellers feel channel costs more sharply than other sellers.

Does a direct offer at a lower gross price ever keep more?

Yes, when the listed deduction stack exceeds the gap between the two gross figures, the lower direct price can keep more for the seller. That is the entire reason this report insists on comparing kept amounts rather than headline prices.

How does a mortgage affect what I keep?

A mortgage payoff is subtracted from the seller proceeds at closing in either channel, because the loan must be cleared for the deed to transfer. It is a balance repayment rather than a selling cost, but it belongs in any personal kept amount calculation.

Can tax change the answer at this price?

Tax can matter when the gain exceeds the federal exclusion amounts or the seller does not qualify for them, and individual situations vary widely. Sellers at this level should have a tax professional apply the published home sale rules to their own basis and filing status.

Sources