Cash offer or list with an agent?

The comparison nobody does honestly.

Start with the honest version

A retail buyer is paying for a finished house they intend to live in, with a mortgage behind them. That's the highest price the market produces. A cash buyer is paying for a project, taking on repair risk, carrying costs and the possibility of something bad behind a wall.

So the cash number is lower. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.

The reason to compare anyway is that the headline price isn't what you keep. The two routes have completely different cost structures, and for some houses and some situations the gap closes a lot.

What listing actually costs

Commission. It comes out of your proceeds. It's negotiable, and since 2024 New Jersey licensees have to say so in writing. Don't treat it as a fixed number.

Repairs and credits after inspection. This is the line sellers forget. A buyer with a mortgage brings an inspector, and the inspection report becomes a negotiation. Roof, heating system, knob-and-tube wiring, an old oil tank in the yard, these turn into credits or a re-trade.

Getting it listing-ready. Paint, cleanout, landscaping, sometimes staging. Real money before any offer arrives.

Holding costs while it sits. Taxes, insurance, utilities and any mortgage payment for every month on market and in contract. New Jersey property taxes are among the highest in the country, so this line is heavier here than almost anywhere else.

Financing risk. Appraisal comes in low, the buyer's loan falls apart, and you're back to the start weeks later.

What a cash sale costs

Mainly one thing: a lower price.

Against that, there's typically no commission, no fees, no repairs, no cleanout, no showings, no appraisal and no financing contingency. A reputable buyer covers standard closing costs. And the timeline is short, which cuts the holding costs.

You're trading dollars for certainty and speed. Whether that's a good trade depends entirely on which one you actually need.

The New Jersey costs both routes share

These apply either way, and one of them changed recently in a way most sellers haven't caught up with.

The Realty Transfer Fee

Seller-paid in New Jersey and graduated, running roughly $2.00 to $6.05 per $500 of price, about 0.4% to 1.21%. On a $500,000 sale that's real money, and it comes off your side of the settlement statement.

The old "mansion tax" now falls on the seller

This is the sleeper. New Jersey's 1% mansion tax on homes over $1 million was historically paid by the buyer. It's now the Graduated Percent Fee, and for contracts fully executed on or after 10 July 2025 it shifted to the seller.

The tiers are 1% from $1M to $2M, 2% from $2M to $2.5M, 2.5% from $2.5M to $3M, 3% from $3M to $3.5M, and 3.5% above $3.5M. Each rate applies to the entire price, not just the amount above the threshold, so crossing a tier by a single dollar is genuinely expensive.

If you're selling in Bergen, Essex, Morris or anywhere else $1M-plus is normal, budget for this. Plenty of sellers are still working from the old assumption that the buyer pays it.

If you don't live in New Jersey anymore

Non-resident sellers face a 2% Gross Income Tax withholding at closing. It's withholding, not a final tax bill, you reconcile it when you file. But it hits your proceeds at the table.

The small ones

Attorney fees, and a smoke detector, carbon monoxide and fire extinguisher certificate from the local fire official, which is required statewide on any residential resale. Some towns also require a Certificate of Continued Occupancy, which is municipal, not statewide, so check yours.

When listing is clearly the better move

• The house is in good, updated condition
• You can wait several months and can absorb the carrying costs
• Nothing complicates the title
• You can keep it show-ready, which is harder than it sounds with kids, pets or a job
• You have equity and no deadline pressing on you

In that situation an agent will very likely net you more, even after commission. Say so out loud to any cash buyer who tells you otherwise.

When a cash sale genuinely competes

• The house needs work you can't or won't fund up front
• A deadline is real: a sheriff's sale date, a closing on your next place, a job start in another state
• The property is vacant and burning taxes, insurance and risk every month
• There are tenants in place, which shrinks the retail buyer pool sharply
• Title has hair on it: a lien, an open permit, a probate that isn't finished
• You simply don't want to manage showings and a renovation while dealing with whatever else is going on

The comparison people miss is that listing a house that needs $60,000 of work doesn't get you the fixed-up price. It gets you offers from buyers doing the same math a cash buyer does, minus their own uncertainty.

Compare net, not headline

Put both on paper the same way. For each route: the price, minus commission, minus repairs and credits, minus your closing costs including the transfer fee, minus holding costs for however many months that route realistically takes.

Then compare the two bottom numbers, and put the timeline next to each. Sometimes the gap is big and listing wins easily. Sometimes it's a lot narrower than the headline suggested.

A note on the contract either way

New Jersey has a three-business-day attorney review period on realtor-prepared contracts, starting once both sides have the fully signed contract. Either attorney can disapprove for any reason. It's a real protection, and it's one reason to have an attorney involved even on a straightforward cash sale.

How we handle it

We walk the property, price the repairs from real numbers, and show our math. If we think listing nets you more, we say it, and we've told plenty of sellers exactly that. We buy directly and in some cases assign our purchase agreement to a partner buyer. We're not agents and we don't list houses, so if listing is your answer we'll point you toward one rather than pretend otherwise.