Deal math · Western Washington

Washington seller net sheet, explained

A net sheet answers the only question a seller really cares about: after everything, what do I actually walk away with? Get it close and you build trust; get it wrong and you torch it. Here's every line that goes into a Washington seller net sheet and how to estimate it.

The formula

At the top is the sale price. Everything below is subtracted from it:

Net proceeds = Sale price − Mortgage payoff(s) − Commission − REET − Title & escrow − Prorations & misc.

The line items

Mortgage payoff. The remaining loan balance(s), plus any per-diem interest to closing. Get the real payoff from the lender — not the Zestimate of the balance.
Commission. Post-NAR-settlement, the listing-side and any buyer-side concession are negotiated in the agreement — don't assume a fixed total. Apply the actual agreed rates to the sale price.
REET (real estate excise tax). WA's graduated state rate (1.10%–3.00% by band) plus the local county portion (commonly 0.50%). The seller customarily pays it. Run the exact number.
Title & escrow. Owner's title policy + the escrow/closing fee (often split per local custom). Budget a realistic figure and confirm with the closing company.
Prorations & misc. Property-tax proration, any HOA transfer/dues, recording fees, a home warranty if offered, and any agreed repairs or credits.

Worked example

$750,000 sale in King County, $300,000 loan payoff, 5% total commission:

Commission 5% → −$37,500
REET (King) → −$12,405
Title & escrow (est.) → −$3,400
Prorations & misc (est.) → −$2,000
Mortgage payoff → −$300,000

Estimated net proceeds ≈ $394,695. Swap in the real payoff and the agreed commission and you've got a defensible number for the listing appointment.

Why “close” isn't good enough

The REET line alone is graduated and county-specific — eyeball it and you can be off by thousands on a higher-end sale. That's why SENTINEL computes the net sheet deterministically in code (REET, commission, payoff, prorations), not with an AI guess, so the figure you show a seller holds up. See the methodology or start with the REET calculator.

Seller-math proof · no login

See Sentinel collect the missing inputs before it calculates.

Open the prepared Tacoma proceeds example. It asks for the actual deal inputs, calculates Washington REET deterministically, and shows every assumption instead of guessing.

Inspect the public seller-math example →See the Founding Agent Lab

Build and inspect the question publicly. Starting a private workspace afterward is optional.

— Not tax or financial advice. Estimates only; confirm the loan payoff, title/escrow fees, and any tax questions with the closing company and a WA-licensed CPA. Verify figures against the transaction documents before advising your client.