No single published percentage tells you the true cost of a specific Opendoor sale. List each deduction from the current written offer and compare it with an equally detailed estimate for a conventional listing.
Which charges should you request in writing?
Ask for the gross offer, any service charge, repair adjustment, seller closing costs, title and escrow allocation, and the conditions under which any number can change. Separate a fee from a lower price: both affect the bottom line, but they are not the same accounting item.
Review the first offer and the final agreement side by side. If a repair adjustment follows a property assessment, request the scope and ask whether independent quotes will be considered. Do not call all deductions ‘hidden fees’ without comparing the disclosures and contract.
| Line on a seller net sheet | Verification |
|---|---|
| Offer price | Final written agreement, not initial online estimate |
| Service charge | Current offer’s actual percentage or amount |
| Repair adjustment | Property-specific written scope |
| Closing / escrow / title | Written allocation and estimates |
| REET and other taxes | Current state and local rules, qualified adviser for tax questions |
How to compare a one-percentage-point change in the service-charge rate
Example only: a one-percentage-point change in the service-charge rate on a fixed $1,000,000 offer changes the charge by $10,000, before any other adjustments. For example, increasing an assumed rate from 4% to 5% increases the charge from $40,000 to $50,000 and reduces proceeds by $10,000 if all other inputs stay the same. These rates illustrate arithmetic, not a current Opendoor quote. A separate calculation of $1,000,000 × 1% = $10,000 remains correct; it means a charge equal to 1% of the offer, not a 1% relative change in an existing charge. A $15,000 repair deduction is a separate dollar adjustment, not a universal 1.5% service fee. Keep actual dollar amounts visible next to percentages.
For a listing alternative, do not plug in a ‘standard’ five-to-six-percent commission. Brokerage compensation is negotiable and should come from the actual listing and buyer-broker arrangements, along with concessions and preparation costs. Compare realistic closed-price scenarios, not only the asking price.
| Illustration (not a market quote) | Calculation |
|---|---|
| 1% of $1,000,000 | $10,000 |
| $15,000 repair adjustment | $15,000 |
| Offer after those two example deductions | $975,000 before other seller costs |
Include REET and carrying costs once
Washington Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) is distinct from a service fee and depends on the current state graduated schedule and applicable local rate. Consult the Department of Revenue and closing provider for an estimate tied to your sale; avoid outdated thresholds or a single blanket King County rate.
If comparing sale dates, calculate the cost of an extra month of ownership from actual mortgage interest, taxes, insurance, utilities and maintenance. Do not count the same cost twice or assume an instant offer closes on a fixed timetable.
- Use the same mortgage payoff date for both models or adjust it.
- Put REET on both columns where applicable.
- Request a title/escrow estimate rather than inventing a universal closing-cost percentage.
Decision checklist before signing
Check whether the offer is available for your home and who the contracting buyer is; read inspection, revision and termination provisions. Ask a local broker for a comparable-sales-supported listing net sheet. For complex ownership or rental-property tax questions, ask a CPA and attorney.
A seller choosing certainty may rationally accept lower proceeds, but there is no evidence-backed universal dollar loss or fee percentage for all Bellevue properties. The side-by-side written numbers are the test.
Frequently asked questions
Are Opendoor repair deductions fixed?
Terms differ by property and offer. Ask for the written adjustment and whether the company will consider additional evidence.
Is the service charge a realtor commission?
No. Compare each path’s actual written charges rather than relabeling them as the same fee.
Does REET apply to an iBuyer sale?
Check the specific transaction with your closing provider and current Washington DOR rules; it is distinct from the service charge.
Can I compare an online quote with a listing price?
Not fairly. Use the final written offer and a supported likely closing-price range.
What if I own a rental?
Include tenant and lease issues and ask a CPA about potential tax consequences; do not assume the owner-occupied rules apply.
Reconcile the first quote with the closing statement
The fee analysis should use the latest signed numbers, not just the online estimate. Make one row for the offered price, one for each buyer charge, one for any repair-related adjustment and one for seller-paid closing expenses. Ask which amounts are fixed at acceptance and which may change after inspection. If a seller credit appears elsewhere in the paperwork, check that it is not counted again as a separate “fee.” The seller’s mortgage payoff affects cash received but is not an Opendoor fee.
The estimate should identify who pays for escrow, title and transfer-related charges; allocation may be contractual. For Washington REET, consult the current graduated state schedule plus any applicable local rate and ask escrow to model the particular consideration and date. A single statewide percentage can be materially misleading. Set the same assumptions for the alternative listing net sheet so a difference is attributable to the sale route, not inconsistent arithmetic.
| Reconciliation | Where to verify | Common error |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | Executed offer and amendments | Using introductory estimate |
| Service / repair deductions | Final offer and property assessment | Calling a price change a fee |
| Closing and transfer charges | Escrow worksheet, current DOR guidance | Using a flat REET rate |
| Mortgage payoff | Lender payoff statement | Counting it as a provider charge |
Stress-test the net number when terms change
Consider three written scenarios: current offer as drafted, an increased repair adjustment, and the same property marketed conventionally with a lower-than-expected closing price. Replace hypothetical amounts with actual bids or a dated comparable-sales analysis. To compare timing, multiply the verified monthly carrying cost by the difference in months, taking care not to add principal repayment as if it were entirely an expense. Show remaining loan balance separately in the proceeds calculation.
Brokerage compensation is negotiated: listing-broker and buyer-broker amounts are not necessarily equal, and a seller concession is a separate economic term. Ask the broker to identify each independently in the conventional-sale model. Before signing, review change, access, inspection, cancellation and closing clauses with an attorney if their meaning is disputed. A fee table does not replace the purchase contract.
Questions about changes after the home assessment
Ask whether the seller can accept, reject or discuss a repair adjustment and what happens under the actual agreement if the parties disagree. Request the assessment details and compare the adjustment with independent contractor bids where practical. A quoted deduction is not necessarily the amount it would cost the seller to perform work; contractors may propose different scopes and schedules.
Check the dates for any election, termination or revised offer. If a title issue or tenant occupancy changes the deal, obtain the new written terms before comparing them with a listing scenario. Keep an audit trail from initial estimate to final contract and settlement worksheet; this makes it possible to explain every change in proceeds rather than treating the initial headline as binding.
Compare net proceeds, not headline offers
Our August 2026 Seattle seller pillar sets out the cost categories a Washington seller should expect on a traditional listing: the graduated state real estate excise tax plus any local component, broker compensation that is negotiable and set in writing, and title, escrow and recording charges (cost to sell a house in Seattle, August 31, 2026). It also notes that buyer-side compensation is now negotiated separately from listing compensation. An instant-offer sale removes some of those lines and adds others, typically a service charge and repair deductions after inspection.
The fair comparison therefore lines up both paths on one sheet. For the listing path, include expected price based on closed comparables, preparation and staging costs, broker compensation, excise tax, title and escrow, and the carrying cost of the months on market. For the instant-offer path, include the initial offer, the service charge, any assessment-based repair deduction, excise tax, title and escrow, and the value of a faster or flexible closing date. Our builder-sale guide makes the same point for a different kind of cash buyer: excise tax, commission, capital-gains exposure and lien payoffs come off both scenarios, and the higher headline number is not always the higher net (selling an older home to a builder).
Other cash or as-is options worth pricing
An iBuyer is not the only route to a quick, low-preparation sale. On the Eastside, an older house on a large or splittable lot may interest builders, who price the land rather than the finished condition of the house. Our topic guide explains that builders work backward from expected finished value, minus construction, permits, financing and profit, and that terms such as feasibility period, earnest money at risk and rent-back can matter as much as price. Asking two or three builders or land buyers for written offers gives a seller another reference point before accepting any instant offer.
- Traditional listing with minimal preparation: wider buyer pool, but the timeline and carrying costs continue until closing.
- Listing as-is with disclosed condition: less preparation cost; price reflects condition.
- Builder or land buyer: relevant when lot size and zoning support redevelopment.
- Instant-offer company: convenience and timing, priced through service charges and repair adjustments.
Whichever route is chosen, the seller still completes the Washington seller disclosure statement where it applies under RCW 64.06, and the closing statement — not the first quote — is the document that shows the actual net.
Sources and further reading
Sources below support the linked general rules and lookup methods. Numerical tables in this article are explicitly labeled hypothetical illustrations, not market statistics or client outcomes. Confirm current forms, fees and transaction-specific advice with the appropriate professional before use.
