Seller guides
Everything we have written for home sellers, in one place
Every guide, tool, and blog post Net Gain Realty has published for sellers, grouped by topic. Start with the section that matches your question.
Start here
Sell with us, see the record, and run your own numbers.
Track Record
Closed Net Gain Realty listings: list price, sale price, and days to contract.
GuideSell With Us
Full service at a flat fee. Six questions, then a consultation.
ToolCost to Sell a House in Chicago (2026): Commission and Closing Cost Calculator
Free commission and closing cost calculator for Chicago sellers.
ToolChicago Seller Net Sheet (2026): See What You Actually Walk Away With
A seller net sheet itemizes every cost that comes out of your sale price.
ToolChicago 2-4 Flat Market Reports
MLS data for 2-4 unit properties by neighborhood.
ToolFree Seller Report
Your neighborhood's real MLS numbers.
Costs and fees
Commission, closing costs, and what you keep.
Illinois Realtor Commission Rates (2026): 2-3%, Negotiable
Illinois listing agents have traditionally quoted a 2-3% range, and it is negotiable.
GuideWhat's the Catch With a $1,995 Flat Fee Listing? (2026)
The catch with Net Gain Realty's $1,995 flat fee listing is a date, not a missing service.
BlogDo You Still Pay a Realtor Commission in Illinois After the NAR Settlement? (2026)
Do Illinois sellers still pay a 6% commission after the NAR settlement?
BlogHow Much of Your Equity Does a Realtor Commission Really Take? (Chicago, 2026)
A realtor commission is a percentage of your whole house, but it is paid out of your equity.
BlogLincoln Park Sellers Paid an Estimated $16.4 Million in Listing Fees in the First Half of 2026
609 single-family sales, $656.8 million in closed volume, and an estimated $16.4 million listing-fee bill at an example 2.5%.
GuideAre Realtors Free in Chicago? How Realtors Get Paid in 2026
Are realtors free in Chicago? No. The seller usually pays, the fee is negotiable, and on a $500,000 sale a traditional listing agent's side is $12,500-$15,000. Plain...
ToolFee-to-Equity Ratio When Selling a House: The Real Cost of a Listing Fee
The fee-to-equity ratio, a term from Net Gain Realty, is the listing fee divided by your equity, not your sale price.
ToolHow Much Will I Keep When I Sell My House in Chicago? (2026)
A Chicago seller keeps the sale price minus the mortgage payoff, about 1 to 2 percent in closing costs, and the listing fee.
GuideHow to Save on Real Estate Commission in Chicago (2026)
A 2-3% listing fee on a $500K Chicago home is $10,000 to $15,000.
GuideSeller Closing Costs in the Chicago Suburbs (2026): What Sellers Pay
Most Chicago suburbs charge no municipal transfer tax, so seller closing costs run about 1% to 1.2% before commission.
BlogWhat It Costs to Sell a House in Naperville, Illinois (2026)
What it actually costs to sell a house in Naperville in 2026: real MLS market data, every fixed closing cost, the one cost that is a choice, and what overpricing cost...
GuideSeller Closing Costs in Illinois (2026): What Sellers Pay
Illinois seller closing costs run about 1% to 1.5% of the sale price before commission.
BlogThe Hidden Costs of Selling a House in Chicago (2026): What Sits Beyond the Commission
Beyond the listing commission, Chicago sellers pay roughly 1-2% in closing costs: transfer taxes, title insurance, attorney fees, prorations.
GuideNAR Settlement Chicago (2026): What Changed for Sellers and Commissions
The NAR settlement changed how Chicago commissions work.
BlogWhat It Costs to Sell a 2-Bed Condo in Lincoln Park (2026)
What it actually costs to sell a 2-bed condo in Lincoln Park in 2026: real MLS market data, every closing cost, and what you keep at a flat fee versus a traditional...
Ways to sell
The ways to sell a home, and what each one leaves you doing.
Flat Fee Realtor in Chicago (2026)
A Chicago flat fee realtor: full-service representation for a flat $1,995, not a percentage.
ToolFlat Fee vs. Commission Real Estate: Which Costs Less to Sell Your Home?
Discount broker, flat fee, or traditional agent?
BlogWhat Is the Cheapest Way to Sell a House in Chicago? Every Option Ranked (2026)
The cheapest way to sell a house in Chicago is a $99 to $399 flat fee MLS listing, if you do the agent's job yourself.
BlogCan AI Sell My House Without a Realtor? What AI Does, and the Two Things It Doesn't
A Chicago listing broker who uses AI every day on what it already handles in a home sale, the two parts that still need a licensed person (judgment with legal...
ToolHow to Sell With a Realtor Without Paying 3% in Chicago (2026)
A Chicago seller can sell with a realtor without paying a 3 percent listing fee three ways: negotiate the percentage, take on part of the job with an entry-only...
ToolFlat Fee MLS Chicago and Illinois: $1,995 Full-Service Listing (2026)
Flat fee MLS in Chicago and across Illinois, full service for a flat $1,995.
ToolThe 3 Ways to Sell a House in Chicago (2026): Your Real Options
Chicago sellers have six options: a traditional listing agent, a low-commission percentage broker, a full-service flat fee brokerage, an entry-only flat-fee MLS...
BlogThe Future of Real Estate Transactions: How AI Is Changing Home Sales (2026 and Beyond)
A Chicago flat fee listing agent's view of how real estate transactions change over the next five to ten years: AI assistants replacing portal search, software doing...
Compare brokers
How the options stack up, and how to check any broker.
Can I Trust a Brokerage That Charges $1,995 to Sell My House?
A $1,995 seller listing fee can buy the full listing job when the brokerage is full-service flat fee, not an entry-only MLS listing.
GuideDoes a Cheaper Listing Agent Mean a Worse Sale? It Depends on the Tier (2026)
Does a cheaper listing agent mean a worse sale?
GuideCircle One Realty vs Net Gain Realty: What Each Flat Fee Includes (2026)
Circle One Realty and Net Gain Realty both charge a flat fee with no percentage at closing.
Guide1% Listing Broker vs Flat Fee in Chicago: What Each Costs (2026)
Net Gain Realty is a full-service flat-fee brokerage that lists Chicago-metro homes for a flat $1,995.
GuideHouzeo Alternatives in Chicago: Four Options, With Published Prices (2026)
Net Gain Realty is a full-service flat-fee brokerage that lists Chicago-metro homes for a flat $1,995 with no percentage at closing.
BlogAre Flat Fee Realtors as Effective as Full-Service Agents? (2026)
Are flat fee realtors as effective as full-service agents at marketing and negotiation?
GuideQuestions to Ask a Listing Agent Before You Sign in Chicago (2026)
Ten questions to ask any listing agent before you sign in Chicago, with Net Gain Realty's own answers as of September 2026: a flat $1,995 listing fee ($595 at...
GuideWhat Are the Risks of Using a Flat-Fee Broker? (2026)
The risks of using a flat-fee broker are real: no pricing help, no negotiation, seller-run showings, add-on fees.
GuideClever Real Estate Alternative in Illinois: Flat Fee Instead of 1.5% (2026)
Yes. Net Gain Realty is a full-service flat-fee alternative to Clever Real Estate in Illinois: a flat $1,995 listing fee for the whole listing job in the Chicago...
BlogShould You Hire the Realtor You Already Know? I Lost a Million-Dollar Listing to One (2026)
A flat fee listing agent's honest account of losing a $1.1M listing to a seller's existing broker relationship, the market data that arrived only after the decision,...
BlogDiscount Real Estate Brokers in Chicago (2026): What Each One Actually Charges
A discount broker lowers the rate. It does not change the model. What Chicago's low-commission and flat-fee options published as of August 2026, what each one...
GuideHouzeo vs Net Gain Realty: Which Is Cheaper in Chicago? (2026)
Is Houzeo or Net Gain Realty cheaper? Houzeo Bronze is $399 DIY; Net Gain Realty is $1,995 full service and costs less than every Houzeo tier that includes broker...
GuideBest Flat-Fee Real Estate Brokers in Chicago (2026)
Every flat-fee broker serving Chicago with advertised prices and what each includes.
The selling process
What happens from the listing agreement to the closing table.
The Seller Packet
What to gather before you list, ready for an AI assistant.
GuideWhat Can Go Wrong, and Who Handles It
From yes to closing: your AI, your broker, and you.
GuideHow Long Does It Take to Sell a House in Chicago? (2026 MLS Data, by Neighborhood)
MLS data, June 2026: Chicago holds about 1.9 months of housing supply, and the fastest neighborhoods are under one month.
GuideHow Long Is a Listing Agreement in Illinois, and Can You Cancel It? (2026)
Listing agreements in Illinois commonly run 3 to 6 months.
GuideWhat Should I Fix Before Listing My Chicago Home, and What Should I Skip? (2026)
Before listing a Chicago home, fix what a buyer's inspector would write up as a safety, water, or major-system problem, and skip cosmetic remodels and replacing...
ToolHow to Sell With a Flat Fee Broker, Step by Step (2026)
Chicago sellers have five options for selling: a traditional agent, a full-service flat-fee broker, an entry-only MLS listing, FSBO, or a cash buyer.
BlogIs Your Zillow Zestimate Accurate? What a Chicago Home Is Really Worth in 2026
What a Zestimate actually is, the four things the algorithm cannot see in Chicago, what Zillow's published error rates mean in dollars, and how to find the real...
GuideWhy Didn't My House Sell? A Chicago Seller's Guide to an Expired Listing (2026)
Your Chicago listing expired. The house didn't fail, the playbook did. What an expired listing actually means, why listings really expire, and what the MLS data says...
More seller guides
Market reports and other guides for sellers.
Chicago's Protecting Renters Ordinance: What It Actually Says and the Math for 2-4 Flat Owners (2026)
What Chicago's proposed Protecting Renters Ordinance actually says, what the viral $10,000 claim gets wrong, the documented cost squeeze on 2-4 unit landlords, and...
BlogLake View Condo Market 2026: $580K Median, 6 Days, 72% Over Ask
Lake View condos in 2026: $580,000 median, 6 days to contract, 72% selling over ask.