Sellers ask me what their house will sell for long before they ask what it will cost them to sell it, and I understand why: the sale price is the fun number. The gap between the contract price and the money that actually reaches your account is real, though, and on a median-priced Washington County home it runs well into five figures. Most of it is knowable months in advance. Utah keeps the transaction cleaner than a lot of states do, there is no tax on the transfer itself, and the line items that do exist are either published, negotiable, or predictable enough to plan around. What follows is the honest accounting, with the source and the date behind every number I quote.
Commission is the biggest line, and no one can quote you a standard rate
Real estate commission is the largest single cost in almost every sale, and it is the one number I am not going to put in a chart, because there is no standard rate to put there. Commission is negotiated between a seller and the brokerage they hire. It is not set by law, not set by the state, and not set by any association. Since the 2024 changes to how buyer agent compensation works, any amount offered to the agent on the other side of the deal is negotiated separately rather than advertised through the MLS, which means it is now a genuine decision you make rather than a checkbox.
My advice when you interview agents is to ask two questions and listen carefully to the second answer. Ask what the listing brokerage charges. Then ask what they recommend you offer a buyer's agent and why. In a market carrying 5.7 months of supply as of May 2026, a listing that offers nothing to the buyer side is competing against several hundred others with one hand behind its back, and I would rather tell you that plainly than let you find out over ninety days of quiet showings. There are situations where offering nothing works fine, usually a well-priced home in a segment with more buyers than listings. There are more situations right now where it costs you more than it saves.
Title insurance, and why Utah puts the owner's policy on the seller
Utah is unusual here, and it catches people who have sold homes in other states. The Utah Insurance Department states it directly: the seller usually pays for the buyer's owner's policy, and the buyer usually pays for the lender's policy. The state-approved Real Estate Purchase Contract, the form Utah licensees are required to use, says the same thing in Section 6.2, where the seller agrees to pay for and cause to be issued an ALTA Homeowner's Policy of Title Insurance in favor of the buyer. That contract version has been in effect since December 4, 2024. Like most of the REPC, it can be altered by written agreement, but the default is what you should plan against.
Utah is also a file and use state, which means title companies must file their rates with the Insurance Department and cannot quietly negotiate them at the closing table. The Department's own language on this is blunt: title insurance companies are required to charge the rates on file. So the premium is knowable, it just is not published in one convenient state document. Using WFG National Title's Utah rate manual effective October 1, 2024, a $545,000 sale price calculates to roughly $2,390 for a standard owner's policy, or roughly $2,630 for the ALTA Homeowner's Policy that the REPC actually calls for, since that version is priced at 110 percent of the base premium. Other underwriters file different rates, so treat that as a well-sourced example rather than a quote. One thing worth asking about: that same manual discounts a new owner's policy to 65 percent of the calculated premium if the property carries a policy dated less than 48 months before application. If you bought recently, bring your old policy to the title company and ask.
The tax Utah does not charge you
Utah has no real estate transfer tax, no deed tax, and no documentary stamp tax. The Utah State Tax Commission's list of every tax and fee the state administers runs to more than forty entries and contains nothing of the kind, and neither the City of St. George's tax code nor Washington County's imposes one at the local level. If you have sold in a state that charges a percentage of the sale price for the privilege of recording a deed, this is real money you are not spending. On a $545,000 sale in some states that line alone would run past $4,000.
One correction while I am here, because I see it repeated in seller guides constantly: Utah's constitution does not prohibit a transfer tax. There was an attempt to add that prohibition, SJR2 in the 2024 session, and it died in the Senate on March 1, 2024 when the enacting clause was stricken. The absence of the tax is a matter of the legislature never having created one, not a matter of constitutional protection. That distinction does not change your settlement statement today, but it is the kind of thing worth being accurate about.
Property taxes get split at the closing table, and the exemption matters
Utah property taxes for the year are due November 30, and the lien attaches on January 1 based on the property's value as of that date. Because taxes are effectively settled at the end of the year, almost every sale involves a proration. Washington County's Treasurer's office is direct about who handles it: property taxes are a lien against the property, not against any individual owner, and when property changes hands during the year the title company prorates them at closing. The REPC says prorations are made as of the settlement deadline unless the parties agree otherwise in writing. If you close in August, expect to see a debit covering your share of the year to that point.
The piece that surprises people is the residential exemption. Under Utah Code 59-2-103, an owner-occupied residence gets a 45 percent reduction in taxable value, so you are taxed on 55 percent of market value. Washington County's Assessor is explicit that vacation homes, cabins, time-shares and other transitory housing do not qualify. In a county with as many second homes and short-term rentals as this one, that is a meaningful difference in the number being prorated, and it is worth knowing before you estimate your own closing costs from a friend's settlement statement on a primary residence.
Recording, escrow, and the small line items
Washington County raised its recording fee to $45.00 per document effective May 6, 2026, following HB 38 amending Utah Code 17-71-407, plus $2.00 for each legal description over ten. Any figure you find from before that date is out of date. A typical resale generates two recordings that touch the seller: the deed and the reconveyance releasing your existing trust deed, so roughly $90 total. Redaction of a recorded document also went to $10.00 in the same change.
Escrow and closing fees are split. REPC Section 4.3(a) says the seller and buyer each pay their own fees charged by the closing office for its services, so you are not covering the buyer's side. Beyond that sit the items I cannot give you a verified figure for because they vary by lender and by company: loan payoff processing, wire fees, courier charges, and any HOA transfer or document fee your association charges. HOA fees in particular are worth a phone call before you list, because they range widely across Washington County communities and a few of them are large enough to notice.
What a $545,000 sale looks like on paper
| Line item | Amount | Source and date |
| Real estate transfer tax | $0 | No state, county or city transfer tax exists in Utah |
| Owner's title policy (ALTA Homeowner's) | about $2,630 | WFG Utah rate manual, effective October 1, 2024 |
| Recording, deed plus reconveyance | about $90 | Washington County Recorder, effective May 6, 2026 |
| Prorated property taxes | varies by closing date | Prorated by the title company, taxes due November 30 |
| Escrow and closing office fee | varies by company | Seller pays own side, REPC 4.3(a) |
| Real estate commission | negotiated | No standard rate exists in Utah |
I have deliberately left two rows unfilled rather than invent an average. Anyone who hands you a tidy "sellers pay 8 to 10 percent" figure is guessing at the two largest and most variable lines on the page.
Capital gains: most sellers here owe nothing, but not all
The federal exclusion covers up to $250,000 of gain for a single filer and up to $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly, provided you meet both the ownership and use tests. In plain terms, you need to have owned the home at least 24 months out of the five years ending on the sale date, and lived in it as your residence at least 24 months out of those same five years. Those two years do not have to be the same period, and generally you cannot use the exclusion if you already used it on another sale in the prior two years. The IRS lays this out in Topic 701 and Publication 523, last reviewed January 22, 2026.
Two situations around St. George break the usual "you probably owe nothing" answer. The first is the long-time owner sitting on a very large gain. Someone single who bought here in 2012 and is selling a home that has appreciated by well over $250,000 can absolutely owe tax on the excess. The second is the second home or the rental, which does not qualify for the exclusion at all, and where depreciation recapture enters the picture on a former rental. Utah taxes any taxable gain as ordinary income at its flat rate, which SB 60 lowered to 4.45 percent for 2026, the sixth consecutive year the legislature has cut it. Note that the Tax Commission's public rate page was still displaying an older figure when I checked on August 4, 2026, so verify with your CPA rather than that page. I sell real estate, I do not prepare taxes, and on a large gain a two hundred dollar conversation with an accountant before you list is the best money in the whole transaction.
The costs that never show up on a settlement statement
The line items above are the ones that get itemized. The ones that actually decide how much you keep usually happen before a buyer ever walks in. Paint, landscaping, a deferred roof repair, the carpet you have been meaning to replace: these come out of your account weeks before closing and never appear on any closing document. So do carrying costs, and those are a function of how long you sit. Homes in the county took a median of 42 days to go under contract in the July 2026 numbers I track on my St. George market summary, with sales closing at 95.8 percent of original list price. The Washington County Board of REALTORS reported 62 average days on market and 96.4 percent of original list for May 2026, the most recent month they have published. Different methodologies, same message: mispricing is expensive, and it is expensive in a way no one puts on a form.
Concessions belong in this category too. With inventory where it is and Freddie Mac's 30-year fixed at 6.66 percent as of July 30, 2026, buyer requests for closing cost help and rate buydowns are common, and a concession is a real reduction in your proceeds even though the sale price on the sign stays intact. I would rather negotiate a concession than a price cut in most cases, but you should understand you are trading the same dollars either way.
Common questions from St. George sellers
Does Utah charge a real estate transfer tax when you sell a home?
No. Utah has no state real estate transfer tax, deed tax, or documentary stamp tax, and neither the City of St. George nor Washington County imposes one locally. The Utah State Tax Commission's list of every tax and fee the state administers contains no such tax. On a $545,000 sale that saves you thousands compared with states that charge a percentage of the price to record the deed.
Who pays for title insurance in Utah, the buyer or the seller?
The seller pays for the buyer's owner's policy and the buyer pays for the lender's policy. Both the Utah Insurance Department and Section 6.2 of the state-approved Real Estate Purchase Contract say so, though the parties can agree in writing to something different. Utah is a file and use state, so title companies must charge the rates they have filed with the Insurance Department and cannot discount them at closing.
How much are recording fees in Washington County, Utah?
Recording is $45.00 per document as of May 6, 2026, plus $2.00 for each legal description beyond ten. The increase came from HB 38 amending Utah Code 17-71-407. A normal resale involves about two seller-side recordings, the deed and the reconveyance of your existing trust deed, so figure roughly $90.
Do I owe capital gains tax when I sell my St. George home?
Most primary-residence sellers do not. The federal exclusion covers up to $250,000 of gain for a single filer and $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly, if you owned and lived in the home at least 24 months out of the five years ending on the sale date. Second homes and rentals do not qualify for the exclusion, and long-time owners with very large gains can owe tax on the amount above the limit. Utah taxes any taxable gain as ordinary income at its 2026 flat rate of 4.45 percent.
How are property taxes split when you sell a house in Utah?
The title company prorates them at closing. Utah property taxes are due November 30 and the lien attaches January 1, so a seller closing mid-year is typically debited for their share of the year to date. Owner-occupied homes are taxed on 55 percent of market value thanks to the 45 percent residential exemption, but vacation homes, short-term rentals and time-shares do not receive that exemption and are prorated on the full amount.
How long does it take to sell a home in St. George right now?
The July 2026 figures on my market summary show a median of 42 days to contract at 95.8 percent of original list price, with 1,889 active listings and about 5.21 months of supply. The Washington County Board of REALTORS' most recent published report, for May 2026, showed 62 average days on market and 96.4 percent of original list. Correctly priced homes still move quickly; the ones testing a high number are what pull those averages up.
Want the real number for your house?
Every figure above is knowable, and the two I would not fill in are exactly the two worth an actual conversation. I have been selling real estate in Southern Utah for thirteen years and have closed more than 275 sales, and I would rather walk you through a line-by-line estimate for your specific address than have you plan around a generic percentage. If you are weighing a move, start with my selling page for how I approach pricing and preparation, or look at what your competition is doing on St. George homes for sale. If you are downsizing, the condo and townhome and adult community pages are the usual next stop, and buyers coming from out of the area often end up comparing against Hurricane Valley.
Call or text me at 435-200-5508, or send me a message and I will put together a net sheet for your property with current numbers rather than averages.