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What a cash sale actually costs in North Carolina

“No fees” is the most repeated phrase in this industry and the least explained. Here is every line on an NC cash-sale closing statement, who customarily pays it, and what “we pay closing costs” really covers.

By Matthew Kane · USMC veteran · NC Broker #297432 · 3 min read · Updated July 2026
A 1916 residence on Princess Street in Wilmington, North Carolina
Because I hold a broker’s license and buy houses for cash, I get asked constantly which one is the trick. Neither is. They are different tools, and the only trick is using the wrong one. These guides are the comparisons I walk sellers through at the kitchen table.— Matthew Kane, founder

North Carolina closes at an attorney’s table

NC is an attorney-closing state: a licensed closing attorney runs title work, holds funds, and records the deed. That is good news — a neutral professional touches every dollar — and it means the cost structure is knowable in advance. Here is the whole list, so no line on the settlement statement surprises you.

The seller’s customary lines

What NC sellers traditionally pay

Excise tax — NC’s transfer stamp — runs one dollar per five hundred of price: two hundred dollars per hundred thousand. Deed preparation and any payoff-handling fees are modest. Property taxes prorate to closing day. Any liens, judgments, or code fines attached to the property clear from proceeds at the table. That is the honest total: on most sales, well under one percent plus whatever debt the house carries.

The buyer’s side

What “we pay closing costs” means from us

Title search, the closing attorney’s fee, and recording are costs someone must pay; in our standard offer, we take them. What no buyer can pay for you: the excise tax obligation and your own liens — anyone who claims those vanish is playing word games. When we say the offer is net of fees, it means no commission, no buyer-side charges passed to you, and the payoff-versus-proceeds math shown before you sign.

What is absent

The costs a cash sale deletes

No listing commission of 5 to 6 percent. No repair negotiations after inspection. No seller concessions toward a buyer’s loan costs. No months of taxes, insurance, and utilities while a listing sits. On a $250,000 sale, those absent lines commonly total $20,000 or more — that is the honest counterweight to a below-retail price, and you should weigh both sides with real numbers.

Cover image — Photo: Wm.fridrich, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Matthew Kane, founder of Tidal Realty Partners

Matthew Kane

Founder, Tidal Realty Partners. United States Marine Corps veteran, former firefighter, and a licensed North Carolina broker (NC #297432). Matthew and his team have worked with 200+ Cape Fear families since 2017 — as buyers when cash is the right answer, and as a full-service brokerage when it is not.

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