TL;DR: Selling a house in Arkansas at Benton County's first-half 2026 average price of $465,888 costs about $12,509.28 in buyer's agent commission and the seller's half of the deed transfer tax combined, before your listing agent's fee and title and settlement fees. In Washington County, at $423,750, the combined figure is $11,378.10. Both use Redfin's 2.52% average buyer's agent commission on homes under $500,000 (closed sales, third quarter of 2025) plus half of the $3.30 per $1,000 transfer tax, the seller's share unless the contract says otherwise (Ark. Code 26-60-106). Prices are from the Skyline Report (first half of 2026).
How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in Arkansas at Northwest Arkansas Prices?
The newest published price figures for the two Northwest Arkansas counties come from the Arvest/University of Arkansas Skyline Report, as reported by Talk Business & Politics in August 2026. For the first half of 2026, the average sale price in Benton County, home to Walmart's Bentonville headquarters and J.B. Hunt in Lowell, was $465,888, down 1.2% from the first half of 2025. That average reflects 3,187 homes sold in the period. In Washington County, home to Fayetteville, the average was $423,750, up 1.5% from $417,489 a year earlier, across 1,993 sales. Tyson Foods is headquartered in nearby Springdale.
One caution on these figures: they are averages, not medians. Averages are pulled up by a handful of expensive sales, so a typical house in your neighborhood may sell for less than the county figure. If you own in Benton County, start from $465,888; in Washington County, start from $423,750 (both first half of 2026). Then replace that figure with recent sales near your address.
How Much Is the Arkansas Deed Transfer Tax When You Sell?
The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration lists the real estate transfer (deed) tax at $3.30 per $1,000 of actual consideration on transactions above $100 (DFA page, accessed 2026-10-23, under Ark. Code Ann. § 26-60-101 et seq.). The tax applies to each $1,000 "or fractional part thereof" (Ark. Code 26-60-105), so round the price up to the next $1,000 before you multiply.
Benton County: 466 x $3.30 = $1,537.80. Washington County: 424 x $3.30 = $1,399.20. Unless the contract says otherwise, Arkansas law splits the tax half and half between seller and buyer (Ark. Code 26-60-106), so the seller's share is $768.90 and $699.60. Both use the first-half 2026 Skyline averages, so treat them as the tax at the county benchmark, not a quote for your closing. Title, settlement, and recording fees are not in the published figures used here, so ask the title company or closing attorney for a written estimate of each, and confirm how the deed tax is split under your contract.
How Is Property Tax Prorated When You Sell?
Property tax is divided between you and the buyer for the part of the year each of you owns the house, so the number that matters is the tax on your own parcel, not an estimate built from the sale price. Arkansas assesses real property at 20% of market value (Arkansas Assessment Coordination Division, as of 2026-08-19), and one mill equals a tax of $1 per $1,000 of assessed value (University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, 2026). Your taxable value can sit below 20% of today's price, though: under Amendment 79, after a county-wide reappraisal the taxable value of a homestead can rise only 5% a year, and other real property only 10% a year, until it reaches full assessed value (Arkansas DFA, accessed 2026-10-23).
So start from the assessed value and total millage printed on your current county tax bill, not from 20% of your expected sale price, and calculate assessed value x (mills / 1,000). Do not borrow a millage from a neighbor or another town. Then subtract the homestead credit if the house is your principal residence: up to $600 on a homestead beginning with the 2026 tax bills (Arkansas DFA, accessed 2026-10-23), and $675 for assessment year 2026 and later under Act 174 of 2026, first reflected on bills collected in 2027. Bring that net figure to your title company so the proration is checked against your actual bill.
What Are Real Estate Agents Charging in Commission?
Redfin's analysis of closed sales put the average U.S. buyer's agent commission at 2.42% in the third quarter of 2025, up from 2.36% a year earlier. For homes that sold for less than $500,000, the average was 2.52%, unchanged from the prior quarter (Redfin, December 8, 2025). Both county benchmarks here are under $500,000, so this article uses 2.52%. Redfin's report covers the buyer's agent only. Your listing agent's fee is whatever you agree to in the listing agreement, and under the 2024 NAR settlement rules, compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable (NAR Settlement FAQs).
Applied to the county averages: Benton County, $465,888 x 0.0252 = $11,740.38. Washington County, $423,750 x 0.0252 = $10,678.50. These are national averages from Redfin's closed sales, not an Arkansas rate, so confirm current terms in writing with any agent you interview.
Add the seller's half of the deed tax and the totals are: Benton County, $11,740.38 + $768.90 = $12,509.28. Washington County, $10,678.50 + $699.60 = $11,378.10. Then add the listing fee from your listing agreement. Commission is the largest line item in a sale, so ask each agent to show the listing-side and buyer-side percentages separately, and ask what services are included on the listing side before you sign.
What Has Changed in the Latest Published Data?
Two kinds of figures have moved year over year. On price, Benton County's $465,888 average is down 1.2% from the first half of 2025, while Washington County's $423,750 is up 1.5% from $417,489 (Skyline Report, first half of 2026). Sellers in the two counties are starting from different trends, so a Benton County seller should not assume last year's sale prices still hold.
On financing, the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey 30-year fixed average was 7.32% for the week of October 22, 2026, against 6.19% a year earlier, a gap of 1.13 percentage points. A buyer borrowing the same amount now faces a higher monthly payment than a year ago, so fewer buyers can stretch to an above-market asking price. For you, that means pricing against recent nearby sold comparables rather than the county average, and expecting buyers to question any premium you add.
What Should You Do With These Numbers?
- Start with your county benchmark: $465,888 in Benton County or $423,750 in Washington County (first half of 2026, Skyline Report), then replace it with recent sold prices from your own neighborhood.
- Apply the Arkansas deed tax of $3.30 per $1,000 (DFA, accessed 2026-10-23) to your expected price, rounded up to the next $1,000: $1,537.80 at the Benton benchmark and $1,399.20 at the Washington benchmark, of which the seller's default half is $768.90 and $699.60.
- Request listing-side and buyer-side commission terms separately from at least two agents, and compare the buyer-side figure with Redfin's 2.52% average for homes under $500,000 (third quarter of 2025).
- Pull your county tax bill, multiply the assessed value printed on it by your total millage divided by 1,000, and subtract the homestead credit (up to $600 on 2026 bills, Arkansas DFA) if the house is your principal residence.
- Ask the title company for a written estimate of settlement fees, and price for buyers paying a 7.32% 30-year rate (Freddie Mac, October 22, 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to sell a house in Arkansas?
At the Benton County average price of $465,888 (first half of 2026), buyer's agent commission and the seller's half of the deed tax together come to about $12,509.28. That uses Redfin's 2.52% average buyer's agent commission on homes under $500,000 (third quarter of 2025), plus half of the $3.30 per $1,000 deed tax (Ark. Code 26-60-106). In Washington County, at $423,750, the figure is $11,378.10. Add your listing agent's fee and title and settlement fees.
What is the Arkansas deed transfer tax rate?
The Arkansas transfer tax rate is $3.30 per $1,000 of actual consideration on transactions above $100 (Arkansas DFA, accessed 2026-10-23). At the Benton County average price of $465,888 (first half of 2026) that is $1,537.80, and at the Washington County average of $423,750 it is $1,399.20, with the price rounded up to the next $1,000. Unless the contract says otherwise, seller and buyer each pay half (Ark. Code 26-60-106).
Has the average real estate commission gone down recently?
No, not on the buyer's side. Redfin's closed-sale data shows the average U.S. buyer's agent commission rose to 2.42% in the third quarter of 2025 from 2.36% a year earlier, and for homes under $500,000 it held at 2.52%, the highest level since 2023 (Redfin, December 8, 2025). Ask any agent you interview for their current terms in writing.
How do I estimate my property tax for the closing proration?
Use your own tax bill, not the sale price. Multiply the assessed value printed on your current bill by its total millage divided by 1,000, because Amendment 79 can hold your taxable value below 20% of today's market value (Arkansas DFA, accessed 2026-10-23). Then subtract the homestead credit, up to $600 on 2026 bills, if the house is your principal residence.
Next Step
In a first conversation, Mason Capital Group will provide a written net-proceeds estimate for your property, showing commission, deed tax, property tax proration, and settlement items against a realistic sale price from recent nearby sales. Call 479-925-3333, or visit us at 609 SW 8th Street, 6th Floor, Bentonville, AR 72712.
About the author: Cameron Torabi, Principal Broker — Mason Capital Group. 30+ years of Northwest Arkansas real estate expertise; $2.4B+ in cumulative transaction activity.
Figures in this article are drawn from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Real Property Transfer page (accessed 2026-10-23); Ark. Code 26-60-105 and 26-60-106; the Arkansas DFA Property Tax Relief page (accessed 2026-10-23); the Arkansas Assessment Coordination Division, Arkansas DFA (as of 2026-08-19); the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service property tax fact sheet (2026); Act 174 of the 2026 Fiscal Session, Arkansas General Assembly (approved May 1, 2026); the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (October 22, 2026); the Arvest/University of Arkansas Skyline Report as reported by Talk Business & Politics (first half of 2026, published August 2026); Redfin's buyer's agent commission report (third quarter of 2025, published December 8, 2025); and the National Association of Realtors Settlement FAQs (updated September 5, 2024).