The Nevada Home-Selling Process: Your Step-by-Step Checklist

Don't focus only on the price. Compare loan type (cash, conventional, FHA, VA), earnest money amount, contingencies, requested closing date, who pays which closing costs, and any seller concessions. Your agent should give you a one-page summary so you can compare apples to apples.

Cost: $0

After the NAR settlement, some buyers ask the seller to pay part or all of their buyer's agent fee inside the purchase agreement as a concession. You can agree, counter a lower amount, or decline — it's negotiable. If the buyer is using a loan, the lender will need to approve the concession against program caps (typically 3-9% on conventional loans depending on loan-to-value).

Cost: Varies (deducted from your net proceeds if you agree)

Your agent prepares your counteroffer or signs the buyer's offer back as accepted. Common counter items are price, closing date, who pays title and escrow fees, and which appliances stay. Each round resets until both sides have signed the same version. Make sure the final signed contract is the most recent version — old drafts cause closing disputes.

Cost: $0

If one licensee or one brokerage will represent both you and the buyer, Nevada NRS 645.252 requires written informed consent from both sides on the NRED-prescribed 'Consent to Act' form before that arrangement begins. Without a signed Consent to Act, the licensee cannot legally represent both sides. You can also say no and stay with single-agent representation.

Cost: $0

Once an offer is accepted, give the buyer your completed Nevada Seller's Real Property Disclosure Form, the federal lead paint disclosure if applicable, and the HOA/CIC resale package if applicable. Nevada law treats failure to deliver these as a basis for the buyer to rescind. Keep a dated copy of every delivery — text receipts, email, or e-sign timestamps all work.

Cost: $0

Nevada is an escrow state, not an attorney-closing state. Your agent sends the signed contract to a licensed escrow agent (often inside a title insurance company) operating under NRS 645A. Escrow is the neutral third party that holds money and documents until both sides have done what they promised.

Cost: $0 to open (escrow fee paid at closing)

Your contract states a deadline — usually 1-3 business days after acceptance — for the buyer to deposit earnest money into the brokerage's or escrow's trust account. Under Nevada trust account rules, those funds must be deposited within one business day of receipt. If the deadline passes without a deposit, talk to your agent immediately about the buyer's status.

Cost: $0 (the buyer puts up the deposit)

The title company pulls public records to confirm you're the legal owner and to list any liens, easements, HOA dues, judgments, or boundary issues against the property. You'll get a preliminary title report you should read carefully. Surprises like an old contractor lien or expired mechanic's lien must be cleared before closing.

Cost: Paid at closing (title insurance is part of closing costs)

Nevada NRS 113.130 and NRS 179D require sellers to inform buyers that the statewide sex offender registry exists and how to access it through the Nevada Department of Public Safety. You are not required to identify specific registered offenders near the property — only to point the buyer to the registry. This is included on the standard Seller's Real Property Disclosure Form.

Cost: $0

Nevada is an appropriation-doctrine state — water rights are separate property rights from the land itself, governed by NRS 533. On the Seller's Real Property Disclosure Form you must state whether water rights are appurtenant to the property and whether they are being transferred in this sale. This matters for rural acreage, ranches, and any property with wells.

Cost: $0

The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) requires the buyer to withhold a percentage of the sale proceeds and send it to the IRS if the seller is a foreign person. For most properties the rate is 15%, with reduced rates for some lower-priced primary residences. If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, you'll sign a Certification of Non-Foreign Status so no withholding is taken. If you are a foreign seller, talk to a tax pro before closing.

Cost: $0 for U.S. sellers (foreign sellers may owe 15% withholding)

The buyer will usually schedule a general home inspection plus possible specialty inspections like roof, sewer scope, HVAC, pool, mold, or termite. Plan to be out of the house for several hours so the inspector can move freely. Make sure utilities are on, the attic and crawlspace are accessible, and any locked rooms are unlocked.

Cost: $0 (the buyer pays for inspections)

After the inspection the buyer typically sends a written request: a list of repairs, a price reduction, a credit at closing, or a mix. Read it with your agent. You don't have to agree to everything — Nevada purchase agreements give you the right to respond, counter, or refuse, with the buyer then deciding whether to proceed or cancel within their contingency period.

Cost: $0

Decide whether to do specific repairs before closing, give the buyer a closing cost credit, lower the price, or refuse. Get every agreement in writing as a signed addendum to the purchase contract. Verbal handshakes don't bind escrow — only what's signed gets enforced at closing.

Cost: Varies (often $0-5,000 in repairs or credits)

If you promised specific fixes, hire licensed contractors where Nevada law requires (most plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and roof work), get them done before the agreed deadline, and save the invoices. The buyer will often do a final walkthrough to confirm. Missing the deadline can give the buyer grounds to delay or back out.

Cost: Varies based on agreed scope

If an inspector turns up signs of past meth contamination, an underground storage tank, asbestos, or major water damage, Nevada law (NRS 477.140 et seq. for meth, NRS 113.130 for general disclosure) requires you to disclose and may require remediation to state standards before the property can be sold. Talk to a remediation specialist and your agent — these are deal-breakers if hidden, but often workable if surfaced honestly.

Cost: Varies widely — often $5,000-50,000 for meth remediation

The buyer's lender hires a licensed appraiser to value the property. The appraiser walks the home, takes photos, measures, and pulls comparable sales. You don't need to be there, but the home should be clean and show-ready — appraisers do note condition. A low appraisal can blow up the deal, so make sure obvious value-adds (recent remodels, new roof, upgraded HVAC) are easy to see.

Cost: $0 (the buyer pays the appraisal fee)

Your agent can leave a packet for the appraiser listing the upgrades you've made, dates, and costs, plus 3-5 strong comparable sales nearby. Appraisers are not required to use it, but a clear, factual packet helps when the comps are mixed. Stick to facts and receipts — no marketing copy.

Cost: $0

If the appraisal is below the contract price, the buyer's loan amount caps at the appraised value. You have four typical options: lower the price to the appraisal, split the difference with the buyer, have the buyer bring extra cash to close, or ask the lender to challenge the appraisal with new comps. Decide with your agent quickly because the buyer's financing contingency is ticking.

Cost: Varies (you may give up some sale price)

Underwriting sometimes requires the seller to provide items like a roof certification, well/septic inspection, or proof of insurance claim history. The lender can also limit the seller concession to program caps (commonly 3-9% on conventional loans depending on loan-to-value, with specific rules for VA and FHA). Respond fast — every day on a lender condition is a day closer to a missed closing date.

Cost: Varies

Once underwriting is done, the lender issues a 'clear to close' meaning the buyer's loan is approved with no further conditions. Ask your agent to confirm this in writing from the lender. Until clear to close lands, the deal still has real financing risk — don't move out or commit to your next home purchase until you see it.

Cost: $0

Escrow sends a seller settlement statement showing the sale price, payoff of your mortgage, prorated property taxes and HOA dues, your commission, title and escrow fees, the Nevada Real Property Transfer Tax under NRS 375, and your net proceeds. Compare every line to your contract. Flag anything that doesn't match before signing — it's much harder to fix after closing.

Cost: Nevada Real Property Transfer Tax ~$1.95 per $500 (Clark/Washoe counties higher, roughly $2.55-$5.10 per $500)

If the preliminary title report flagged liens, judgments, expired releases, or boundary issues, escrow and your agent will work to resolve them before closing. Common fixes are paying off a forgotten second mortgage, recording a release on a paid-off HELOC, or getting an estate signature. Don't ignore title calls — unresolved items will stop closing the day-of.

Cost: Varies

Escrow will request a payoff figure from your current lender that's good through the closing date. The number includes principal, accrued interest, any prepayment penalty, and recording fees. If you have a second mortgage or HELOC, escrow needs payoffs from those too. Double-check the lender name and loan number on the payoff matches what you owe.

Cost: $0

The buyer usually walks the property in the last 24-72 hours before closing to confirm agreed repairs were done and the home is in the same condition as the offer. Leave behind manuals, garage door openers, mailbox keys, and any warranties. Touch up obvious damage from moving day. If the walkthrough turns up problems, it can delay closing.

Cost: $0

Call your electric, gas, water, internet, trash, and HOA accounts to schedule transfer or shut-off effective the day after the recorded closing. Don't shut anything off before closing — the buyer and the appraiser may still need access, and Nevada heat or cold can damage a vacant home with utilities off. Save confirmation numbers.

Cost: $0-50 final billing

Escrow will set an appointment — at their office, mobile notary, or remote online notarization — for you to sign the deed, the seller settlement statement, the FIRPTA non-foreign affidavit, and any state and county transfer tax forms. Bring a government-issued ID. Read each document; if something looks wrong, stop and ask before you sign.

Cost: $0

Closing is officially complete in Nevada when the deed is recorded with the county recorder (for example Clark County or Washoe County). At that point the buyer is the legal owner and escrow has authority to disburse funds. Ask escrow to send you the recording confirmation — that's the moment you can hand over keys without risk.

Cost: $0 (recording fees were on your settlement statement)

After recording, escrow disburses funds: payoff to your mortgage lender(s), commission to the brokerages, transfer tax and recording fees to the county, and the rest — your net proceeds — to you by wire or cashier's check. Wire is faster and safer. Confirm wire instructions verbally with escrow using a known phone number; wire fraud is the most common closing scam.

Cost: Bank wire fee typically $15-35

Once the deed is recorded, deliver all keys, garage remotes, mailbox keys, gate fobs, HOA pool passes, and security system codes to the buyer or the buyer's agent — whatever your contract specifies. If you and the buyer agreed to a rent-back where you stay in the home after closing, follow the signed rent-back agreement instead.

Cost: $0

Keep the recorded deed, settlement statement, payoff letters, and improvement receipts for at least seven years. You'll need them for your federal tax return — capital gains from a home sale may be partially or fully excluded under IRS rules for primary residences, and your basis includes major improvements. If this was an investment property or you're a foreign seller, talk to a CPA before tax season.

Cost: Optional CPA consult $200-500