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Ames →
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Estimate what you could keep
Ames, IA illustrative estimate
Ames home sale calculator: what you'd actually put in your pocket
The sale price is only the starting point. What matters is what you keep after your payoff, repairs, fees, and other costs come out. That's your net proceeds.
The home value starts with Zillow’s typical value for the area. Your house may be worth more or less. You can change the value and every cost below. Adjust anything you know, including your payoff, repair or credit risk, cleanout cost, agent commission, and how long you expect to carry the property.
Starting-value basis: Zillow typical home value for Ames, IA (As of September 2026): $301,900. Editable estimate, not an appraisal. Source: Zillow Home Value Index
The tax is $0.80 for each $500, or part of $500, of sale price above the first $500. Exemptions may apply.
See what you'd actually walk away with.
Your starting home-value estimate may come from a public source when one is available. You can edit that estimate and each cost input above; your property's actual value and closing costs may differ.
Choose the condition that best fits your home, then update the value, mortgage payoff, and cost inputs with what you know. This estimate uses the tax rate and calculation shown above. Your percentage replaces it. Local taxes, exemptions and the property’s taxable value can change the final amount.
Selling a house in Iowa
Inherited house
Can you sell an inherited Iowa house before probate is finished? Often, yes, but the sale normally goes through the estate's court-appointed personal representative, not an heir acting alone. The representative can sell estate real estate to pay debts, to distribute the estate, or for another purpose in the estate's best interests. If the will gives the representative power to sell, the usual court steps don't apply. Otherwise the representative petitions the court and gives notice to interested persons, unless they waive it in writing. The representative then gets an order for the sale and, afterward, files a report so the court can approve it. A homestead can be sold only as the court directs, and a surviving spouse may have the right to keep it. Mortgages and other liens still have to be paid or released at closing. Iowa inheritance tax does not apply to deaths on or after January 1, 2025. If you need an estate attorney, we can help you find one.
Sources: Iowa Code §633.383, power given in will; §633.386, purposes of sale and homestead; §633.388, petition to sell; §633.389, notice; §633.396, order for sale of real property; §633.399, report for approval; §561.12, survivor may retain homestead; Iowa Department of Revenue, Introduction to Iowa Inheritance Tax
Foreclosure
Can you still sell your Iowa house in foreclosure? A sale may still be possible if the payoff or redemption amount can be paid in time. Iowa home mortgages are generally foreclosed through a court case, and the court's judgment leads to a sheriff's sale. Before suing, most lenders must give the owner of an occupied one- or two-family home a notice with 30 days to cure the default. They must also tell the owner that counseling and mediation are available. The sale must be posted and published, with the first publication at least four weeks before the sale. The deadline depends on the kind of foreclosure. Some allow the owner to redeem after the sale, generally for one year, with shorter periods in some cases. But if the lender chooses foreclosure without redemption for nonagricultural property, there is no right to redeem after the sheriff's sale. A written demand may delay that sale under the court procedure. Have the title company or an attorney confirm the current deadline and amount needed. If a foreclosure sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it.
Sources: Iowa Code ch. 654, including §654.1 foreclosure by action, §654.2D notice of right to cure, §654.4B counseling and mediation notice, and §654.5 special execution; §626.75, notice of sale; ch. 628, including §628.3 one-year redemption and §§628.26–628.28 reduced periods; §654.20, foreclosure without redemption
Tenants
Can you sell an Iowa rental house with tenants still living there? Yes. The buyer steps in as the successor landlord and takes over the rights and obligations for tenants' rental deposits. When your interest ends, you or your agent must, within a reasonable time, do one of two things. You can transfer each deposit, minus any lawful deductions, to the buyer and notify the tenant of the transfer and the buyer's name and address. Or you can return the deposit, minus any lawful deductions, to the tenant. Doing either ends your deposit liability. If a tenant doesn't object within 20 days after written notice of the amount transferred, the buyer's duty to return the deposit is limited to that amount. That notice must include a stamped envelope addressed to the buyer. Unless you agreed otherwise, after a good-faith sale you are also relieved of lease obligations for events after the tenant gets written notice of the sale. Selling does not by itself require the tenant to move. Give the buyer the leases, deposit records and any tenant notices so the transfer is handled correctly at closing.
Sources: Iowa Code §562A.12, subsections 5 and 6, rental deposits when the landlord's interest ends; §562A.13, landlord contact information; §562A.16, limitation of liability after sale
Iowa real estate transfer tax
What transfer tax applies when an Iowa house sells? Iowa's real estate transfer tax is 80 cents for each $500, or fraction of $500, of the price above the first $500. On a $100,000 sale, the taxable $99,500 is 199 units of $500, so the tax is $159.20. The tax is paid to the county recorder, who won't record the deed until it is paid, and a declaration of value is filed when required. By law, the person conveying the property, normally the seller, is liable for the tax. Iowa lists exemptions, including certain family, divorce, estate-distribution and $500-or-less transfers, so the closing professional confirms whether the tax applies and the taxable amount. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including Iowa real estate transfer tax.
Sources: Iowa Code §428A.1, rate and declaration of value; §428A.2, exemptions; §428A.3, who is liable; ch. 428A, including §428A.4, recording only after payment; Iowa Department of Revenue, Iowa Tax/Fee Descriptions and Rates; 2026 Acts ch. 1112, declaration-of-value exceptions; 2026 Acts ch. 1115 §§111–113, declaration contents
Code violations and sale requirements
Can you sell an Iowa house with open code violations? Iowa law lets cities and counties require an owner to abate a nuisance and to remove, repair or dismantle a dangerous building. If the owner doesn't act within a reasonable time after notice, the city or county may do the work. It can then assess the cost against the property and collect it like a property tax. For abandoned or unsafe buildings, a city or county can also ask a court to order the problem fixed. The court can appoint a receiver whose costs can become a lien. Cities of 15,000 or more must have a housing code with rental inspections. Unpaid assessments and liens are paid from the sale at closing, so you don't have to pay them first. If there's an open court or city order, tell us and we'll talk it through before you sign. When you sell to us, we're the buyer, so the repairs become our job.
Sources: Iowa Code §364.12, subsection 3, city nuisance and dangerous-building powers and cost assessment; §331.384, county abatement and cost assessment; ch. 657A, abandoned or unsafe buildings and receivers; §364.17, city housing codes and rental inspections
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