· Fees · 4 min read
Understanding Holding Costs When Selling Your Home: How Offerly Saves You Thousands
Every extra day your home sits on the market costs money. Discover how holding costs eat into your profits and how Offerly helps homeowners close fast and keep more cash in hand.
Understanding Holding Costs When Selling Your Home: How Offerly Saves You Thousands
When most homeowners think about selling their property, they focus on sale price and commission rates — but one of the biggest hidden expenses in real estate is something many overlook: holding costs.
These are the ongoing expenses you continue paying every month while waiting for your home to sell. Mortgage payments, insurance, property taxes, HOA fees, maintenance, utilities — they all add up fast. The longer your house sits unsold, the more money drains from your pocket.
With Offerly, you skip that wait. Our process helps sellers avoid months of unnecessary costs by closing in as little as 7–10 days.
Let’s break down exactly what holding costs are, why they matter, and how Offerly eliminates them entirely.
What Are Holding Costs?
Holding costs (also called carrying costs) are the total monthly expenses associated with owning a home while it’s on the market. Even if you’ve moved out, these payments continue until the sale is finalized.
Typical holding costs include:
- Mortgage payments
- Property taxes
- Homeowners insurance
- Utilities (water, gas, electric, internet)
- Lawn care, pool maintenance, pest control
- HOA fees and community dues
- Security or cleaning services for vacant homes
On average, homeowners spend between $2,000 and $3,500 per month keeping a listed property afloat.
In slower markets, where traditional listings can take 3–6 months to sell, those costs can total $10,000 to $20,000+ — lost money that could have stayed in your pocket.
The Financial Impact of Holding Costs
🏠 Example Scenario
Let’s say you list a $400,000 home the traditional way. It takes 90 days to sell, and here’s what you pay during that time:
| Expense Type | Average Monthly Cost | 3-Month Total |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage | $1,800 | $5,400 |
| Property Taxes | $400 | $1,200 |
| Insurance | $150 | $450 |
| Utilities | $300 | $900 |
| Maintenance & HOA | $300 | $900 |
| Total Holding Costs | $2,950/month | $8,850 |
That’s nearly $9,000 lost — even before paying commissions or closing fees.
Now imagine waiting 5–6 months due to appraisal issues, buyer financing delays, or inspection repairs. Your costs could easily double, eating away at your profits.
Offerly Advantage
Offerly closes in 7–10 business days, eliminating months of carrying expenses. That’s thousands in savings you keep — instantly.
Why Traditional Sales Take So Long
Selling a home the traditional way can stretch on far longer than expected. Here’s why timelines drag out — and how each factor adds to your holding costs.
1. Property Preparation and Staging
Between repairs, painting, cleaning, and staging, most sellers spend 2–4 weeks before listing. That’s another month of mortgage and maintenance payments gone.
2. Time on Market
Once listed, homes stay active for 45–90 days on average depending on local market demand. Every day your property sits unsold means continued expenses.
3. Buyer Financing Delays
Even after accepting an offer, buyers relying on mortgages can delay closing by 30–45 days for underwriting, inspections, and appraisals.
4. Inspection or Appraisal Issues
If the appraisal comes in low or the inspection reveals problems, negotiations and repairs can add weeks to the process.
5. Relisting After a Failed Offer
Roughly 15–20% of pending sales fall through, forcing homeowners to relist and restart the entire process.
Each one of these steps extends your ownership timeline — and increases your monthly burn rate.
How Offerly Eliminates Holding Costs
Offerly’s direct purchase model is built for speed, simplicity, and certainty. We buy your property as-is, without inspections, appraisals, or financing delays — drastically cutting down your time to close.
| Step | Traditional Sale | Offerly Sale |
|---|---|---|
| Listing & Prep | 2–4 weeks | 0 days |
| Showings & Negotiations | 30–60 days | 0 days |
| Financing Approval | 30–45 days | 0 days |
| Closing & Escrow | 14–21 days | 7–10 days total |
| Average Total Time | 90–120 days | 7–10 days |
| Holding Cost Impact | $6K–$12K | $0 |
You could save over $10,000 or more in holding costs simply by selling to Offerly.
Case Study: Real-World Savings
Case Study: Mesa, AZ
A homeowner listed their property for 3 months with a traditional agent, paying nearly $2,800 per month in holding costs. After the deal fell through due to appraisal issues, Offerly stepped in and closed within 9 days. The seller saved $11,200 in monthly costs and avoided another round of realtor fees.
Case Study: Scottsdale, AZ
A family relocating for work couldn’t afford two mortgage payments. Offerly gave them a cash offer in 24 hours and closed in 7 business days, preventing nearly $7,500 in duplicate expenses.
The Hidden Emotional Costs
Holding costs aren’t just financial — they’re emotional.
Sitting on an unsold property means living in limbo, delaying your next move, and worrying about fluctuating markets or unexpected repairs.
With Offerly, that uncertainty disappears. You can choose your closing date, control your timeline, and move forward confidently without waiting months for buyers.
The Bottom Line: Every Day Costs Money — Offerly Stops the Clock
In real estate, time truly is money. Traditional home sales might seem profitable at first glance, but after 60–90 days of carrying costs, repairs, and commissions, your profits shrink fast.
Offerly changes that.
We help homeowners sell in days, not months, keeping every possible dollar of value in your hands. No fees. No repairs. No holding costs.
So why wait and pay thousands to keep a house you’re ready to sell?
Get your instant cash offer today and discover how much you can save by choosing Offerly’s fast, fee-free, and stress-free process.
👉 Visit Offerly.com/Get-Offer today — sell smart, save big, and stop paying for time you don’t need.
