Short answer
You skip the listing agent commission, but you still pay transfer tax shares, your mortgage payoff, title and settlement costs, and any repairs or marketing. You also take on legal duties yourself, including the Pennsylvania seller disclosure statement. For many homes, a good agent still nets more than the commission costs.
What you save
The main saving is the commission paid to a listing agent, and possibly to a buyer's agent if your contract offers one. That money would otherwise come out of your proceeds at closing. A sale to a direct buyer with no agent involved removes it entirely.
This answer does not quote a commission rate, because it is negotiable and varies by agent.
What you give up is the agent's work. Pricing, photography, showings, negotiating offers and screening for buyers who can actually close all take time and skill.
What you still pay
The state's 1 percent realty transfer tax and the local tax still apply. In Philadelphia the combined rate is 4.578 percent. Your mortgage payoff, liens, title and settlement charges and prorated bills still come out of your proceeds. If your municipality requires a resale certificate, you pay for it.
If you market the house yourself, you may also pay for photos, signs, listing services and an attorney to draft or review the contract.
The legal duties do not disappear
Pennsylvania's Seller Disclosure Law applies whether or not you use an agent. You must complete the property disclosure statement and deliver it before the agreement of sale is signed. The law says an agent representing a seller must advise the seller of these duties and provide the form. Without an agent, that falls on you.
Misstating or hiding a known material defect can make you liable for the buyer's actual damages, with a two-year window after final settlement to bring a claim.
Where an agent can pay for themselves
An agent prices the house, markets it widely, screens buyers and negotiates. For a move-in-ready house, those skills often produce a higher price than a seller gets alone, and the difference can exceed the commission. Selling on your own works best when you already have a buyer, such as a family member or neighbor, or when the house is being sold as-is.
The honest math is simple. If an agent gets you a meaningfully higher price than you could get alone, the commission pays for itself. If not, it does not. Ask two local agents for pricing opinions before deciding, and ask each what they would charge.
A middle path: sell as-is to a cash buyer
Kaizen Home Buyers buys as-is for cash, makes an offer within 24 hours and charges no agent commission. You still complete the required disclosure and still have transfer tax, payoffs and title costs. What you avoid are repairs, showings and months of waiting. The price is below what a fully prepared listing might bring, so compare. Call 267-329-0084 to get a number to compare.
Whichever route you take, have a Pennsylvania real estate attorney read the agreement of sale. A few hundred dollars of review can prevent a much larger dispute.