KS · #34 by population

Buying a home in Kansas

Costs and rules that are specific to Kansas. Main city: Overland Park.

In short

Kansas has no real estate transfer tax, does not require an attorney at closing and has no general seller disclosure form (buyer beware). It forecloses through the courts and is not a community property state.

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If you buy

Kansas state transfer tax

Kansas has no real estate transfer tax. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$238,700
State transfer tax$0
Share of the price—

Default price: the Kansas median value of owner-occupied homes, $238,700 (Census ACS 2024). Rule: No tax is calculated on the price. Recording fees are per page. Who pays: No tax to pay. No statute read assigns the recording fees to buyer or seller; the contract and closing statement decide. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, the tax on the mortgage, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Kansas transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Kansas state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Kansas in short

Is there a real estate transfer tax in Kansas?

No Kansas transfer tax was found in the statutes and county fee schedule read. The old mortgage registration tax of 0.26% of the loan was repealed in 2019, and what remains is a recording fee of $21 for the first page and $17 for each added page in Johnson County.

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What closing costs does Kansas law set?

Kansas has no official typical closing-cost total. It repealed its 0.26% mortgage registration tax in 2019, found no transfer tax, and Johnson County charges $21 for the first page and $17 for each added page to record.

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How is property tax calculated in Kansas?

Kansas assesses a home at 11.5% of appraised fair market value and applies the mills of every taxing unit, with $75,000 of a home's value exempt from the 20-mill statewide school levy.

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What is the deadline to appeal a property tax assessment in Kansas?

In Kansas, file your informal appeal with the county appraiser within 30 days after the valuation notice is mailed (Johnson County lists March 31), and if you disagree with the result, appeal to the Kansas State Board of Tax Appeals within 30 days.

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Do you need a real estate attorney to close in Kansas?

None of the Kansas statutes read requires a real estate attorney at a home closing. Title insurance agents may operate as escrow, settlement or closing agents if they hold client money in separate fiduciary trust accounts (K.S.A. 40-1137).

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What must a home seller disclose in Kansas?

No Kansas statute in the sources reviewed prescribes a seller disclosure form. Licensed agents must disclose adverse material facts they actually know (K.S.A. 58-30,106(d)(1)), and every residential sales contract must carry a radon notice (K.S.A. 58-3078a).

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How does foreclosure work in Kansas?

In Kansas a lender takes a home through a court case, and the sheriff sells it under a court order after notice published for three consecutive weeks.

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What first-time home buyer programs does Kansas offer?

In Kansas, the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) offers a 0% interest loan of 15% or 20% of the purchase price, forgiven after 10 years, to first-time buyers at or below 80% of area median income.

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How much tax when you sell a home in Kansas?

The federal rule is the same in Kansas as in every state: if you owned and lived in the home as your main home for at least 2 of the last 5 years, the first $250,000 of gain is excluded, $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly (Section 121, IRS Publication 523). Bought $400,000, sold $750,000: a single owner has $100,000 of taxable gain, $15,000 of federal tax at the 15% long-term rate; a couple filing jointly owes nothing. Kansas income tax on the gain is not computed here.

Capital gains on a home sale

Kansas guides

Overland Park

Buying a home in Overland Park, Kansas

Professionals in Kansas

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