WI · #20 by population

Buying a home in Wisconsin

Costs and rules that are specific to Wisconsin. Main city: Milwaukee.

In short

Wisconsin taxes property sales through its real estate transfer fee, does not require an attorney at closing and requires a seller disclosure form. It forecloses through the courts and is a community property state.

Calculate for Wisconsin

If you buy

Wisconsin state transfer tax

Real estate transfer fee (Wis. Stat. 77.22): $0.30 per $100 of value or fraction of $100 ($3 per $1,000). Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$294,700
State transfer tax$884.10
Share of the price0.3% of the price
Who paysThe seller

Default price: the Wisconsin median value of owner-occupied homes, $294,700 (Census ACS 2024). Rule: Divide the value (full price including any lien) by $100, round up to the next whole unit, multiply by $0.30. The county keeps 20% and sends 80% to the state. Who pays: By statute the fee is imposed on the grantor, the seller; the purchase contract may say otherwise. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Wisconsin 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: Wisconsin 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.

Wisconsin in short

Is there a real estate transfer tax in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin charges a real estate transfer fee of 30 cents per $100 of value, or $3 per $1,000, and the law puts it on the grantor, the seller. On a $207,900 sale it is $623.70, collected by the register of deeds at recording.

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How much is the state transfer tax on a $294,700 home in Wisconsin?

On $294,700, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Wisconsin (Census ACS 2024), the state real estate transfer fee comes to $884.10 ($0.30 per $100 of value or fraction of $100 ($3 per $1,000)). County and city taxes are not included.

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What closing costs does Wisconsin law set?

Wisconsin has no official typical closing-cost total. The state real estate transfer fee is $3 per $1,000, owed by the seller ($623.70 on Milwaukee's $207,900 median home value), and the register of deeds charges $30 to record any document.

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How is property tax calculated in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin assessors value homes at full market value as of January 1. For the 2025 levy the Department of Revenue reports an average effective rate of 2.078% in the city of Milwaukee versus 1.338% statewide.

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

In Wisconsin, give the municipal clerk notice at least 48 hours before the board of review's first meeting (it meets during a 45-day period beginning the fourth Monday of April) and file a written objection within the first two hours of that meeting.

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

None of the Wisconsin statutes read requires a lawyer to buy or sell a home, but a real estate licensee may not advise on the legal effect of a specific contract or conveyance or on title (Wis. Stat. 452.40).

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What must a home seller disclose in Wisconsin?

A Wisconsin owner selling a home of one to four units must give the buyer a completed Real Estate Condition Report within 10 days after the contract is accepted (Wis. Stat. 709.02).

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How does foreclosure work in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin mortgage foreclosure is judicial: the lender sues and the court enters a judgment of foreclosure and sale.

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What first-time home buyer programs does Wisconsin offer?

In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) pairs a first mortgage with a second loan of up to 6% of the price (Easy Close).

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Is Wisconsin a community property state?

Wisconsin is a community property state, and its version is called marital property: all property of spouses is presumed marital, and each spouse owns an undivided one-half interest (s. 766.31).

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How much tax when you sell a home in Wisconsin?

The federal rule is the same in Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin income tax on the gain is not computed here.

Capital gains on a home sale

Wisconsin guides

Milwaukee

Buying a home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Professionals in Wisconsin

All states · Federal guides