Weeks before listing
Get a real number
A price opinion built from homes that actually closed near you, not an online estimate. Ask to see the sales behind it. Get your number.
Seller guide · Louisiana
Selling a house in Louisiana
Selling here runs on three things the rest of the country doesn't share: a property disclosure document the state requires before the buyer makes an offer, a closing done as an act of sale before a notary, and property taxes prorated through your closing date. Add a price built from real nearby sales and the rest is logistics.
Reviewed by Nicole Gaudet, REALTOR®
Updated October 3, 2026
Start to finish
Eight steps, in order
Roughly 60 to 90 days from the first conversation to the keys changing hands.
Weeks before listing
Decide what's worth fixing
Some repairs come back at resale and some don't. Walk the house with your agent before spending anything, and get the disclosure conversation started while there's still time to fix what you'd rather not disclose as broken.
Listing week
Sign the listing agreement
It sets your price, the term, and the fees you agree to. Commissions are negotiable, and since 2024 any offer of pay to a buyer's broker is its own separate line that starts at zero.
Listing week
Fill in the property disclosure
Louisiana requires it, on the form the Real Estate Commission prescribes, and it needs to reach the buyer before they make an offer. Answer from what you actually know.
Listing week
Photograph, then go live
Photos before the sign goes in the yard. The listing is filed with the MLS within one business day of any public marketing, and it syndicates to Zillow, Realtor.com and the rest from there.
Days 1–45
Show it and read the offers
Price is one line. The deposit, the inspection window, the financing and appraisal terms and the closing date decide whether an offer actually closes.
After acceptance
Inspection, appraisal, title
The buyer inspects, their lender appraises, and the closing agent orders title work and your mortgage payoff. Repairs, if any, get negotiated in this window.
Closing day
Sign the act of sale
In Louisiana the transfer is signed before a notary and filed in the parish records. You bring ID, keys, remotes and the payoff details; you leave with the proceeds.
What the state requires
Four Louisiana rules that catch sellers out
The disclosure comes first
Deliver the property disclosure document "no later than the time the purchaser makes an offer." If it lands after the offer, the buyer can walk within 72 hours, excluding weekends and holidays, and get their deposit back.
La. R.S. 9:3198Disclose what you know, not what you guess
The form covers structure, roof, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, HOA obligations, liens and zoning, among others. You're answering from actual knowledge. You are not required to hire an inspector first, and later changes to the property aren't a violation.
La. R.S. 9:3198; LREC property disclosure documentThe sale is signed before a notary
"A transfer of immovable property must be made by authentic act or by act under private signature." In practice that's the act of sale at the closing table, and it only binds third parties once it's filed for registry in your parish.
La. Civ. Code art. 1839Taxes are prorated, and your homestead doesn't follow you
Louisiana bills property taxes at the end of the year, so your share is credited to the buyer at closing for the days you owned the home. Homestead exemption belongs to the owner who lives there, so the buyer files their own.
La. Const. Art. VII §20; your parish assessorThe money
What comes out of your proceeds
Every one of these is an estimate until your closing agent produces the settlement statement.
Your mortgage payoffPrincipal, interest through closing, and any second loan or line of credit secured by the home.
The commissions you agreed toYour listing agreement sets them. Buyer-broker pay is a separate, negotiable line that starts at zero.
Closing and title costsYour side of the closing agent's fees, releases and recording for your payoff, and any owner's policy you agreed to provide.
Prorated property taxesYour days of ownership this year, credited to the buyer at closing.
Anything you agreed to after inspectionRepairs, credits, or a price adjustment.
Sometimes: a home warranty or buyer creditOnly if you negotiate it.
What would you walk away with?
Estimate my netTry the net sheet calculator with your own numbers.
How long
What the clock actually looks like
Days on market in our two core parishes, then 30 to 45 days from accepted offer to closing.
| Area | Median sale price | vs. last year | Days on market | Sale-to-list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge (city) | $269,000 | +5.5% | 30 | 97.2% |
| East Baton Rouge Parish | $275,000 | +4.2% | 32 | 97.4% |
| Gonzales | $290,428 | −3.2% | 26 | 98.6% |
| Prairieville | $337,750 | −4.3% | 28 | 98.8% |
Source: ROAM MLS closed residential sales, July 1 – September 30, 2026, compared with the same period of 2025. Based on information from the ROAM MLS for the period 07/01/2026 through 09/30/2026. Updated monthly.
Condition, price and location move these numbers in both directions. A home priced above what the comparable sales support sits, and then sells for less than it would have.
Pricing
Price it from sales, not from hope
An online estimate reads public records. It doesn't know your roof is two years old, that the house behind you backs to a retention pond, or what the identical floor plan two streets over closed for last month.
What a real price opinion uses: recent closed sales of similar homes nearby, adjusted for size, age, condition and location; what's currently listed against you; and what fell out of contract and why.
The cost of guessing high: the most showings a listing will ever get are in its first two weeks. Spend those weeks priced wrong and you spend the next two months chasing the market down.
Ask your agent for
- Closed sales used
- 3–6 nearby
- How old
- Last 3–6 months
- Adjustments shown
- Line by line
- Active competition
- What buyers compare you to
- Expired or withdrawn
- What didn't sell, and why
- A number with a range
- Not one figure
Nicole Spellman Group truly exceeded our expectations! Their marketing strategies for our home were exceptional, resulting in a smooth and successful sale. If you're in the Baton Rouge area and looking to buy or sell a home, don't hesitate to contact them. Highly recommended!!
Nicole and her team are phenomenal. I truly appreciated the professionalism and communication. In a busy market like we are in, sometimes those qualities are hard to come by. Truly great team…
Seriously the best realtor in Baton Rouge, LA! They made buying our home fun and easy, always answered our question and were super professional. Thank you so much Nicole and team!
Questions
Selling in Louisiana, answered
When do I have to give the buyer the property disclosure?
No later than the time they make an offer. If they get it afterward, they can terminate within 72 hours, not counting weekends and holidays, and take their deposit with them.
La. R.S. 9:3198
What has to be on the disclosure form?
The form the Louisiana Real Estate Commission prescribes covers the structure, roof, plumbing, water and sewer, electrical, heating and cooling, appliances, HOA obligations, outstanding liens or taxes, zoning, and a handful of Louisiana-specific items. You answer from what you actually know; the law doesn't require you to inspect first.
La. R.S. 9:3198
Can I sell a house I inherited in Louisiana?
Usually yes, but the succession normally has to be finished first, and that is the step that surprises people because it runs on the court’s clock, not yours. Start it before you start planning a listing date.
Successions are filed with the Clerk of Court in the district that covers the parish. Ascension Parish sits in the 23rd Judicial District Court (with Assumption and St. James); East Baton Rouge Parish sits in the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge. Which one applies depends on the deceased’s domicile, not on where the house is, so the two can differ.
This is not legal advice and the timeline depends entirely on the facts — whether there is a will, how many heirs, whether anyone disputes it. A succession attorney can tell you what yours needs. We can list a property while a succession is pending in some situations; what we will not do is promise a closing date the court has not made possible yet.
La. C.C. art. 890 · 23rd JDC (Ascension, Assumption, St. James) · 19th JDC (East Baton Rouge)
Do I need a lawyer to sell a house in Louisiana?
Not by law, but the transfer has to be by authentic act or act under private signature, so a notary signs you out. In Louisiana that notary is often an attorney, and title companies here work with one. We are not attorneys; if your situation is complicated, get your own.
La. Civ. Code art. 1839
What do I pay to sell?
Your mortgage payoff, the commissions you agreed to in the listing agreement, your share of closing and title costs, prorated property taxes through closing, and anything you agreed to after inspection. Run your own numbers on the net sheet.
Do I have to offer to pay the buyer's agent?
No. Since 2024 it's a separate line in the listing agreement, it starts at zero, and it's yours to decide. Some sellers offer it to widen their buyer pool; others don't.
How long does it take to sell?
Homes took a median 30 days on market in Baton Rouge and 26 in Gonzales over July through September 2026 (ROAM MLS), then 30 to 45 days from accepted offer to closing. Which month you list in moves it too — see the best time to sell.
ROAM MLS closed sales, July through September 2026. Based on information from the ROAM MLS for the period 07/01/2026 through 09/30/2026.
Who pays the property taxes for the year I sell?
They're split. Louisiana bills at the end of the year, so at closing you credit the buyer for the days you owned the home and they pay the full bill when it comes.
Can I sell without an agent?
You can. You'd handle the disclosure, pricing, marketing, showings, negotiation and the closing timeline yourself, and a buyer's agent will still expect to be paid by someone. If you want to talk through whether it fits your situation, call and we'll be straight with you.
By town
Local numbers where you live
GonzalesAscension ParishGonzales selling guide →
PrairievilleAscension ParishPrairieville selling guide →
Baton RougeEast Baton Rouge ParishBaton Rouge selling guide →
Best time to sellWhich months pay moreWhen to list →
Flood zones and insuranceDisclosure, cost, transferRead the guide →
Everywhere elseSouth LouisianaSee all areas →
Local reading
More for Louisiana sellers
Next step
Know your number. Then sell with confidence.
Start with your number and a line-by-line net sheet. No obligation.
General information about Louisiana practice, not legal or tax advice. Nicole Gaudet is a licensed Louisiana real estate salesperson, not an attorney.