KS · #34 by population

Buying a home in Kansas

In Kansas, the median owner-occupied home is valued at $252,600 (Census ACS 2025); there is no state transfer tax, and owners pay a median $2,798 a year in property tax (1.29% effective rate).

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.

Key figures for Kansas

  • Median home value: $252,600, owner-occupied homes, Census ACS 2025; $469,500 in the city of Overland Park. Compare
  • Price trend: The FHFA House Price Index shows Kansas prices up 3.3% and Kansas City (MO-KS) prices up 2.9% between the second quarters of 2025 and 2026.
  • State transfer tax: none. Compare
  • Median property tax paid: $2,798 a year, 1.29% of the median value (U.S.: 0.94%), Census ACS 2020-2024. By county
  • Cities covered by Payotte: 6 in Kansas.

Calculate for Kansas

If you buy

Kansas state transfer tax

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

Price$252,600
State transfer tax$0
Share of the price—

Default price: the Kansas median value of owner-occupied homes, $252,600 (Census ACS 2025). 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.

Cities in Kansas

  • Overland Park main city of Kansas on Payotte, 31st largest U.S. metro area
  • Wichita 89th largest U.S. metro area
  • Kansas City 156,752 residents, Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (31st largest)
  • Olathe 149,035 residents, Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (31st largest)
  • Topeka 125,467 residents, Topeka, KS metro area (205th largest)
  • Lawrence 97,271 residents, Lawrence, KS metro area (329th largest)

Sectors of Overland Park

How Overland Park is divided: 8 ZIP codes of at least 1,000 residents (of 9 ZIP code areas mostly inside the city).

Buying in Kansas: frequently asked questions

What is the median home value in Kansas?

The median value of owner-occupied homes in Kansas is $252,600 (Census ACS 2025), and $469,500 in the city of Overland Park. These are owner estimates, not sale prices. The FHFA House Price Index shows Kansas prices up 3.3% and Kansas City (MO-KS) prices up 2.9% between the second quarters of 2025 and 2026.

Median home value in all 50 states

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.

Full Kansas guide · Compare all 50 states

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.

Full Kansas guide · Compare all 50 states

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.

Full Kansas guide · Compare all 50 states

How much property tax do homeowners pay in Kansas?

Owner-occupants in Kansas pay a median $2,798 a year in property tax on a median home value of $217,200, an effective rate of 1.29% (U.S.: $3,119, 0.94%), per Census ACS 2020-2024 estimates.

Property tax by county in Kansas

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.

Full Kansas guide · Compare all 50 states

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).

Full Kansas guide · Compare all 50 states

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.

Full Kansas guide · Compare all 50 states

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.

Full Kansas guide · Compare all 50 states

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

Professionals in Kansas

Sources

Data as of . Figures are computed from these sources.

All states · Federal guides