Good to know first: you don't need to do any of this to ask us for a number, and a title company handles the closing paperwork. This page is here if you want the background.
The checklist
| Item | What it is |
|---|---|
| Purchase agreement | The signed contract. If the buyer plans to assign it, you're owed written notice by this point. |
| Condition report | Your written answers on the home, due within 10 days of acceptance unless waived or exempt. |
| Both spouses | Each spouse signs or joins a deed that gives up a married person's interest in a homestead. |
| City balances | Ask the city for any special assessments still owed on the parcel. |
| Property tax | Check what's paid and what's owed with the County Treasurer. |
| Transfer return | Signed by seller and buyer, filed electronically. |
| Transfer fee | 30 cents per $100 of value, charged to the seller. |
| Recording | The deed goes to the county, with a $30 statutory recording fee. |
The transfer fee, worked out
The rate is 30 cents for each $100 of value or fraction of it. So $3 for each $1,000. On a house valued at $120,000, that comes to $360. A few kinds of transfer are exempt, such as one by will, descent, or survivorship. A sale to an outside buyer for a price isn't one of the exempt transfers we found, so plan on the fee. On a sale to us, the title company puts closing costs in writing before you sign.
Old instructions are floating around. The Department of Revenue said in late 2025 it was moving the return from eRETR to My Tax Account. Its January 2026 notice says the new return is live and takes no registration, username, or password. If a guide sends you to eRETR, it was written before the move.
Why the city comes into it
In Superior, some of what's owed on a house is on the city's books, not the county's. When a special assessment for something like a sidewalk or blacktop isn't paid in full, the balance can roll onto your tax bill in 10 annual installments at 0% interest. Ask how any remaining balance gets handled at closing.
The city takes those requests by email at [email protected]. Put the parcel number or street address in the message. Your title company can do this, but nothing stops you from asking first so you aren't surprised.
What sets the pace
People search for how to sell a house fast in Superior as if the speed belonged to the buyer. Usually it belongs to the paperwork. These are the things that hold a closing up:
- Who owns it. A name on the deed that belongs to someone who has died has to be dealt with first. See the inherited page.
- Who has to sign. An ex, a spouse in another state, or a sibling who won't answer can stop a deed.
- What the title search finds. Old liens and unpaid balances come up here.
- Your own date. If you need to stay through the school year, the date can be set for that.
With us, a sale goes as fast as the title work allows and never faster than you want. We won't quote a number of days here, because the honest answer depends on those four things.
What you'd sign with us
- You send the addressWe look at the house and at nearby sales, and we may ask a few questions or walk through it once.
- A written numberWe explain how we got there. You can take it to anyone you like.
- A contract, if you say yesRead it. Have an attorney read it too if you want. A title company handles the paperwork and the money.
- The closingOn the date you picked. The title company lays out standard closing costs in writing before you sign anything.
What the contract says about who pays which closing cost matters. Ask for it in writing from any buyer, and ask a Wisconsin attorney if something looks off. This page isn't legal advice.
Sources for this page
Pages we read on 2026-11-05. Laws change, so check the current version or ask an attorney.
- Wis. Stat. 710.13(2)(a)
- Wis. Stat. 709.02(1)
- Wis. Stat. 706.02(1)(f)
- City of Superior Special Assessments
- Douglas County Treasurer
- Wis. Stat. 77.22(1)
- Wis. Stat. 77.22(2)
- Wis. Stat. 59.43(2)(ag)
- Wis. Stat. 77.25(11)
- Wisconsin DOR notice, RETR moving to MTA in 2026 (Sept. 29, 2025)
- Wisconsin DOR notice, Enhanced RETR now available (Jan. 12, 2026)