diff --git a/lib/net.js b/lib/net.js
index 5d11da493d9..97c88a8ef5c 100644
--- a/lib/net.js
+++ b/lib/net.js
@@ -1126,8 +1126,7 @@ Server.prototype.listen = function () {
     fs.stat(path, function (err, r) {
       if (err) {
         if (err.errno == ENOENT) {
-          bind(self.fd, path);
-          self._doListen();
+          self._doListen(path);
         } else {
           throw r;
         }
@@ -1136,12 +1135,8 @@ Server.prototype.listen = function () {
           throw new Error("Non-socket exists at  " + path);
         } else {
           fs.unlink(path, function (err) {
-            if (err) {
-              throw err;
-            } else {
-              bind(self.fd, path);
-              self._doListen();
-            }
+            if (err) throw err;
+            self._doListen(path);
           });
         }
       }
@@ -1151,10 +1146,7 @@ Server.prototype.listen = function () {
     // The port can be found with server.address()
     self.type = 'tcp4';
     self.fd = socket(self.type);
-    bind(self.fd, port);
-    process.nextTick(function () {
-      self._doListen();
-    });
+    self._doListen(port);
   } else {
     // the first argument is the port, the second an IP
     dns.lookup(arguments[1], function (err, ip, addressType) {
@@ -1163,8 +1155,7 @@ Server.prototype.listen = function () {
       } else {
         self.type = addressType == 4 ? 'tcp4' : 'tcp6';
         self.fd = socket(self.type);
-        bind(self.fd, port, ip);
-        self._doListen();
+        self._doListen(port, ip);
       }
     });
   }
@@ -1187,12 +1178,32 @@ Server.prototype._startWatcher = function () {
 };
 
 Server.prototype._doListen = function () {
+  var self = this;
+
   try {
-    listen(this.fd, this._backlog || 128);
-    this._startWatcher();
+    bind(self.fd, arguments[0], arguments[1]);
   } catch (err) {
-    this.emit('error', err);
+    self.emit('error', err);
+    return;
   }
+
+  // Need to the listening in the nextTick so that people potentially have
+  // time to register 'listening' listeners.
+  process.nextTick(function () {
+    // It could be that server.close() was called between the time the
+    // original listen command was issued and this. Bail if that's the case.
+    // See test/simple/test-net-eaddrinuse.js
+    if (typeof self.fd != 'number') return;
+
+    try {
+      listen(self.fd, self._backlog || 128);
+    } catch (err) {
+      self.emit('error', err);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    self._startWatcher();
+  });
 }
 
 
diff --git a/test/simple/test-net-eaddrinuse.js b/test/simple/test-net-eaddrinuse.js
index 7a46f6292cc..9278eb5492a 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-net-eaddrinuse.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-net-eaddrinuse.js
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@ var server1 = net.createServer(function (socket) {
 });
 var server2 = net.createServer(function (socket) {
 });
-server1.listen(31337);
+server1.listen(common.PORT);
 server2.addListener('error', function(error) {
   assert.equal(true, error.message.indexOf('EADDRINUSE') >= 0);
   server1.close();
 });
-server2.listen(31337);
+server2.listen(common.PORT);