When Australian homeowners think about the cost of selling their house, most picture one number: the agent's commission. It's the biggest line item, so that's understandable. But it's not the only one - and the others add up to more than most sellers expect.
For a typical $720,000 sale in Australia today, the all-in cost of selling - agent fees plus everything else - is usually $36,000 to $48,000. That's 5% to 7% of the sale price, gone before a dollar reaches your bank account.
This article breaks down every cost: what it is, why it exists, how much it typically runs, and which costs you can avoid. We'll work through a complete real-world example at the end.
The big one: agent commission
Standard agent commission in Australia is 2% to 3% of the sale price, plus GST. The exact rate varies by state, agency, and how hard you negotiate.
Typical commission rates by state
| State | Median commission | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 2.0% | 1.8 - 2.5% |
| Victoria | 2.2% | 1.8 - 2.8% |
| Queensland | 2.5% | 2.2 - 3.0% |
| South Australia | 2.0% | 1.8 - 2.5% |
| Western Australia | 2.5% | 2.2 - 3.0% |
| Tasmania | 2.8% | 2.5 - 3.3% |
| ACT | 2.0% | 1.8 - 2.5% |
| Northern Territory | 2.5% | 2.2 - 3.0% |
These figures are medians from publicly available agency data and industry surveys. Your actual quote will depend on your home's price, the agency you choose, and how you negotiate.
What the commission actually pays for
The commission covers the agent's time, their agency's overheads, and their share of the sale. Specifically: initial property appraisal and marketing strategy, listing creation and uploading to portals, open inspections and private viewings, buyer enquiries and follow-up, negotiation with potential buyers, and coordination with your conveyancer through to settlement.
Two things worth knowing about how commission is structured: it's almost always paid by the seller (not the buyer), and it's paid at settlement out of the sale proceeds. You don't write a cheque - the conveyancer disburses it directly from your sale.
Negotiating commission
Commission rates are negotiable. Almost no one pays full sticker. The most effective tactic is straightforward: get three agents to quote on your property, then let each know they're competing.
Some agencies offer a tiered structure - a base commission plus a "performance bonus" if you exceed an agreed sale price. This sounds appealing but is often less generous than it appears, because the agent still gets their base commission even if the property sells below expectations.
If you negotiate hard, you might land at 1.8-2.0%. If you don't negotiate at all, you'll pay the rack rate of 2.5-3.0%. The difference on a $720k sale is roughly $4,000 to $8,000.
The hidden one: marketing and advertising
This is the cost most homeowners don't see coming.
Agency marketing packages typically run $3,000 to $15,000, charged separately from commission, and almost always paid upfront. The package usually includes:
- Professional photography ($350-$800)
- Floor plan ($150-$400)
- Listing on REA.com.au and Domain ($800-$2,500 depending on tier)
- Premium "feature" placement on the major portals ($1,500-$3,500 for higher visibility)
- Print signage ($400-$800)
- Newspaper advertising, where used ($500-$2,000)
- Brochures and flyers ($200-$600)
- Drone photography or videography ($300-$1,200)
Premium agencies will offer "elite" packages running to $15,000-$25,000 for high-end properties.
You can often negotiate marketing fees down or substitute components. Ask: do I really need newspaper ads in 2026? Do I need the $3,500 premium portal placement, or will the $1,500 standard placement do for the first month?
Auction-only costs
If you choose to sell at auction, there are additional costs beyond standard marketing:
- Auctioneer fee: $400-$1,500. Some agencies include this in their commission; others charge separately.
- Extra marketing for auction campaign: $2,000-$5,000 on top of standard marketing. Auctions typically require a more intensive 4-6 week campaign.
- Auction day costs: $200-$500 for venue, equipment, sign-up forms if not held on-site.
Total auction premium over a standard private sale: roughly $3,000 to $7,000.
Worth asking before committing to an auction campaign: is your home suited to it? Auctions work well in markets with strong demand and clear comparables. They work badly when the property is unusual (uncertain value), when the market is soft, or when the agent is pushing auction primarily because it suits their schedule rather than yours.
Conveyancing and legal costs
You'll need a conveyancer or solicitor to handle the legal side of the sale. This is non-negotiable - you cannot legally transfer a property in Australia without one.
Typical costs
- Conveyancer (simpler sales): $1,200-$2,500
- Solicitor (complex sales, e.g. with contested title, multiple owners, business asset transfers): $2,500-$5,000+
Conveyancers handle straightforward residential transfers. Solicitors are appropriate when there are legal complications - disputed boundaries, unusual easements, ongoing legal matters affecting the property, deceased estates with contested wills, etc.
For most owner-occupied home sales, a conveyancer is sufficient and saves you $1,000-$2,000 versus engaging a solicitor.
Government fees
There are several government charges you'll encounter:
Mortgage discharge fee
If you have a mortgage on the property, your lender charges a discharge fee to register the release of their security. This is typically $300-$500 and is non-negotiable.
Title registration
The transfer of title is registered with the state land titles office. Fees vary by state, generally $120-$400. Almost always paid by the buyer in practice, but check your contract.
Capital Gains Tax
Important: if you're selling your primary residence (the home you live in), capital gains tax (CGT) usually doesn't apply, thanks to the "main residence exemption."
CGT does apply if the property has been an investment property at any point during ownership, you're a non-resident for tax purposes, the property has been your home but vacant or rented for more than six years, or you're selling a second home or investment property.
If CGT applies, the calculation is complex and you should see a tax accountant. For most owner-occupier sales, CGT is $0.
Pre-sale preparation costs
These are the costs you incur to get your home ready to market:
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Decluttering and pre-listing clean | $200-$500 |
| Garden tidy / landscaping | $150-$1,500 |
| Minor repairs (lights, taps, paint touch-ups) | $300-$2,000 |
| Repainting (if needed) | $3,000-$8,000 |
| Pre-listing styling/staging | $1,500-$5,000 |
| Building and pest pre-inspection (optional) | $400-$800 |
Most sellers spend $1,500-$5,000 on preparation. The rule of thumb: spend money on things that increase first-impression appeal (paint, garden, decluttering, lighting). Avoid spending on things that don't change the buyer's first impression (major renovations, expensive appliances unless they're broken).
A worked example: $720,000 sale in Burnie
Let's run through a complete example. House sells for $720,000 in Burnie, Tasmania. Seller used a traditional agent with standard marketing.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Agent commission (2.8% TAS median) | $20,160 |
| GST on commission | $2,016 |
| Marketing package (mid-tier) | $6,500 |
| Conveyancer | $1,800 |
| Mortgage discharge | $350 |
| Pre-listing styling and minor repairs | $2,200 |
| Removalists | $2,400 |
| Miscellaneous adjustments | $400 |
| Total cost of selling | $35,826 |
| Net proceeds to seller | $684,174 |
That's 5.0% of the sale price gone in costs. On the higher end - with a 3% commission, premium marketing package, and auction sale - total costs would push closer to $48,000, or 6.7% of the sale price.
The side-by-side comparison
For the same $720,000 Burnie sale, here's how the total costs change if you sell direct on PropPad versus via a traditional agent:
| Item | Traditional agent | PropPad |
|---|---|---|
| Agent commission + GST | $22,176 | $0 |
| Marketing | $6,500 | $400 |
| Conveyancer | $1,800 | $1,800 |
| Mortgage discharge | $350 | $350 |
| Pre-listing styling | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Removalists | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Miscellaneous | $400 | $400 |
| Total cost | $35,826 | $7,550 |
| You save $28,276 (3.9% of sale price) | ||
The difference is $28,276, or roughly 3.9% of the sale price. That's the kind of money that funds a kitchen renovation, a year of mortgage repayments on your next home, or the deposit on an investment property.
What you can actually avoid
Many of these costs are unavoidable. You'll always need a conveyancer. You'll always have removalists. You'll always pay a mortgage discharge fee if you have a mortgage.
The two biggest costs are the most avoidable:
Agent commission ($15,000-$25,000+)
You're not legally required to use a real estate agent in Australia. Owner-direct sales are legal in every state. What you'd need to handle yourself is the listing, the inspections, the negotiation, and providing your conveyancer with the buyer's details. None of these are technically complex - most homeowners are capable of all of them - but they do require time and a tolerance for negotiation.
Owner-direct platforms (including PropPad) have emerged specifically to make this path easier. They handle listing presentation, buyer verification, and offer management while leaving the financial decisions with the homeowner. For a typical Australian home, the commission savings are $15,000 to $25,000.
Marketing campaign ($3,000-$15,000)
If you go owner-direct, marketing costs collapse. A PropPad listing is free. You'll still want professional photography (typically $349 via partnered photographers) and a floor plan ($49). That's $400 in marketing on a sale that might otherwise cost $8,500 in marketing fees - about 95% saving on this line item.
If you're going through an agent, marketing fees are negotiable. Ask which components you can skip, and ask for written quotes from competing agents to use as leverage.
A note on what an agent actually adds
This article has been clear about agent costs. It's also worth being honest about what agents bring that homeowners then have to replicate themselves.
Pricing experience. A good local agent has seen dozens of similar properties recently and can read the market in a way a one-time seller can't. You can substitute this with research (suburb medians, recent comparable sales) and, in difficult cases, a paid registered valuer ($400-$800).
Negotiation under pressure. Agents do this every week. For a homeowner negotiating their largest asset, this can be uncomfortable. Some homeowners find structured platforms easier - written offers, no real-time pressure, time to think.
Time. An agent typically spends 30-50 hours on a typical sale across appraisal, marketing, inspections, negotiation, and settlement coordination. Going direct, you'll spend 10-20 hours of your own time. Not nothing.
What to do with this information
If you're early in the selling journey, the most useful next steps are:
- Calculate what your specific home would cost to sell using the figures above (or the calculator earlier in this article)
- Talk to two or three agents if you're leaning toward the agent path - get written quotes you can compare
- Investigate owner-direct options if you're comfortable with hands-on involvement
Either way, knowing the full cost structure puts you in a better negotiating position. Agents quote you a commission percentage, not a dollar amount. Sellers who do the dollar-math walk into the negotiation prepared.