Are you thinking about selling your property in 2026? Before you list, you need to answer the critical question: how much does it cost to sell a house? While many homeowners focus on big-ticket items like agent commissions, the true cost involves much more—including taxes, settlement adjustments, and lender fees. In this guide, we break down every potential expense, from the obvious to the hidden, so you can accurately calculate your bottom line.
Let’s dive in…
Table of Contents
1. Conveyancer Costs Of Selling A Home
A conveyancer is just a legal professional that specialises in property. You can get a lawyer or a conveyancer. Their job is to protect your legal interests, so they’re going to be there to help draft up the contract, get all the legal documents together, potentially complete searches and then ultimately help on the day of settlement to move the money from the buyers account to yours, giving you the money to pay out your bank and moving things around.
We consider conveyancing a non-negotiable cost. We have had clients that try and do their own conveyancing and legal work – and it has always been a nightmare!
The reality is that unless you have a legal background, you might not understand how it works—for example, moving money around PEXA (Property Exchange Australia), where you need an account and login details. Also, a lot of banks won’t allow you to do physical checks because they want you to go through a settlement agent. So it is just easier to work with a conveyancer.
Should I go for a high-tier conveyancing firm or a smaller firm?
It really depends on your personal situation. As the saying goes – horses for courses. Generally, you’ll pay a lot more for that name brand, and they will do a similar job to the smaller firm. So your pocket and financial goals will determine which you go for.
What we do advise, though, is you want to get a local expert. Every state in Australia has slightly different legal laws and different contracts. So if you’re in Queensland, for example, you want to be working with the Queensland-based conveyancer or a lawyer versus. The same goes for New South Wales Etc.
Now the key here is that they’re going to recognize if there are potential issues, such as special conditions in the contract, that you need to be aware of because they’re protecting your legal interests.
Conveyancers cost anywhere between $800 and $2,000. However, you should also be aware of the “extras”:
- Search Fees (Disbursements): On top of the professional fee, conveyancers pass on the cost of council and title searches. Budget an extra $300 – $600 for these essential checks.
2. Marketing Costs Of Selling A Home
When you are selling your house, there will be marketing costs. But beware that real estate agents may try to pep up this cost. Some agents can recommend extravagant costs like a 2-page spread in the Courier Mail or even create an independent website for your house! You need to sift through the agent’s marketing plan and ask yourself if this plan is helping you sell your home or is just promoting the agent…
Other stuff that the agents generally recommend to have are things like pamphlets. Their usefulness remains to be seen as most people just look at listings online and share links with their friends.
Where to get the most bang for your buck:
Here are 3 marketing costs you should definitely spend money on:
- Listing your property online. Everyone is online these days, so you definitely want to spend some money for being on realestate.com.au or domain.com.au, as these are usually the first places people look for homes to buy.
- Get proper photography for your home. One thing you should not compromise on is proper photography. You should go for the high-spec photos, e.g. 4K quality or whatever you can get. It’s worth hiring a professional to really present the property nicely. You have probably been online and seen a property with beautiful, well-lit pictures, and you were so wowed that you wanted to see the property. On the other hand, dark and dingy photos are off-putting, and people usually just scroll past them online.
- Make a floor plan for your property, especially if you have quite a large house with 3 or more bedrooms. Many people want to know what they’re dealing with, and it helps them imagine themselves in that property and figure out where they want to put their furniture. So a floor plan is definitely a must-have.
The average cost of advertising in 2026 in Melbourne is about $6,500 to $8,000. In Sydney, it’s about $4,500 to $10,000. In other states, marketing costs are also within that range. So we are talking a sizeable amount for advertising. But as we said, you need to focus on two things: photography and listing your property online.
3. Styling Costs
Styling your home is critical because, as we mentioned above, many people will find your home online and make their first impressions from the photos. If the house is cluttered or has old furniture, many people will just scroll past it.
Generally, the agent will recommend you get rid of your old furniture. If you have already moved out, your house will be empty, and this can be helpful for the buyer so they can see the space.
But most times, it can be difficult to just see an empty lounge, so staging some furniture in the home can be useful. The idea of styling is to make the home as appealing as possible.
The styling costs can range between $5,000 and $10,000 if you are going for the whole home package, i.e. they are putting beds, kitchen tables, lounge furniture and even paintings on the wall.
If you cannot afford this amount, you can go to Kmart yourself and get some trendy furniture. You may be able to get a deal where you will be able to stage your house for a fraction of the cost.
Here are some low-cost styling tips:
- decluttering the house
- painting walls
- fixing the backyard
Be sure to work with your agent to find out what they recommend. We have seen some agents use digital styling. This can be good for the photos, but it can be a disappointment if people actually go to the home. It is important to understand that different houses are going to need different levels of styling and presentation…
4. Agent Costs Of Selling A Home
You are obviously going to need to pay the agent who is selling your house. There are 3 ways of paying the agent.
Flat fee – some agents will just charge a flat fee, say $5,000, to sell your home. In this case, you will not pay more or less than that $5,000 even if they sell the house for a lower or higher figure.
Percentage – this is the most common one. The agent will usually charge between 1-3% of the purchase price (plus GST).
Bonus model – this is where the agent gets a bonus if they sell your home above a certain price. Let’s say you have a property, and the agent says you’ll pay 1.5% if they sell the house for $1 million. But if they sell for over $1 million, they will get 10% of whatever exceeds the $1 million. If they sell the property for $1.1 million, you will pay $15,000 (1.5%) plus $10,000 (10% of $100,000). So the total commission you’d pay in this case is $25,000.
So you can decide which model works best for you. But generally, agent fees range between 1.5% to 3.5% depending on which state you are in.
5. Lender Fees
This is assuming you have an existing mortgage when you sell your house. When you sell that house, the loan needs to be paid out. So you need to be aware of some costs associated with paying out your loan.
Discharge fee. This fee is pretty standard, and that’s what the bank charges for processing. Usually, it’s not anything crazy– it’s about $350 up to $1,000. Now, you will need to fill in a discharge form with your lender. If you’ve got a broker like Hunter Galloway, we will help with that process. The discharge process takes anywhere from 14 days to 21 days. So you don’t want to be doing a discharge last minute; it is something you want to move quite quickly on. Your conveyancer will usually also prompt you on doing that and when you need to get that moving.
Bridging Loan Interest: If you are buying a new home before your current one settles, remember to budget for bridging finance interest. This is a common ‘gap’ cost that can add thousands to your bill if the sale takes longer than expected.
Break costs: If you have a fixed-rate loan and have a few more years remaining on your fixed term, you may need to check with your lender because they could be early repayment fees payable. These costs can vary depending on interest rates. For example, if you fixed at 1%, but the variable and fixed rates are now at 6%, the banks will let you out of that contract at no cost. But if you fixed at 10% and the rates are now 1%, you could be looking at thousands of dollars in costs.
You will also need to pay Land Title and some government fees as well, but that’s only an additional $100.
So, if you are not on a fixed-rate loan, you are only looking at about $1,000 or less in discharge fees. But if you are on a fixed rate, you must check in with your lender.
6. Tax Implications: Capital Gains Tax (CGT)
When calculating the cost to sell a house, many homeowners focus on the immediate cash flow items like agent fees and marketing. But there is one potential “silent” cost that can take a massive bite out of your final profit: Capital Gains Tax (CGT).
While we are mortgage brokers and not accountants, we see this catch sellers out frequently. Understanding the basic tax rules is critical to ensuring you don’t get a nasty surprise at tax time.
The Good News: The Main Residence Exemption
For the vast majority of Australian homeowners, selling the family home is tax-free.
Generally, if the property has been your home (your “main residence”) for the entire time you have owned it, and you haven’t used it to produce income, you are exempt from paying CGT. You keep 100% of the profit.
When You Might Have To Pay
However, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) may look at your sale differently if your home hasn’t strictly been just a home. You may be liable for CGT on a portion of the profit if:
- You have rented out the property: Even if it was just for a short period before you moved in or after you moved out.
- You ran a business from home: This applies if you have set aside a distinct area of the home purely for business purposes (not just checking emails on the couch!).
- You generated income from the property: This is a common trap in the “gig economy.” If you rented out a granny flat or listed a spare room on Airbnb, you may lose part of your main residence exemption.
The "6-Year Rule" (A Hidden Bonus)
Here is a strategy many of our clients aren’t aware of. If you move out of your main residence and rent it out, you can generally continue to treat it as your main residence for tax purposes for up to six years.
This is often called the “6-Year Rule.” It is fantastic for people who move interstate for work or decide to go “rentvesting” for a few years. If you sell within that timeframe, you might still walk away tax-free.
Our Expert Advice When You Are Selling A House
Tax laws in Australia are complex and change frequently. Before you put your house on the market, speak to a qualified accountant.
Just like you use a conveyancer to protect your legal interests, an accountant will protect your financial interests. Finding out about a tax liability after you have spent the sale proceeds is a situation you definitely want to avoid!
7. Settlement Adjustments (The "Hidden" Costs)
When most people calculate their profit, they simply subtract the agent’s commission and the mortgage balance from the sale price. But there is a final step in the math called Settlement Adjustments that often surprises sellers.
On settlement day, you don’t just exchange the purchase price. You essentially have to “square up” the accounts for the property’s ongoing running costs. This process ensures you only pay for the days you actually owned the property.
How The Adjustments Work
Your conveyancer will prepare a “Statement of Adjustments” prior to settlement. Here is how the pro-rata calculations generally affect your net proceeds of sale:
- Council & Water Rates:
- The “Refund” Scenario: If you are the type of person who pays your council rates in full for the year (or quarter), you have likely paid for time after the settlement date. In this case, the buyer must “refund” you for the days they will own the property. This amount is added to your final settlement cheque.
- The “Deduction” Scenario: If you pay by the month or are in arrears, the outstanding amount for your portion of the ownership period will be deducted from your sale proceeds and paid directly to the council or utility provider.
- Strata & Body Corporate Levies:
If you are selling an apartment or townhouse, this is critical.- Regular Levies: Like council rates, these are adjusted pro-rata.
- Special Levies: Be very careful here. If a “Special Levy” (e.g., to fix a driveway or roof) was struck before the contract date, you as the seller are typically liable to pay the full amount, even if the work hasn’t started yet. This can sometimes be thousands of dollars, so it is vital to check your strata report.
The Bottom Line
While these aren’t “fees” in the sense of paying a service provider, they are cash flow items that change the final settlement balance landing in your bank account. Your conveyancer will handle the math, but it helps to be prepared so the final figure doesn’t come as a shock.
8. Moving and Logistics Costs
While we often focus on the financial costs of the transaction—like agent fees and bank discharges—it is easy to forget the physical cost of moving your life from Point A to Point B. This is a practical expense that is often left out of the budget until the last minute.
Removalist Fees
Unless you have a ute and some very obliging friends, you will likely need professional movers. Costs vary wildly depending on the volume of furniture you have and the distance you are moving.
- Local Move: For a standard 3-bedroom home moving within the same city (e.g., from one Brisbane suburb to another), you should budget between $500 and $2,000.
- Interstate Move: If you are relocating to a different state, the costs jump significantly. You could be looking at $3,000 to $6,000+ depending on whether you need storage or professional packing services.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget moving insurance. While removalists take care, accidents happen. Check if your current home and contents insurance covers goods in transit; if not, you may need to purchase specific cover for the move.
Professional Cleaning
Check your contract of sale carefully. Many buyers will request a specific clause that the home must be “professionally cleaned” upon exit, or at the very least, left “broom clean.”
If you have been living in the home, doing a “bond clean” standard scrub yourself is exhausting after a big move. It is often worth hiring pros to ensure you don’t delay settlement due to a dirty oven or dusty cupboards.
- Budget: $300 – $800 depending on the size of the property.
9. State-By-State Costs Of Selling A Home
Now let’s talk about the state-by-state costs. Usually, the conveyancing and marketing costs are pretty standard across Australia. But what differs are the agent commissions.
Here are the different state-by-state costs:
Average Selling Costs by State (2026 Estimates)
State / Region | Agent Commission | Conveyancing | Marketing | Auction Fees |
ACT | 2.5% to 4.0% | $1,300 to $1,800 | $2,000 to $6,000 | $400 to $1,000 |
NSW Metro | 1.6% to 2.5% | $1,100 to $2,200 | $4,500 to $10,000+ | $400 to $1,000 |
NSW Regional | 2.5% to 3.5% | $1,100 to $2,200 | $2,000 to $8,000 | $400 to $1,000 |
NT | 2.5% to 3.5% | $990 to $2,000 | $1,500 to $5,000 | $400 to $1,000 |
QLD Metro | 2.5% to 2.8% | $850 to $1,500 | $2,000 to $6,000 | $400 to $1,000 |
QLD Regional | 2.7% to 3.5% | $850 to $1,500 | $1,500 to $5,000 | $400 to $1,000 |
SA | 2.0% to 3.0% | $750 to $1,750 | $1,500 to $5,000 | $400 to $1,000 |
TAS | 2.9% to 3.5% | $1,000 to $1,500 | $1,500 to $5,000 | $400 to $1,000 |
VIC Metro | 1.6% to 2.5% | $840 to $1,800 | $6,000 to $10,000+ | $400 to $1,000 |
VIC Regional | 2.5% to 3.5% | $840 to $1,800 | $2,500 to $8,000 | $400 to $1,000 |
WA | 2.4% to 3.25% | $1,000 to $1,600 | $1,500 to $6,000 | $400 to $1,000 |
BONUS: Auction Costs Of Selling A Home
Our last tip is a bonus tip: should you sell at auction, and what are the costs associated there?
In addition to the marketing costs and agent’s fees which we have explained, an Auctioneer can cost anywhere from $400 to $1,000. Their job is to direct the auction and call the paddles. An experienced Auctioneer can get you some pretty good results, and it is always advisable to work with someone your real estate agent has worked with before.
The fee for an Auctioneer is generally fixed. From a seller’s perspective, an auction is fantastic. The agent will do a 3 or 4-week campaign—in a month, your home goes to auction, and it’s all over in 1 day. There’s going to be no finance clause or cooling-off periods.
The flip side to having an auction is that it can also limit your buyers. From the buyer’s perspective, an auction can be frustrating and nerve-wracking, especially for first-home buyers. So you must weigh the pros and cons and rely on the agent’s advice. You also have to understand the market conditions – if it’s a quiet market, you might get only 1 or 2 people show up, and it might get passed in. That’s always a risk with auctions.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Cost Of Selling A House
Do I have to pay tax when I sell my house in Australia?
Generally, no, provided the property is your “main residence.” However, if the property was an investment or used for business purposes, you may be liable for Capital Gains Tax (CGT). Always consult an accountant.
What is the average real estate agent commission in 2026?
In Australia, agent commissions typically range from 1.5% to 3.5% of the sale price. Rates are generally lower in Sydney and Melbourne (due to higher property prices) and higher in regional areas or states like Queensland and Tasmania.
Who pays for the marketing when selling a house?
The seller (vendor) almost always pays for marketing. This is usually an upfront cost or “VPA” (Vendor Paid Advertising) separate from the agent’s commission. It typically ranges from $4,000 to $8,000 for a standard campaign.
What are the discharge fees for a mortgage?
A discharge fee is what your bank charges to release the title of your property. It usually costs between $350 and $600. Note that if you are on a fixed-rate loan, you may also face significant “break costs.”
How much should I budget for conveyancing?
You should budget between $800 and $2,200 for conveyancing. This fee covers professional advice, contract review, and the settlement process. It is generally safer to budget for the higher end to cover “disbursements” (search fees).
Next Steps And Selling Your Home
Have you just sold your home and are looking to get back into the property market?
Our team at Hunter Galloway is here to help you buy a home in Australia. Unlike other mortgage brokers who are just one-person operations, we have an entire team of experts dedicated to helping make your home loan journey as simple as possible.
If you want to get started, please call us on 1300 088 065 or book a free assessment online to see how we can help.
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