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Selling your home

Cost of Selling a House in the ACT (2026): Commission, Fees and Calculator

Every cost of selling a house in the ACT: commission of 1.8% to 2.25%, marketing, conveyancing, the pre-sale reports (building, pest, EER), tax, and what is different in the ACT. Worked at $800,000, with a calculator.

Andy McMaster

Reviewed by Andy McMaster, Editor

Written by Your Property Guide editorialUpdated 9 min read

How we keep this accurateSources

Key takeaways

  • Selling an $800,000 house in the ACT typically costs $18,000 to $31,600 all-in, 2.3% to 4% of the price, before any capital gains tax.
  • Commission is the biggest line: 1.8% to 2.25% in the ACT, most often around 2.1%, so $14,400 to $18,000 at $800,000. GST of 10% usually applies on top, and the rate is negotiable.
  • Pre-sale reports (building, pest, EER): $800 to $1,500. A building and compliance inspection report, a pest report and an energy efficiency rating, which the seller must have before the property is advertised.
  • Marketing ($2,000 to $8,000) is payable whether or not the property sells; conveyancing runs $800 to $2,500; an auctioneer and a mortgage discharge fee apply only if you auction or have a loan.
  • Stamp duty is the buyer's cost. Your main residence is normally exempt from capital gains tax; an investment is not. Every seller now needs an ATO clearance certificate or the buyer withholds 15%.
In this guide11 sections

In the ACT the sale starts with reports: building, pest and energy rating, paid for before the first ad. Those reports are what let buyers bid unconditionally, so they help the sale; agree the commission and marketing in writing too.

Indicative figures, not quotes

Commission is not regulated in the ACT and every other line is quoted individually by agents, conveyancers and lenders. The ranges here are typical market figures as at September 2026. Get written quotes for your own sale and confirm anything tax-related with the ATO or a registered tax agent.

Canberra is the one market where the seller pays for the building and pest inspections. Under the Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003 you must have a building and compliance report, a pest report and an energy efficiency rating before the property is advertised, typically $800 to $1,500 together, though the buyer reimburses the cost of the building and pest reports at settlement.

Commission in the ACT is among the lowest in the country, typically 1.8% to 2.25%, on a Cotality Canberra median of $864,998 in August 2026.

What it costs to sell in the ACT

Commission is the biggest line, not the only one. This is the the ACT summary in the ACT’s numbers, worked at a $800,000 sale. The cost of selling a house in the ACT guide goes through every line and what is different in the ACT; the national cost of selling guide explains each line in full.

CostTypical rangeAt $800,000
Agent commission
Negotiable; GST of 10% usually applies on top.		1.8% to 2.25%$14,400 to $18,000
$16,800 at the typical 2.1%
Marketing and photography
Portal listing, photography, floor plan and signboard. Quoted by the agent and payable whether or not the property sells.		$2,000 to $8,000$2,000 to $8,000
Conveyancing or solicitor
Professional fee plus searches and disbursements.		$800 to $2,500$800 to $2,500
Pre-sale reports (building, pest, EER)
A building and compliance inspection report, a pest report and an energy efficiency rating, which the seller must have before the property is advertised.		$800 to $1,500$800 to $1,500
Auctioneer (if you sell at auction)
Only if you sell at auction; sometimes included in the agency agreement.		$400 to $1,200$400 to $1,200
Mortgage discharge (if you have a mortgage)
The lender's fee to release the mortgage at settlement. Break costs on a fixed-rate loan are separate and can be far larger.		$150 to $400$150 to $400
Total
Low end: private treaty, no mortgage, everything at the bottom of its range. High end: auction with a mortgage, everything at the top.		2.3% to 4% of the price$18,000 to $31,600

As at September 2026. Commission is this guide’s typical the ACT range. The marketing, conveyancing, auctioneer, discharge and pre-sale reports (building, pest, eer) figures are indicative ranges: each is quoted individually and no the ACT survey publishes them, so treat them as a budget, not a price list. What the pre-sale reports (building, pest, eer) must contain: Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003 (ACT). Capital gains tax is separate and applies to an investment property, not the home you live in.

Selling costs calculator for the ACT

Preset to the typical the ACT commission of 2.1% and the mid-point of the pre-sale reports (building, pest, EER) range. Change any figure, add your loan balance, and the result shows what lands in your account at settlement. The full selling costs calculator covers every state.

Your sale

Agent

Typical in ACT: 1.8% to 2.25%, most often around 2.1%.

Most quotes exclude it. Check the agency agreement.

Portal listing, photos, floor plan, signboard. Typically $2,000 to $8,000; payable even if it does not sell.

Legal and presentation

Typically $800 to $2,500 including disbursements.

the ACT: typically $800 to $1,500.

Optional. Styling alone often runs $2,000 to $8,000 for a six-week campaign.

Pool safety or smoke alarm certificates, strata certificates, removalists.

Mortgage

Leave at 0 if the property is unencumbered.

What selling costs you in the ACT

Agent commission (2.1%)
$16,800
GST on commission
$1,680
Marketing and photography
$4,000
Conveyancing or solicitor
$1,400
Legal documents and searches
$1,150
Total cost of selling (3.1% of the price)
$25,030
Net proceeds before the loan
$774,970
Estimated cash at settlement
$774,970

Indicative only. Commission is negotiable and every other line is quoted individually. Capital gains tax on an investment property and rates or water adjustments at settlement are not included; the CGT calculator covers the tax.

Commission in the ACT

Agents in the ACT typically charge 1.8% to 2.25% of the sale price, with around 2.1% the most common rate. At the $800,000 this guide works its examples at, that is $14,400 to $18,000, or $16,800 at the typical rate, before GST. On the Canberra median dwelling value of $864,998 (Cotality, August 2026) the same range is $15,570 to $19,462, with $18,165 typical. The difference between the top and bottom of the range on a median Canberra sale is $3,892, which is why the rate is worth a conversation. Our the ACT commission guide has the detail and the negotiation guide the method.

Two checks before you compare rates. Ask whether the quote includes GST: a 2.1% rate excluding GST is 2.31% all-in. And ask what is included: some agents bundle the auctioneer and part of the marketing, others charge every item separately, so the cheaper rate is not always the cheaper agent. See fixed fee vs commission for the alternative models.

Reports before advertising, reimbursed at settlement

Section 9 of the Act lists the required documents the seller must have available from the first day of marketing: the Crown lease and title, a building and compliance inspection report from an inspection within the previous three months, a pest inspection report if the home has been occupied, the energy efficiency rating statement, and the lease conveyancing enquiry documents. Failing to have them is an offence, and the buyer may rescind. Section 18 then requires the buyer to reimburse you for the cost of the building and pest reports, so your net cost is the EER and the conveyancing enquiries. Section 22 requires the EER to appear in every advertisement.

Crown leasehold and the lease conveyancing enquiries

All Canberra land is held on a Crown lease, and the required documents include the lease conveyancing enquiry documents from the ACT Government about the lease, rates and any building approvals. Your solicitor orders these; the Act requires a solicitor or the seller themselves to prepare the contract, and most sellers use a lawyer rather than a conveyancer. Professional fees sit in the $800 to $2,500 range, with the enquiries and reports on top.

Auctions are common

Canberra sells a high share of houses at auction. The auctioneer is typically $400 to $1,200 where not included in the agent's fee, and the buyer's five-business-day cooling-off period does not apply to a sale at auction. The exchange typically happens on the day and the reports you already hold are what allow buyers to bid unconditionally.

Agency agreements

Under the Agents Act 2003 an agent is entitled to commission only under a written agency agreement that states the commission and expenses. There is no statutory maximum term or seller cooling-off period. Access Canberra takes complaints.

Tax

Conveyance duty is the buyer's cost. Your main residence is normally exempt from capital gains tax; an investment is not, and the CGT calculator gives an estimate after selling costs.

Since 1 January 2025 every seller of Australian property needs an ATO clearance certificate before settlement, whatever the price. Without one the buyer must withhold 15% of the price and pay it to the ATO, and you wait for your tax return to get it back. The certificate is free, applied for online, and usually issued within days; ask your conveyancer to lodge it the week you list.

Where you can save

  • The rate. Every 0.1% on a $800,000 sale is $800. Get three appraisals, ask each agent to justify their rate against their last ten results, and ask for a tiered structure that pays more above a target price.
  • Marketing. Insist on an itemised schedule, choose the portal tier that fits the price bracket, and ask about rebates. A $4,000 campaign sells most suburban houses; $8,000 is for a premium listing, not a default.
  • Presentation. Spend where it returns: a clean, decluttered, freshly painted home photographs like a styled one. Our guide to what to fix before selling ranks the jobs, and home staging costs shows when styling pays.
  • The method of sale. An auction adds the auctioneer and usually a bigger marketing budget. It earns that back in a competitive market and not in a slow one; auction vs private treaty sets out when.
  • Timing the loan. If you are on a fixed rate, ask the lender for the break cost before you list. It can be larger than every other line in the table combined, and a settlement date after the fixed term ends may avoid it.

As a share of the price, the ACT selling costs at $800,000 run 2.3% to 4.0% before tax. The national guide to the cost of selling a house explains each line in full.

Cost of selling in other states

Next step

Turn the costs into your own numbers

The selling costs calculator works out what you’d keep after commission, marketing, conveyancing and your loan payout. Then a selling plan puts the next steps in order.

Work out what you’d keep Build my next-step plan

Ready for an appraisal? Ask for an introduction to one participating agent. Only with your permission.

Common questions

How much does it cost to sell a house in Canberra?

On an $800,000 sale, budget roughly $19,000 to $31,000 all-in: commission of $14,400 to $18,000 (1.8% to 2.25%, plus GST), marketing of $2,000 to $8,000, a solicitor at $800 to $2,500, the pre-sale reports and enquiries at $800 to $1,500 (the building and pest reports are reimbursed by the buyer at settlement), and an auctioneer and mortgage discharge fee if they apply.

Who pays for the building and pest report in the ACT?

The seller commissions and pays for them before advertising, as the Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003 requires, and section 18 requires the buyer to reimburse the cost of the building and pest reports at settlement. The energy efficiency rating is a cost the seller keeps.

Do I need an energy efficiency rating to sell in Canberra?

Yes. The EER statement is one of the required documents, and section 22 of the Act requires the rating to be shown in every advertisement for the property. An assessment typically costs $200 to $400.

What is the average real estate commission in the ACT?

Typically 1.8% to 2.25% of the sale price, with around 2.1% common. Commission is negotiable and GST of 10% usually applies on top.

Can I use a conveyancer instead of a solicitor in the ACT?

The ACT has no licensed conveyancer profession separate from the legal profession, so contracts are prepared by solicitors. Fees for a straightforward sale are typically $800 to $2,500 plus the lease conveyancing enquiry documents.

Keep reading

Sources and methodology