Key takeaways
- Selling an $800,000 house in New South Wales typically costs $17,500 to $32,700 all-in, 2.2% to 4.1% of the price, before any capital gains tax.
- Commission is the biggest line: 1.8% to 2.5% in New South Wales, most often around 2%, so $14,400 to $20,000 at $800,000. GST of 10% usually applies on top, and the rate is negotiable.
- Contract of sale documents: $300 to $600. Title search, the Section 10.7 planning certificate and a sewer diagram, attached to the contract before the property can be offered for sale.
- 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 guide10 sections
A well-planned sale is costed before it launches. In NSW the contract and its documents must exist before the first ad, so legal costs land at the start; agree commission and marketing in writing then too, because the budget you sign is the budget you owe.
Indicative figures, not quotes
Commission is not regulated in New South Wales 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.
New South Wales is the most expensive state to sell in by dollars, because Sydney prices are the highest in the country and commission is a percentage. It is also the only state where the contract of sale has to exist, with its prescribed documents attached, before the property can be advertised, so the legal costs land at the start of the campaign rather than the end.
Commission in NSW typically runs 1.8% to 2.5%, with Sydney metro agents often under 2% because competition for listings is intense. On the Cotality Sydney median of $1,222,718 in August 2026, the difference between 1.8% and 2.5% is more than $8,500 before GST.
What it costs to sell in New South Wales
Commission is the biggest line, not the only one. This is the New South Wales summary in New South Wales’s numbers, worked at a $800,000 sale. The cost of selling a house in New South Wales guide goes through every line and what is different in New South Wales; the national cost of selling guide explains each line in full.
| Cost | Typical range | At $800,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Agent commission Negotiable; GST of 10% usually applies on top. | 1.8% to 2.5% | $14,400 to $20,000 $16,000 at the typical 2% |
| 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 |
| Contract of sale documents Title search, the Section 10.7 planning certificate and a sewer diagram, attached to the contract before the property can be offered for sale. | $300 to $600 | $300 to $600 |
| 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. | 2.2% to 4.1% of the price | $17,500 to $32,700 |
As at September 2026. Commission is this guide’s typical New South Wales range. The marketing, conveyancing, auctioneer, discharge and contract of sale documents figures are indicative ranges: each is quoted individually and no New South Wales survey publishes them, so treat them as a budget, not a price list. What the contract of sale documents must contain: NSW Government: Selling property in NSW. Capital gains tax is separate and applies to an investment property, not the home you live in.
Selling costs calculator for New South Wales
Preset to the typical New South Wales commission of 2% and the mid-point of the contract of sale documents 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 NSW: 1.8% to 2.5%, most often around 2%.
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.
New South Wales: typically $300 to $600.
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 New South Wales
- Agent commission (2%)
- $16,000
- GST on commission
- $1,600
- Marketing and photography
- $4,000
- Conveyancing or solicitor
- $1,400
- Legal documents and searches
- $450
- Total cost of selling (2.9% of the price)
- $23,450
- Net proceeds before the loan
- $776,550
- Estimated cash at settlement
- $776,550
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 New South Wales
Agents in New South Wales typically charge 1.8% to 2.5% of the sale price, with around 2% the most common rate. At the $800,000 this guide works its examples at, that is $14,400 to $20,000, or $16,000 at the typical rate, before GST. On the Sydney median dwelling value of $1,222,718 (Cotality, August 2026) the same range is $22,009 to $30,568, with $24,454 typical. The difference between the top and bottom of the range on a median Sydney sale is $8,559, which is why the rate is worth a conversation. Our New South Wales 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% rate excluding GST is 2.20% 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.
The contract must be ready before the first ad
Under the Conveyancing Act 1919 and the Conveyancing (Sale of Land) Regulation 2022, a residential property cannot be offered for sale in NSW until the contract is prepared with the prescribed documents attached: a current title search, the deposited plan, a section 10.7 planning certificate from the council, and the sewer service diagram, plus the strata documents for a unit. Your solicitor or conveyancer orders these; expect $300 to $600 in search fees on top of their professional fee, and allow a week or two for the council certificate.
Because the contract exists from day one, buyers in NSW exchange quickly and the 5-business-day cooling-off period runs from exchange. That is the buyer's cost, not yours, but it shapes the timetable your conveyancer will quote for.
Your agency agreement has a cooling-off period and a 48-hour rule
NSW is the only state that gives the seller a cooling-off period on the agency agreement: until 5 pm on the next business day or Saturday after signing (Property and Stock Agents Act 2002, section 59). The agent must also serve you a copy of the signed agreement within 48 hours or lose the right to commission (section 55). Marketing is payable whether or not the property sells, so the budget you sign is the budget you owe; our guide to agency agreements by state covers the clauses to change first.
Auctions are the Sydney norm, and the auctioneer is an extra line
Sydney sells a larger share of houses at auction than anywhere except Melbourne. The auctioneer is typically $400 to $1,200 and is sometimes included in the agency agreement, so ask. From late 2026 the NSW underquoting reforms will also require a price or range in every advertisement and a statement of information; that is the agent's job, not a cost to you, but see our underquoting guide for what changes.
Tax: no stamp duty for the seller, but a clearance certificate for everyone
Stamp duty (transfer duty) is the buyer's cost in NSW. If the house is your main residence there is normally no capital gains tax; if it is an investment, CGT applies to the gain after selling costs and the CGT calculator gives an estimate.
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, New South Wales selling costs at $800,000 run 2.2% to 4.1% before tax. The national guide to the cost of selling a house explains each line in full.
Cost of selling in other states
- Cost of selling a house in Victoria: commission 1.6% to 2.5%.
- Cost of selling a house in Queensland: commission 2.3% to 2.9%.
- Cost of selling a house in South Australia: commission 1.8% to 2.75%.
- Cost of selling a house in Western Australia: commission 2% to 2.8%.
- Cost of selling a house in Tasmania: commission 2.5% to 3.25%.
- Cost of selling a house in the ACT: commission 1.8% to 2.25%.
- Cost of selling a house in the Northern Territory: commission 2.4% to 2.7%.
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.
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 NSW?
On an $800,000 sale, budget roughly $19,000 to $32,000 all-in: commission of $14,400 to $20,000 (1.8% to 2.5%, plus GST), marketing of $2,000 to $8,000, conveyancing of $800 to $2,500, contract documents of $300 to $600, and an auctioneer and mortgage discharge fee if they apply. On a Sydney-median sale above $1.2 million the commission alone is $22,000 to $30,500.
Who pays stamp duty when selling a house in NSW?
The buyer. Transfer duty in NSW is paid by the purchaser within three months of exchange. The seller pays no duty on the sale.
Do I need a solicitor or conveyancer to sell in NSW?
In practice yes, because the contract with its prescribed documents must be prepared before the property is advertised, and only a solicitor or licensed conveyancer can prepare it properly. Fees typically run $800 to $2,500 plus $300 to $600 in searches.
What is the average real estate commission in NSW?
Typically 1.8% to 2.5% of the sale price, with around 2% the most common rate and Sydney metro agents often below it. Commission is not regulated and is always negotiable; GST of 10% usually applies on top.
Can I cancel an agency agreement in NSW?
Within the cooling-off period, yes: until 5 pm on the next business day or Saturday after you sign. After that you are bound for the term, but any fixed term over 90 days must let you terminate on 30 days' notice after the first 90 days, and most agents will release a seller who asks in writing.
Keep reading
- Real estate commission in New South WalesTypical New South Wales rates, worked examples and how to negotiate.
- Selling costs calculatorCalculatorEvery line of the bill, with net proceeds after your loan.
- The cost of selling a house in AustraliaThe national guide to each cost line.
- How to negotiate agent commissionTiered structures and the questions that move the rate.
- How to choose a selling agentCompare on results, not rate.
- Agency agreements by stateWhat the agreement must say and the clauses to change.
Sources and methodology
- Conveyancing (Sale of Land) Regulation 2022 (NSW), Schedule 1 (prescribed documents)
- Property and Stock Agents Act 2002 (NSW), sections 55 and 59
- NSW Government, Selling a property in NSW
- Cotality Home Value Index, August 2026 results (capital city median dwelling values) · released 1 September 2026
- ATO, Foreign resident capital gains withholding: clearance certificates (15% withholding on every sale without one, from 1 January 2025)
- ATO, Capital gains tax: your main residence, and selling a rental property
- Commission ranges are Your Property Guide's compiled market figures (September 2026). Marketing, conveyancing, document, auctioneer and discharge figures are indicative ranges quoted individually by suppliers; no state publishes a survey, so treat them as a budget.