Indicative figures, not quotes
Commission is not regulated in South Australia 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.
South Australia sits in the middle on commission, typically 1.8% to 2.75% with about 2% most common, and it is one of the few states where the agent, rather than your conveyancer, usually prepares the statutory vendor's statement. Adelaide's median dwelling value reached $937,207 in August 2026 after several years of strong growth, so the dollar figures are higher than many sellers expect.
SA's sales agency agreement is the most tightly regulated in the country on price and term, which protects sellers from two of the costs that hurt most: an over-long agreement and a guide set below what you have said you will accept.
What it costs to sell in South Australia
Commission is the biggest line, not the only one. This is the South Australia summary in South Australia’s numbers, worked at a $800,000 sale. The cost of selling a house in South Australia guide goes through every line and what is different in South Australia; 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 2.75% | $14,400 to $22,000 $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 |
| Form 1 vendor's statement The statutory searches the agent or conveyancer gathers before the buyer signs; the agent prepares the form when one is appointed. | $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 4.3% of the price | $17,500 to $34,700 |
As at September 2026. Commission is this guide’s typical South Australia range. The marketing, conveyancing, auctioneer, discharge and form 1 vendor's statement figures are indicative ranges: each is quoted individually and no South Australia survey publishes them, so treat them as a budget, not a price list. What the form 1 vendor's statement must contain: Law Handbook SA: Form 1. Capital gains tax is separate and applies to an investment property, not the home you live in.
Selling costs calculator for South Australia
Preset to the typical South Australia commission of 2% and the mid-point of the form 1 vendor's statement 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 SA: 1.8% to 2.75%, 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.
South Australia: 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 South Australia
- 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 South Australia
Agents in South Australia typically charge 1.8% to 2.75% 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 $22,000, or $16,000 at the typical rate, before GST. On the Adelaide median dwelling value of $937,207 (Cotality, August 2026) the same range is $16,870 to $25,773, with $18,744 typical. The difference between the top and bottom of the range on a median Adelaide sale is $8,903, which is why the rate is worth a conversation. Our South Australia 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 Form 1 vendor's statement
Section 7 of the Land and Business (Sale and Conveyancing) Act 1994 requires the buyer to be served a Form 1 vendor's statement at least 10 clear days before settlement; in practice it is served when the contract is signed, and the buyer's cooling-off period of two clear business days runs from service. Where an agent is appointed, the agent is responsible for preparing it, using searches from Land Services SA, the council, SA Water and the emergency services levy office that typically cost $300 to $600. If you sell without an agent, your conveyancer prepares it. Our SA contract of sale guide walks through the form.
A 90-day agreement with your price written in
Under section 20 of the same Act, the sales agency agreement must state the agent's genuine estimate and the price you will accept, each as a single figure, and cannot run longer than 90 days. The agent must give you the comparable sales behind the estimate and the Commissioner's guide before you sign, and a copy of the agreement within 48 hours. An agent who breaches the section forfeits the commission, and commission already paid is recoverable as a debt. Marketing is payable as agreed; rebates the agent expects must be disclosed in the agreement.
Conveyancers rather than solicitors
South Australia has a long-established licensed conveyancer profession, and most residential sales are handled by a conveyancer rather than a lawyer, which keeps the professional fee towards the lower end of the $800 to $2,500 range. Settlement is electronic through PEXA; the conveyancer's fee normally includes the lodgement fees.
Auctions and vendor bids
Adelaide's auction share is moderate and rising. SA allows up to three vendor bids, and the guide cannot be below the price you have recorded in the agency agreement. Auctioneers typically charge $400 to $1,200 where not included in the agent's fee.
Tax
Stamp 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. Land tax on an investment property is adjusted between seller and buyer at settlement in SA in the usual way.
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, South Australia selling costs at $800,000 run 2.2% to 4.3% 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 New South Wales: commission 1.8% to 2.5%.
- 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 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%.
Sources and methodology
- Land and Business (Sale and Conveyancing) Act 1994 (SA), sections 7, 20 and 24A
- Land and Business (Sale and Conveyancing) Regulations 2025 (SA), regulation 18
- Consumer and Business Services SA, Selling a home
- 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.
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Common questions
How much does it cost to sell a house in South Australia?
On an $800,000 sale, budget roughly $19,000 to $34,000 all-in: commission of $14,400 to $22,000 (1.8% to 2.75%, plus GST), marketing of $2,000 to $8,000, conveyancing of $800 to $2,500, Form 1 searches of $300 to $600, and an auctioneer and mortgage discharge fee if they apply.
Who prepares and pays for the Form 1 in SA?
Where an agent is appointed, the agent prepares it; the searches, typically $300 to $600, are a cost to the seller. Without an agent, your conveyancer prepares it. The buyer's two-business-day cooling-off period runs from when the Form 1 is served.
How long can an agency agreement run in South Australia?
No more than 90 days. It can be extended once, either by written agreement for up to 90 days signed no earlier than 14 days before expiry, or automatically for 180 days if the agent serves a notice of expiry and you do not object. You can terminate at any time during an extension by written notice.
What is the average real estate commission in South Australia?
Typically 1.8% to 2.75% of the sale price, with around 2% most common in Adelaide and higher rates in regional SA. Commission is negotiable, and GST of 10% usually applies on top.
Does a South Australian seller pay stamp duty?
No. Stamp duty on a property transfer is paid by the buyer. The seller's costs are commission, marketing, conveyancing, the Form 1 searches and, for an investment property, capital gains tax.
Keep reading
Real estate commission in South Australia
Typical South Australia rates, worked examples and how to negotiate.
ReadSelling costs calculator
Every line of the bill, with net proceeds after your loan.
ReadThe cost of selling a house in Australia
The national guide to each cost line.
ReadHow to negotiate agent commission
Tiered structures and the questions that move the rate.
ReadHow to choose a selling agent
Compare on results, not rate.
ReadAgency agreements by state
What the agreement must say and the clauses to change.
Read