Indicative figures, not quotes
Commission is not regulated in Western 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.
Western Australia has the lightest paperwork of any state: no vendor statement, no compulsory contract before marketing, and no price-guide rules. What it does have is two compliance items that must be right before settlement, hard-wired smoke alarms and residual current devices, and a settlement agent profession that keeps conveyancing costs down.
Commission in WA typically runs 2% to 2.8%, with around 2.4% common. After the strongest three-year run of any capital, Perth's median dwelling value was $999,987 in August 2026, so the dollar commission on a typical Perth sale is now close to Sydney levels a decade ago.
What it costs to sell in Western Australia
Commission is the biggest line, not the only one. This is the Western Australia summary in Western Australia’s numbers, worked at a $600,000 sale. The cost of selling a house in Western Australia guide goes through every line and what is different in Western Australia; the national cost of selling guide explains each line in full.
| Cost | Typical range | At $600,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Agent commission Negotiable; GST of 10% usually applies on top. | 2% to 2.8% | $12,000 to $16,800 $14,400 at the typical 2.4% |
| 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 |
| Title search and strata certificate No vendor statement is required in WA; a strata lot needs a strata information certificate for the buyer. | $100 to $400 | $100 to $400 |
| 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. | 2.5% to 4.9% of the price | $14,900 to $29,300 |
As at September 2026. Commission is this guide’s typical Western Australia range. The marketing, conveyancing, auctioneer, discharge and title search and strata certificate figures are indicative ranges: each is quoted individually and no Western Australia survey publishes them, so treat them as a budget, not a price list. What the title search and strata certificate must contain: Consumer Protection WA: Selling property. Capital gains tax is separate and applies to an investment property, not the home you live in.
Selling costs calculator for Western Australia
Preset to the typical Western Australia commission of 2.4% and the mid-point of the title search and strata certificate 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 WA: 2% to 2.8%, most often around 2.4%.
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.
Western Australia: typically $100 to $400.
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 Western Australia
- Agent commission (2.4%)
- $14,400
- GST on commission
- $1,440
- Marketing and photography
- $4,000
- Conveyancing or solicitor
- $1,400
- Legal documents and searches
- $250
- Total cost of selling (3.6% of the price)
- $21,490
- Net proceeds before the loan
- $578,510
- Estimated cash at settlement
- $578,510
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 Western Australia
Agents in Western Australia typically charge 2% to 2.8% of the sale price, with around 2.4% the most common rate. At the $600,000 this guide works its examples at, that is $12,000 to $16,800, or $14,400 at the typical rate, before GST. On the Perth median dwelling value of $999,987 (Cotality, August 2026) the same range is $20,000 to $28,000, with $24,000 typical. The difference between the top and bottom of the range on a median Perth sale is $8,000, which is why the rate is worth a conversation. Our Western 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 2.4% rate excluding GST is 2.64% 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.
No vendor statement, but the strata and title searches are yours
WA does not require a Section 32-style disclosure. The buyer does their own due diligence, and the standard REIWA contract with the Joint Form of General Conditions carries the warranties. Your costs before listing are small: a title search, and for a strata lot the strata information certificate the buyer is entitled to, typically $100 to $400 in total. Our WA contract of sale guide explains what the contract does require.
Smoke alarms and RCDs before settlement
The Building Regulations 2012 require mains-powered smoke alarms, no more than ten years old, to be fitted before a dwelling is transferred, and the Electricity Regulations 1947 require at least two residual current devices protecting the power and lighting circuits. The seller is responsible for both. If they are already in place the cost is nil; if not, an electrician typically charges $150 to $700 depending on the work. The settlement agent will ask you to confirm compliance and the buyer can delay settlement if it is missing.
Settlement agents
Most WA sales settle through a licensed settlement agent rather than a lawyer. Fees are no longer set by a statutory scale and are quoted individually; $800 to $1,500 plus disbursements is typical for a straightforward house, towards the top of the range for a strata lot or a sale with a discharge and a mortgage on the other side.
A simple agency appointment, so the term is up to you
Section 60 of the Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978 requires a written, signed appointment that sets out the property, the services and the commission, and section 63 requires the agent to give you a copy. There is no statutory maximum term and no cooling-off period, so the length of the exclusive authority and any exit clause are negotiated before you sign. Auctions are uncommon in Perth; most sales are private treaty, so the auctioneer line rarely applies.
Tax
Transfer 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 $600,000 sale is $600. 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, Western Australia selling costs at $600,000 run 2.5% to 4.9% 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 South Australia: commission 1.8% to 2.75%.
- 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
- Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978 (WA), sections 60 and 63
- Building Regulations 2012 (WA), Part 8 Division 4 (smoke alarms on transfer)
- Consumer Protection WA, Selling property, and Building and Energy, RCDs and smoke alarms
- 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.
Take the full guide with you.
The complete guide to selling property in Australia: what it really costs, how agents price your home, the 10 questions that catch bad agents out, and a 12-week plan to settlement. Free PDF, personalised to your suburb, in your inbox in 60 seconds.
Common questions
How much does it cost to sell a house in WA?
On a $600,000 sale, budget roughly $16,000 to $29,000 all-in: commission of $12,000 to $16,800 (2% to 2.8%, plus GST), marketing of $2,000 to $8,000, settlement agent fees of $800 to $2,500, title and strata searches of $100 to $400, and smoke alarm or RCD work and a mortgage discharge fee where they apply. On the Perth median near $1 million, commission alone is $20,000 to $28,000.
Do I need smoke alarms and RCDs to sell a house in WA?
Yes. Mains-powered smoke alarms less than ten years old and at least two RCDs must be in place before the property is transferred, at the seller's cost. If the house already complies there is nothing to pay; otherwise an electrician's work is typically $150 to $700.
Is there a vendor statement in Western Australia?
No. WA has no Section 32 or Form 1 equivalent. The buyer does their own searches, and the seller's disclosure obligations are the warranties in the contract and the general duty not to mislead.
What is the average real estate commission in WA?
Typically 2% to 2.8% of the sale price, with around 2.4% common in Perth and higher rates in regional WA. Commission is negotiable and GST of 10% usually applies on top.
Do I use a settlement agent or a lawyer to sell in WA?
Either. Most WA sellers use a licensed settlement agent, whose fees for a straightforward sale are typically $800 to $1,500 plus disbursements. A lawyer is worth the extra where the title or the contract is unusual.
Keep reading
Real estate commission in Western Australia
Typical Western 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