Selling Costs Calculator

How the cost of selling a house adds up

Commission gets the attention, but it is one of seven or eight lines on the bill, and the others together often add another 1% of the price. The calculator above works through each one for your state and shows the cash left after the loan is paid out, which is the figure that decides whether the move stacks up.

Typical commission and legal documents by state

• New South Wales: commission 1.8% to 2.5%; contract of sale documents $300 to $600.
• Victoria: commission 1.6% to 2.5%; section 32 vendor statement $300 to $800.
• Queensland: commission 2.3% to 2.9%; seller disclosure statement (form 2) $200 to $700.
• South Australia: commission 1.8% to 2.75%; form 1 vendor's statement $300 to $600.
• Western Australia: commission 2% to 2.8%; title search and strata certificate $100 to $400.
• Tasmania: commission 2.5% to 3.25%; contract and council certificates $200 to $500.
• the ACT: commission 1.8% to 2.25%; pre-sale reports (building, pest, eer) $800 to $1,500.
• the Northern Territory: commission 2.4% to 2.7%; contract and title search $100 to $300.

The lines people forget

The mortgage discharge fee is small, but a fixed-rate break cost is not, and neither appears on the agent’s quote. Styling is optional and often worth it, but it is paid up front. In Queensland a pool safety certificate and interconnected smoke alarms are required at sale; in WA, hard-wired smoke alarms and RCDs; in the ACT, the seller pays for the building, pest and energy reports before advertising. Each state guide linked above lists what applies.

What moves the total

The rate, first: on a $900,000 sale every 0.1% is $900, and the gap between the top and bottom of most states’ ranges is more than $5,000. The marketing schedule second, because it is payable whether or not the property sells. Everything else is a few hundred dollars either way. Our negotiation guide covers the first and our agency agreements guide the second.