How Much You Save Selling Without an Agent

Selling without a real estate agent mostly saves you the commission, which typically runs 2 to 3 percent of the sale price in Australia. On an $850,000 home that's roughly $17,000 to $25,500, plus whatever you would have paid for a marketing package. Your real costs selling privately are much smaller: photography, a conveyancer, and getting your property in front of buyers.

Here's the saving laid out in actual dollars, because the percentage hides how large it really is.

The commission you avoid, by sale price

At a typical 2.5 percent commission, here's what an agent would charge:

Those figures are commission alone. Marketing packages, often $2,000 to $6,000 for photography, portal listing fees, and signage, are usually charged on top and payable whether or not the property sells.

What it actually costs to sell privately

Against that, your genuine costs selling without an agent are modest:

If you sell through SoldUp, there's no upfront listing fee and a flat platform fee only if you sell: $2,950 up to $1M, $3,950 from $1M to $1.5M, and $4,950 above $1.5M. How that fee is structured is explained in how does SoldUp make money.

A worked example

Take the $850,000 sale. With an agent at 2.5 percent, you'd pay around $21,250 in commission plus, say, $3,000 in marketing, for roughly $24,250 total.

Sell the same property through SoldUp and the platform fee is $2,950, payable only on an unconditional sale. Add photography and a conveyancer, call it $2,000, and your total is under $5,000. On that sale, the difference kept in your pocket is close to $19,000.

Why the gap grows with price

Because commission is a percentage, the dollar saving gets larger the more your property is worth. On a $1.5 million sale, a 2.5 percent commission is $37,500, while a flat fee sits at $4,950. The higher your sale price, the more a percentage model costs you relative to a flat fee.

That's the single most useful thing to understand when you're weighing it up: the saving is not fixed, it scales with your property's value.

The costs that stay the same either way

Some costs don't change whether you use an agent or not, so they're not part of the saving. You'll still pay any mortgage discharge fee to your lender, your own moving costs, and capital gains tax if the property is an investment rather than your main home. Selling privately removes the commission and the agent's marketing package, not these. Keeping that distinction clear stops you overestimating what you'll actually pocket.

What the saving does not remove

Being fair about it, saving the commission doesn't remove the work. You handle enquiries, inspections, and negotiation yourself, and you still pay a conveyancer for the legal side. The honest list of what to watch is in the real risks of selling your house without an agent.

If you want to see the exact numbers for your property, you can create a free private listing and use the free appraisal as a price guide, at no cost.

FAQ

How much do you save selling a house without an agent in Australia?

Mostly the commission, typically 2 to 3 percent of the sale price. On an $850,000 home that's roughly $17,000 to $25,500, plus avoided marketing costs. Your costs selling privately are usually under $5,000.

Is there a real estate commission calculator I can use?

You can estimate it yourself: multiply your expected sale price by the commission rate (around 2.5 percent as a guide). On $850,000 at 2.5 percent, that's $21,250. Remember commission is negotiable and marketing is often extra.

Does selling without an agent mean I'll get a lower price?

Not necessarily. You set your asking price using comparable sales and an appraisal, and you can get advice before accepting an offer. A prepared seller dealing with funded buyers is in a strong position.

What are my actual costs if I sell privately?

Photography (a few hundred dollars), a conveyancer ($800 to $2,000), and the cost of reaching buyers. Through SoldUp that's a flat fee from $2,950, payable only if you sell.