How much does it cost to sell a house in QLD? (2026 breakdown)

TLDR: Selling a house in Queensland typically costs somewhere between 3% and 5% of the sale price once you add up agent commission (the big one), marketing, your seller disclosure documents, conveyancing, and bank discharge fees. On an $800,000 sale that’s roughly $25,000-$40,000. Some costs are negotiable, some are fixed, and one – the ATO clearance certificate – is free but will cost you 15% of your sale price at settlement if you forget it.

Everyone talks about the cost of buying. The costs of selling get discovered one invoice at a time. Here’s the full list for Queensland sellers, in descending order of pain.

1. Real estate agent commission – the big one

Commission in Queensland is deregulated and negotiable. Around Brisbane and the South East, 2.5%-3% of the sale price plus GST is the common range for a standard residential sale, sometimes with tiered incentives above an agreed target price. On an $800,000 sale, 2.75% + GST is about $24,200. It’s usually payable at settlement out of the deposit. Negotiate it like the five-figure line item it is – and read the agency agreement (a Form 6) before signing, not after.

2. Marketing and advertising

Usually charged on top of commission: professional photography, floor plans, signboard, and the portal listings (realestate.com.au and Domain are the bulk of it). Expect $1,000-$4,000 for a typical suburban campaign, more for premium tiers. Auction? Add auctioneer fees, commonly $400-$1,000.

3. Seller disclosure costs (Form 2) – the new must-do

Since Queensland’s seller disclosure regime commenced, sellers must give buyers a completed Form 2 disclosure statement with prescribed certificates before the contract is signed. Assembling it costs real money:

• Title search and registered plan copies – roughly $50-$100 combined
• Body corporate certificate (units and townhouses) – commonly $100-$300 depending on the scheme and urgency
• Pool: a current pool safety certificate if you don’t have one – inspection around $150-$300 plus any rectification work

Get the Form 2 wrong and the buyer may have termination rights – the expensive kind of wrong. Our seller conveyancing service prepares the disclosure correctly the first time; our Form 2 disclosure guides cover the traps in detail.

4. Conveyancing

At Empire Legal a residential sale is a fixed $1,600, quoted up front, with the standard searches included. Your side of the legal work: reviewing the contract before signing (free with us for sellers), preparing the transfer documents, calculating settlement adjustments, discharging your mortgage and attending settlement on PEXA. Every standard search is included, so a surprise legal bill is not one of your selling costs. Full pricing here.

5. Bank fees to discharge your mortgage

Your lender charges a discharge/settlement fee, commonly $150-$500, plus the Titles Queensland registration fee for the release of mortgage. On a fixed-rate loan, ask about break costs before you list – they can run to thousands and dwarf every fee on this page.

6. The ATO clearance certificate – free, but don’t skip it

Since 1 January 2025, every Australian-resident seller needs a foreign resident capital gains withholding (FRCGW) clearance certificate from the ATO, whatever the sale price. No certificate at settlement = the buyer must withhold 15% of the price and send it to the ATO, and you wait for your own tax return to get it back. The certificate is free and usually issues quickly, but apply as soon as you decide to sell. Full details in our ATO clearance certificate guide.

7. Settlement adjustments (not a fee, but budget for it)

Council rates, water and body corporate levies are adjusted between buyer and seller at settlement so each side pays for their period of ownership. If you’ve paid the quarter in advance you’ll get some back; if you’re behind, it comes out of your proceeds.

Worked through, it is less abstract than it sounds. Say your council rates are $2,400 a year, paid quarterly, and you settle 40 days into a quarter you have already paid. The buyer reimburses you for the 50 or so days they will own the property in that quarter, so roughly $330 comes back to you at settlement. Body corporate levies work the same way and are usually the bigger number in a unit sale.

It cuts the other way too. If your rates notice is sitting unpaid, it is deducted from your proceeds at settlement, not politely invoiced afterwards. The same applies to any outstanding water consumption reading.

None of this is a cost of selling in the strict sense, because you were always going to owe it. It matters because it changes the number that actually lands in your account on settlement day, and that is the number most sellers have already spent in their head.

8. The maybes: CGT, staging, repairs

• Capital gains tax – generally none on your main residence, real money on an investment property. Talk to your accountant before you sign a contract, not at tax time. Not sure what the bill looks like? Use our capital gains tax calculator for property to get an estimate before you commit.
• Styling/staging – commonly $2,000-$6,000 for a full furniture package; agents push it because it works.
• Pre-sale repairs and compliance – smoke alarm upgrades to the interconnected photoelectric standard, minor works flagged by your building record.

What it looks like on an $800,000 Brisbane sale

Commission at 2.75% + GST ~$24,200 · marketing ~$2,500 · Form 2 certificates ~$150-$400 · fixed-fee conveyancing · bank discharge ~$350 · clearance certificate $0 · total in the $28,000-$32,000 zone before any CGT or staging. Call it 3.5-4% of the price – which is exactly why the “cheapest conveyancer” decision on a five-figure cost base is a false economy when a Form 2 error can hand the buyer an exit.

What is actually negotiable

Three of the costs on this page move if you push, and three do not.

Negotiable: agent commission is not a fixed rate in Queensland, and there is no legislated scale. Rates vary by suburb and by how much competition the agent has for your listing. Marketing is negotiable in structure as well as amount, so ask whether it is payable up front or deducted at settlement, and what happens to it if the property does not sell. Staging is optional and sometimes the agent will part fund it.

Not negotiable: the Titles Queensland and council search fees are statutory. Your bank’s discharge fee is set by the bank. And the ATO clearance certificate is free but mandatory in practice on any sale at or above the threshold, so there is nothing to negotiate and everything to lose by skipping it.

The one people get backwards is conveyancing. It is the smallest controllable number on the list and the one with the largest downside if it goes wrong, which is a poor thing to shop on price.

Selling? Get the legal side locked in first

We review your agency agreement and contract before you sign, prepare your Form 2 disclosure, and run settlement on a fixed fee with no surprises – it’s why 16,000+ Queenslanders have used Empire Legal for their sale. Call 07 3088 7675 or email info@empirelegal.com.au.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to sell a house in QLD?

Typically 3%-5% of the sale price all-in: agent commission (usually 2.5%-3% + GST), marketing ($1,000-$4,000), seller disclosure certificates, fixed-fee conveyancing, and bank discharge fees. On $800,000, budget roughly $28,000-$32,000.

What is the biggest cost when selling?

Agent commission, by a wide margin – usually 80% or more of your total selling costs. It’s negotiable, so negotiate.

Do sellers pay stamp duty in Queensland?

No – transfer duty (stamp duty) is the buyer’s cost in Queensland. Sellers pay commission, marketing, disclosure, conveyancing and bank fees instead.

Do I really need an ATO clearance certificate to sell?

Yes. Since 1 January 2025 it applies to every sale by an Australian resident regardless of price. Without it, 15% of your sale price is withheld at settlement. It’s free – apply early.

What does seller conveyancing cost?

At Empire Legal, a fixed fee quoted before you commit – see our pricing page. The quote is the bill; that’s the point of fixed fees.

Can I sell without a real estate agent to save commission?

Legally yes, and you’ll still need the Form 2 disclosure, contract and conveyancing done properly. Most private sellers save the commission and give some back in price – but for the right property and seller it can work.

Is real estate agent commission negotiable in Queensland?

Yes. Queensland has no legislated commission scale, so the rate is whatever you and the agent agree in the agency agreement. What actually moves it is how much competition the agent has for your listing. Get more than one appraisal before you sign anything.

Who pays the council rates and water at settlement?

Both of you, split by the day. Rates, water and body corporate levies are adjusted at settlement so each side covers their own period of ownership. Pay a quarter in advance and some of it comes back to you; fall behind and it comes out of your proceeds instead.

Does the ATO clearance certificate cost anything?

No, it is free. What is expensive is not having one: 15 per cent of the sale price is withheld at settlement without it. Cheapest item on the list, most costly one to forget.

Do I need a building and pest inspection to sell my house?

No. That is the buyer’s cost and the buyer’s decision. Some sellers commission one anyway to head off a renegotiation later, but nothing obliges you to and it does not form part of your seller disclosure.

When do I actually pay the agent’s commission?

Normally at settlement, deducted from the proceeds or from the deposit the agent holds in trust, rather than as an invoice you pay separately. Marketing is the one to check, because some agencies want it up front and others deduct it at settlement.