If you're selling a house in Canberra or elsewhere in the ACT, your biggest cost is usually your agent's commission. It averages 1.77 per cent of the sale price, including GST, according to internal data. That's about $17,700 on a $1 million sale, and it's negotiable.

On top of that, you'll pay for conveyancing, marketing, a few government fees and the building, pest and energy reports ACT law requires once your home is on the market. Here's what each one costs. You can also work out your own costs with our selling costs calculator.

Key costs to consider when selling your house in the ACT

Your agent's commission comes first, because it's the biggest. If you're still choosing an agent, you can compare real estate agents in the ACT.

How much do real estate agents charge in the ACT?

The average real estate commission in the ACT is 1.77 per cent of the sale price, including GST, according to internal data. Commissions can be as low as 1 per cent or as high as 2.53 per cent.

If an agent quotes 2 per cent plus GST, that's 2.2 per cent including GST.

Averages differ across Canberra: 1.88 per cent in Gungahlin, 1.72 per cent in Belconnen and 1.68 per cent in Tuggeranong, all including GST. On a home worth $1 million, that difference adds up:

• At Tuggeranong's average of 1.68 per cent, you'd pay about $16,800 in commission.
• At Gungahlin's average of 1.88 per cent, you'd pay about $18,800.

That's a $2,000 difference on the same home. Real estate agents set their own rates: there's no legal maximum in the ACT, and commission is negotiable.

When you compare agents, look at their recent sales near you and their marketing plan, not just their rate.

Commission can be a flat fee or a percentage of the sale price. If it's a percentage, your agency agreement (the contract you sign with your agent) must also show it in dollars, worked out on an estimated sale price.

Say you sell for $1 million: commission at the ACT average of 1.77 per cent comes to $17,700.

Add $1,540 for conveyancing and, if you have a mortgage, $184 to register its discharge (removing the mortgage from your title). That brings you to about $19,424, before marketing, the reports, searches, the PEXA settlement fee and your lender's fee.

Before you sign, get each agent's rate in writing and ask them:

• Does the rate include GST?
• Is the auctioneer's fee included, if you're going to auction?
• Is marketing itemised, and what's the most you'll pay?
• Is there a higher rate on any part of the price above a set figure? If so, where does it start, and does the agreement show what you'd pay?

Read the agreement before you sign. Access Canberra says you generally can't cancel it unless the agent agrees. If it runs longer than 90 days, though, ACT law lets you end it on 30 days' written notice after the first 90 days.

How much does an auctioneer cost in the ACT?

The auctioneer's fee is often already in your agent's quote, so check your agency agreement. In Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, auctioneers who publish a price charge $700 to $1,100 to call an on-site auction (October 2026). Our guide has more on what an auctioneer costs.

In the ACT, an auction must be called by a licensed land auctioneer. Access Canberra says your agent's commission is generally the same at auction, but selling this way usually brings extra costs. If the auctioneer's fee isn't in your agent's quote, it's one of them.

How much does conveyancing cost in the ACT?

In the ACT, conveyancing (the legal work of transferring your home to the buyer) is generally done by a lawyer. One ACT firm publishes a fixed price of $1,540 for a sale (October 2026). It doesn't say whether that includes GST.

That's the firm's own fee, before searches (the title and government records your lawyer checks) and government fees, so treat it as a rough guide and ask for a breakdown of all charges. See what conveyancing costs in each state.

How much does marketing cost?

There's no standard price: agents quote marketing for each campaign, so ask each agent you compare for an itemised quote. It may be part of the commission or charged on top, and your agreement must list each marketing expense and its amount.

Access Canberra says you may have to pay for advertising even if your home doesn't sell, unless you negotiate a "no sale, no fee" arrangement. Commission, by contrast, is usually paid only when the sale completes. Our guide covers what advertising a property costs.

What else do you pay when selling in the ACT?

What reports do you need before selling in the ACT?

ACT law requires you to have a building and compliance report and a pest report from inspections done no more than three months before your home is first advertised or listed. Some units and new homes are exempt, so ask your lawyer whether yours is.

You also need an energy efficiency rating, which must appear in your ads. Give the buyer a copy before they sign: if you don't, you'll owe them 0.5 per cent of the price (about $5,000 on a $1 million sale).

As of October 2026, ACT inspectors sell all three as a seller's package for $1,700 to $1,925, and most offer to let you pay at settlement, the day the sale completes and the buyer takes ownership. Some set a payment deadline, such as 120 or 180 days after the inspection, if the home hasn't sold by then.

When the sale completes, the buyer pays you back for the first building and pest reports. They don't pay you back for later ones, the energy rating or extras such as a faster report.

Preparing your home for sale

You don't need major renovations before you list. You might consider simple repairs, garden maintenance and professional home staging.

In the ACT, the median published price for a vacate clean (the deep clean once you've moved out) of a three-bedroom home is $519.50, and a 4 cubic metre skip bin costs $335 to $395 (October 2026). Across Australia, a handyman will charge you $80 to $165 an hour, with materials extra.

For the garden, one Canberra business charges $180 an hour for a two-person crew, including GST, travel and waste. For styling, one Canberra stager charges $250 an hour for a consultation. Few or no Canberra stagers publish package prices, so it's worth getting two or three quotes.

See what pre-sale repairs, home staging and gardening cost.

If you're moving, ACT removalists charge a median of $137.50 an hour for two movers and a truck on a weekday. Few publish a rate, so ask two or three for a written quote. Our guide has more on what moving house costs.

Settlement costs

If you have a mortgage, ACT Land Titles charges $184 in the 2026-27 financial year to register its discharge. That's on top of your lender's own discharge fee.

Your lawyer may also pass on the PEXA fee for electronic settlement, which is about $150 to transfer one title in the ACT (October 2026). Your general rates are adjusted at settlement, so you pay them up to and including settlement day.

ATO clearance certificate

If you're an Australian resident for tax purposes, you'll need a free clearance certificate from the ATO, and co-owners each need their own. Without one, the buyer must hold back 15 per cent of the price at settlement (of your share, if you own it with someone else).

Apply early, because it can take up to 28 days.

Other factors to consider when selling a house in the ACT

Leasehold land / Crown land

All residential land in the ACT belongs to the Commonwealth, and the ACT Government leases it to homeowners, usually for a 99-year term. In practice, buying and selling a leasehold home works much the same as freehold, where you own the land outright.

Property type

If your home is unusual or appeals to a limited number of buyers, it can take more work to sell, and some agents may charge more for it.

Method of sale

If you sell at auction, there are usually extra costs, according to Access Canberra.

Property value

If your commission is a percentage, the dollar cost rises with the price: at the ACT average, it's $14,160 on an $800,000 home and $21,240 on a $1.2 million home. In Canberra, according to internal data, homes that sold for $750,001 to $1 million averaged 1.67 per cent in commission, a little below the ACT average.

Frequently asked questions