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What Does It Cost to Sell a House in Brisbane?

Most vendors focus on what their property will sell for. Fewer think carefully about what they will actually net. Here is a clear breakdown of every cost involved in selling in Queensland.

A property sale that achieves a strong price on paper can still leave you with less than expected if the costs of selling were not properly accounted for. In Queensland, those costs are predictable and largely consistent across agents and property types, but the total adds up quickly. Understanding what you are likely to spend before you list means you can plan your next move with accurate numbers rather than rough estimates revised at settlement.

The total cost of selling a house in Brisbane typically falls somewhere between 2.5% and 4% of the sale price, depending on the commission rate you negotiate, the marketing campaign you choose, and how much preparation work the property needs. On a $1.4 million home, that translates to roughly $35,000 to $56,000 in total outgoings before you factor in any capital gains liability. The categories below account for nearly all of it.

Agent commission

Commission is the largest single cost for most vendors. In South East Queensland, residential sales commission is not regulated, which means rates vary between agents and agencies. The typical range for metropolitan Brisbane properties is 2% to 3% of the sale price, though some agents charge a flat fee or a tiered structure. Commission is generally calculated on the final sale price and is payable at settlement from the proceeds of sale, so it does not require cash upfront.

A commission rate should not be the primary basis for choosing an agent. A 0.5% difference in commission on a $1.3 million sale is $6,500. The difference between a well-executed campaign and an average one — in terms of final sale price — is regularly several multiples of that. The right question to ask an agent is not what their commission rate is, but what comparable sales they have achieved in your suburb and price bracket in the last six months, and how their results compare to the market average.

Flat-fee or low-commission agents tend to work higher volumes with less time spent on individual campaigns. That model suits some properties well; it suits others poorly. If your property is straightforward — well-presented, in a high-demand suburb, clearly comparable to recent sales — a competitive flat-fee agent may deliver excellent value. If your property has complexity, requires significant buyer education, or benefits from negotiation skill, a full-service commission structure is usually a better investment.

Marketing costs

Marketing is charged separately from commission by most Brisbane agents. A standard residential campaign covering professional photography, floor plan, online listings on the major portals, and print in the local paper typically costs between $2,500 and $5,000 depending on the property type and the level of exposure you want. Premium campaigns with wide digital reach, video, and featured listing placements on realestate.com.au can push past $7,000 to $8,000.

Marketing costs are usually payable at the beginning of the campaign, not at settlement. Some agencies offer vendor-paid advertising in advance; others have arrangements where the cost is absorbed if the property sells but charged if it does not. Clarify this upfront. A reasonable marketing spend for a well-located Brisbane home in the $900,000 to $1.8 million range is typically $3,500 to $5,500. Be wary of agents who dramatically over-specify marketing as a way of differentiating their pitch — the incremental return from spending $10,000 versus $4,500 on portal advertising is rarely justified by the data.

Conveyancing and legal fees

In Queensland, you are required to use a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to prepare and review the contract of sale. Vendor-side conveyancing fees for a standard residential sale typically range from $1,200 to $2,500 depending on the complexity of the transaction and the firm you engage. Properties with body corporate involvement, easements, or unusual title structures can push costs higher.

Your conveyancer prepares the contract, handles the settlement statement, coordinates with the buyer's solicitor, and manages the discharge of any mortgage over the property. If you hold the property in a trust or company structure, the legal complexity and associated cost increases. For most straightforward house sales in Brisbane's inner east, budget around $1,500 to $2,000 for this component.

Styling and pre-sale preparation

Presentation investment is not mandatory but is frequently the highest-returning spend available to vendors. The decision of what to spend and where depends entirely on the specific property, its current condition, and what comparable styled properties in the area have achieved relative to unstyled equivalents. There is no universal rule, but the data from Brisbane's inner-east sales consistently shows that well-prepared properties outperform unprepared ones at the same price point.

Professional home staging — where a stylist selects and installs furniture and accessories for the campaign — typically costs $3,000 to $7,000 for a full house in the Brisbane metro. Partial styling of key rooms runs $1,500 to $3,500. These figures cover furniture hire for the duration of the campaign plus the stylist's labour and creative fee. For vacant properties, staging almost always pays for itself. For occupied homes, the calculus depends on whether the existing furniture reads well on camera and in person.

Pre-sale maintenance — addressing the items a building and pest inspector or a discerning buyer will notice — should be budgeted separately. A coat of paint in key areas, replacement of worn carpet, fixing running taps, and clearing overgrown gardens are the most common items. The spend varies enormously but $3,000 to $8,000 covers most necessary preparation on a well-maintained home. Overspending on improvements that buyers do not price in — full kitchen renovations, new bathrooms — rarely produces dollar-for-dollar returns at sale.

Capital gains tax

Capital gains tax (CGT) is not a selling cost in the direct sense, but for investment property owners and vendors selling a property that is not their principal place of residence, it can represent the largest financial consequence of a sale and should be understood before you proceed.

In Queensland, as elsewhere in Australia, CGT applies to the capital gain on property held as an investment or mixed-use asset. Your capital gain is the difference between the sale proceeds (after selling costs) and the cost base (purchase price plus eligible costs incurred to acquire, hold, and improve the property). If you have held the property for more than 12 months, you are eligible for a 50% CGT discount as an individual, meaning you add half the net gain to your assessable income for that financial year and pay tax at your marginal rate.

The main residence exemption applies in full if the property has been your principal place of residence for the entire period of ownership. Partial exemptions apply if it was your principal residence for some of that period. Properties that have been rented after the owner moved out may qualify for a six-year absence rule, but the specifics depend on your individual circumstances and should be confirmed with a tax adviser before you make decisions based on that exemption.

CGT liability can be substantial. On a property with a capital gain of $600,000 after the 50% discount, an individual on the top marginal rate would face an additional tax liability of roughly $141,000. That figure changes significantly depending on your income in the year of sale, your cost base, and any applicable exemptions. Do not rely on estimates from real estate agents — get specific advice from your accountant before you settle on a sale strategy, particularly if you are considering whether to sell in one financial year versus another.

What the total looks like

Combining these categories, a typical selling budget for a Brisbane home in the $1.1 million to $1.5 million range looks something like this: agent commission at 2.5% on a $1.3 million sale, $32,500; marketing campaign, $4,500; conveyancing, $1,800; staging and preparation, $6,000 to $10,000. The total out-of-pocket cost before any CGT consideration is roughly $45,000 to $49,000, or approximately 3.4% to 3.8% of the sale price. On a $900,000 sale, the fixed costs compress the percentage slightly upward; on a $2 million sale, they compress it downward relative to the higher commission figure.

None of these costs are unavoidable in their entirety, but trying to minimise them indiscriminately often costs more than it saves. The most reliable way to net more from a sale is to invest appropriately in preparation and presentation, negotiate a commission structure that aligns the agent's incentive with yours, and account for the tax implications early enough to make informed decisions about timing.