Selling a property involves more than the agent's commission. Marketing, legal work, lender charges, property preparation, settlement adjustments and the remaining home loan can all affect the amount available after settlement. Enter your own figures below to estimate the cost of selling, compare different sale-price outcomes and see how much cash may remain.
Cost Of Selling Calculator
Estimate your selling expenses, compare different sale prices and calculate the amount that may remain after the mortgage and settlement deductions are paid.
Sale Price And Commission
All amounts should be entered in Australian dollarsCore Selling Costs
Enter GST-inclusive amounts unless already included elsewhereInclude Additional Selling Costs
Mortgage And Settlement
The home loan is kept separate from selling costsEstimated Sale Outcome
After selling costs, mortgage payout, settlement deductions and optional moving costs.
Sale Price Scenarios
Calculate A Sale Price From A Cash Target
Enter the amount you would like to retain after the costs, loan payout and settlement deductions included above.
How The Cost Of Selling Is Calculated
The calculator separates the sale into several stages so the result is easier to understand. Agent commission and other selling expenses are deducted from the expected sale price first. This produces the estimated net proceeds before the mortgage is repaid. The remaining home loan, settlement deductions and optional moving or storage costs are then removed to show the estimated cash that may remain after sale.
Keeping the mortgage payout separate matters because repaying existing debt is different from paying the costs created by the sale. The total selling-cost figure therefore includes commission, marketing, legal work, lender charges, property preparation and any additional sale expenses entered in the form, while the loan balance appears as its own deduction.
Choosing The Correct Commission Method
Agency commission can be quoted in several ways. A percentage commission applies one rate to the full sale price. A fixed commission remains unchanged regardless of the final price. An incentive arrangement usually combines a base percentage on the full sale price with an additional percentage on the amount achieved above a stated threshold. The calculator identifies these methods separately so the agreement can be entered without forcing different structures into the same formula.
The GST setting applies only to the commission because agency quotes may state a rate either including or excluding GST. All other expense fields should be entered as final GST-inclusive amounts unless the quoted cost has already been included in another field. This is particularly important with marketing packages, photography, auctioneer charges and administration fees, where double counting can otherwise occur easily.
Which Selling Costs To Include
The most reliable estimate uses current written figures rather than generic averages. Marketing may include online listings, signage, brochures and campaign management, while legal costs may include professional fees, searches, disbursements and electronic settlement charges. Mortgage discharge fees should be entered separately from the loan payout because they are an additional expense rather than repayment of the debt itself.
Property preparation can range from a modest clean and garden tidy to repairs, styling, furniture hire, storage and more extensive presentation work. The calculator keeps one preparation field visible so the form remains easy to use, while less common expenses can be added through the expandable section. Where a package already includes photography, floorplans or another service, the separate field should remain at zero.
Mortgage Payout And Settlement Adjustments
The mortgage payout should ideally come from a current lender estimate because the amount required at settlement may differ from the balance shown in online banking. Interest, redraw arrangements, fees and the settlement date can all affect the final payout. The calculator treats this figure as a separate deduction after selling costs have been calculated.
Settlement adjustments can increase or reduce the amount received by the seller. They may account for council rates, water charges, body corporate contributions, rent, land tax or other property outgoings, depending on the contract and what has already been paid. Enter a positive figure when the adjustment is expected to reduce the seller's proceeds and a negative figure when it is expected to increase them.
Comparing Different Sale Prices
A single expected price can create more certainty than the market allows. The scenario comparison therefore shows the estimated cash outcome at a lower price, the entered price and a higher price. The default variation is five per cent, but it can be changed. Percentage and incentive commissions are recalculated for each scenario, while the other entered costs remain unchanged.
The optional target calculator works in the opposite direction. It begins with the amount of cash the seller would like to retain and estimates the sale price required after the entered costs, mortgage payout and settlement deductions. It is a planning figure rather than a valuation, but it can help show whether a proposed sale price is likely to produce the amount needed for the next step.
What The Calculator Does Not Include
Capital gains tax is excluded because the outcome can depend on the property's ownership history, use, acquisition date, main-residence status, periods of rental or business use, deductible costs and ownership structure. GST on the property transaction, foreign-resident withholding and other tax matters also require individual assessment. These amounts should only be added to a sale calculation after appropriate professional advice.
The calculator also does not estimate the cost of buying another property, including transfer duty, building and pest inspections, finance costs, buyer's agent fees or temporary accommodation. Those amounts belong in a broader changeover budget. For a more reliable result, replace the example figures with written quotes, obtain a current lender payout estimate and compare the final calculation with the draft settlement statement prepared by the legal representative.
Figures, calculations and information provided by this cost of selling calculator and the accompanying content are for general reference only. Results are calculated locally within your web browser using the figures entered and simplified assumptions, and may not reflect the final sale price, agent commission, GST treatment, marketing expenses, legal costs, lender charges, mortgage payout, settlement adjustments, tax obligations or other amounts payable in a particular transaction. Capital gains tax, GST on the property transaction, foreign-resident withholding and the costs of purchasing another property are not calculated. Nothing on this page constitutes financial, legal, tax, property or other professional advice. All figures should be checked against current written information from the relevant agent, legal representative, lender, accountant and other professional advisers before any decision is made or reliance is placed on the result.
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Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, but we make no guarantees regarding its completeness or reliability. The data is presented for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. We are not liable for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from its use. Users should verify details with relevant sources and seek professional advice where appropriate for the most accurate and up-to-date guidance.
