SELLING PRIVATELY · 10 MIN READ
The best way to sell your home without an agent.
Every way to sell your house without an agent in Australia, what each one costs, the legal steps in your state, and how to pick the one that fits you.
Selling a house privately, without an agent, is legal in every Australian state, and more people are doing it than ever. The hard part is not the law. It is choosing between a dozen ways to do it, each with a different price and a different amount of work left for you. This guide lays them out side by side, with the steps in your state.
The short answer
Yes, you can sell your house without an agent anywhere in Australia. You cannot list on realestate.com.au yourself, so you will use a flat-fee platform or licensed agency, which costs about $800 to $2,000 for both major portals, plus a conveyancer for the legal documents. The best way depends on how much of the work you want to do. A commission agent at 2.1% costs $20,370 on a $970,000 home.
01 · The basics
Can you sell a house without an agent in Australia?
Yes. No Australian state or territory requires you to use a real estate agent to sell your home. What every state does require is the right paperwork: a contract of sale and, in most states, a disclosure statement the buyer must receive before they sign. A conveyancer or solicitor prepares those. See what documents you need to sell your house for the full list in every state.
The one thing you cannot do is list on realestate.com.au as a private person. It only accepts listings from licensed agencies, and that is where most Australian buyers search. So nearly every private seller uses a flat-fee platform or a licensed agency to get there.
02 · Your options
What are the ways to sell without an agent?
There are five realistic ways, from doing it all yourself to paying a fixed fee for someone to run it. The last row shows a commission agent for comparison.
| Option | What it costs | Where buyers see it | Who does the work | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sell to someone you already know | A conveyancer only | None | You | A relative, tenant or neighbour who has already said yes |
| Advertise it yourself (signboard, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree) | Little more than a conveyancer | No realestate.com.au or Domain | You | Strong local interest, or testing the market |
| Flat-fee listing platform | About $800 to $2,000 for realestate.com.au and Domain | realestate.com.au and Domain | You | Sellers happy to price, show and negotiate on their own |
| Unreserved Lite | $900 | realestate.com.au, Domain and three more | You, with AI tools answering buyers 24/7 and licensed agents on call | Most sellers who can show their own home |
| Unreserved Plus | $6,900 ($2,000 up front, $4,900 on sale) | realestate.com.au, Domain and three more | Our campaign manager, backed by licensed agents. You open the door | Sellers who want the work done without paying commission |
| For comparison: commission agent | $20,370 at 2.1% on a $970,000 home, plus GST and marketing | Usually all major portals | The agent | Unusual or prestige homes, and owners who cannot be involved |
Platform price range from three providers’ own pricing pages, checked 1 October 2026. Commission at 2.1% before GST, the conservative end of a 1.8 to 3.5% range. Conveyancing and any photography are extra on every row.
03 · The platforms
How do the private sale platforms compare?
Flat-fee platforms all put your home on realestate.com.au and Domain. The difference is what happens after that. Most hand everything else back to you. Unreserved is a licensed agency, so it can also put a licensed agent on the parts you would rather not do.
| Platform | Price with realestate.com.au and Domain | Who runs the sale |
|---|---|---|
| Sale By Home Owner | $795 to $1,895 (a Domain-only package is $499) | You |
| buymyplace | $845, $995 or $1,995 | You |
| PropertyNow | $979 | You |
| Unreserved Lite | $900, plus three more portals | You, with AI tools and licensed agents on call 7 days |
| Unreserved Plus | $6,900 | A dedicated campaign manager |
Competitor prices from each provider’s own pricing page, checked 1 October 2026. None of the three says on that page whether GST is included. Prices change, so check before you buy. More detail in our private sale platforms comparison.
04 · Your state
The rules for selling privately in your state
The steps are the same everywhere. The paperwork is not. Here is the one rule in each state that catches private sellers out, with a link to the full guide for that state.
- Selling privately in VictoriaYour conveyancer prepares a Section 32 vendor statement, which the buyer must get before they sign.
- Selling privately in New South WalesThe contract, with its prescribed documents attached, must be ready before you advertise.
- Selling privately in QueenslandSince 1 August 2025 every seller must give the buyer a Form 2 seller disclosure statement before they sign.
- Selling privately in South AustraliaThe buyer must get a Form 1 vendor’s statement, and cooling-off runs from the contract or the Form 1, whichever is later.
- Selling privately in Western AustraliaNo disclosure statement and no cooling-off period. A settlement agent handles the paperwork.
- Selling privately in TasmaniaNo mandatory disclosure statement or cooling-off. Buyer beware, but you still need a conveyancer.
- Selling privately in ACTBuilding, pest and energy reports must be ready before you advertise, and the energy rating goes in every ad.
- Northern TerritoryNo mandatory disclosure statement, but an approved contract form must be used, and pool and smoke alarm rules apply when you sell.
05 · Step by step
How to sell your house without an agent
- Get a price from comparable salesStart with recent sales of similar homes nearby, not with what you hope to get. A free AI valuation shows you the comparable sales behind its number.
- Book a conveyancer and apply for your ATO clearance certificateEvery seller needs the certificate, at any price. It is free but can take up to 28 days.
- Get the documents readyYour contract and disclosure statement, ready before you advertise in NSW and the ACT, and before a buyer signs everywhere else.
- Prepare and photograph the homeRepairs, a deep clean and good photos matter more than a renovation. Most renovations recover about half their cost.
- List on realestate.com.au and DomainThrough a flat-fee platform or a licensed agency.
- Handle enquiries and inspectionsAnswer quickly. Buyers who wait a day often move on.
- Negotiate, sign and settleAgree the price and terms, sign the contract, and let your conveyancer run settlement.
Each step has its own guide: the pre-sale checklist, negotiating as a private seller and selling at auction. For the whole journey in one place, read the process of selling a house or the private sale playbook.
06 · The real risk
Pricing is where private sellers lose money
The biggest risk in selling without an agent is not the paperwork. It is the price. In our data, 70% of owners expect more than the AI estimate for their home, and most campaigns that launch well above it end up cutting their guide, by a median 4.8%. On a $970,000 home that is $46,560, more than twice the $20,370 an agent would charge. The full numbers are in do private sellers sell for less. To get the price right and the most from it, see how to maximise your sale price, and if timing matters, how to sell your house fast.
Start with the price.
A free AI valuation reads recent comparable sales near you and shows them to you. About 60 seconds.
Get your free valuation07 · Choosing
Which way should you sell?
Sell it yourself on a flat fee if
- You can take buyer calls and show the home, usually on weekends
- You have a price from recent comparable sales
- You are comfortable saying no to a low offer
- Your home is the kind buyers already search for in your suburb
Pay for help if
- You will not be available for four to six weeks of enquiries
- You would rather someone else negotiated (Unreserved Plus, or an agent)
- The home is unusual or prestige, and buyers have to be found rather than advertised to
- It is a deceased estate, or the owners disagree about selling
Not sure who does what under each option? See who does what when you sell a house, job by job. If selling it yourself fits, see how to sell your own home on a flat fee with Unreserved.
QUICK ANSWERS
Selling without an agent, answered.
Can I sell my house without an agent in Australia?
Yes. You can sell your house without a real estate agent in every Australian state and territory. You still need a conveyancer or solicitor for the contract and your state’s disclosure documents, and you will need a licensed platform or agency to get onto realestate.com.au and Domain.
How much does it cost to sell a house without an agent?
A listing on realestate.com.au and Domain through a flat-fee platform costs about $800 to $2,000. Add conveyancing, usually a few hundred dollars to about $2,500, plus any photos and repairs you choose. A commission agent at 2.1% would charge $20,370 on a $970,000 home before GST and marketing.
Can I list my house on realestate.com.au myself?
Not directly. realestate.com.au only takes listings from licensed agencies, so private sellers list through a flat-fee platform or a licensed agency such as Unreserved. Unreserved Lite lists your home on realestate.com.au, Domain and three more portals for $900.
Do I need a conveyancer to sell my own house?
In practice, yes. No state requires an agent, but the contract and disclosure documents are legal documents, and mistakes can let a buyer walk away. A conveyancer or solicitor prepares them, runs the searches and handles settlement. Our guide to the documents you need covers every state.
What is the best website to sell my house privately?
It depends on how much you want to do yourself. Flat-fee platforms such as Sale By Home Owner, buymyplace and PropertyNow list your home and leave the rest to you. Unreserved is a licensed agency: Lite gives you AI tools and licensed agents on call for $900, and Plus has our team run the sale for $6,900.
Is it hard to sell without an agent?
The paperwork is unfamiliar rather than hard, and your conveyancer does most of it. The hard parts are pricing, being available for buyers and inspections, and negotiating. Get the price from comparable sales, and decide early whether you want help with the negotiation.
KEEP READING
Keep reading.
SOURCES
Where this comes from.
- Consumer Affairs Victoria, Selling property with or without an agent (checked Oct 2026).
- Unreserved, The cheapest way to sell a house in Australia, platform prices checked 1 Oct 2026 (checked Oct 2026).
- Unreserved, What documents do you need to sell your house?, state rules and official sources (checked Oct 2026).
- Australian Taxation Office, Australian residents and clearance certificates (checked Oct 2026).
- Unreserved, Do private sellers sell for less? (checked Oct 2026).
- Unreserved, Plans and pricing (checked Oct 2026).
Commission is calculated at 2.1% ex GST, the conservative end of a 1.8 to 3.5% range. Providers change their prices. General information, not legal advice.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ben Williams
Connect with Ben on LinkedIn →
Ben spent 15+ years as a licensed estate agent and conducted over 2,000 auctions before founding Unreserved. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Property & Valuation) from RMIT and is licensed across VIC, NSW, QLD, SA, and WA.
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