COMPARE · 7 MIN READ
Who does what when you sell a house.
Fourteen jobs, four ways to sell. Who prices the home, answers the phone, runs the open, negotiates and signs, with a commission agent, a for sale by owner platform, and each Unreserved plan.
Selling a home is about fourteen separate jobs. A commission agent does nearly all of them and charges a percentage of your price. A for sale by owner platform hands nearly all of them to you. Most comparisons stop at the fee. This one goes job by job, so you can see exactly what you are paying for, and what you would be doing yourself.
The short answer
With a commission agent, the agent does almost every job for 1.8 to 3.5% of the price. On a for sale by owner platform, you do almost every job. Unreserved is a licensed agency with two fixed fees: on Lite ($900) you run the sale with our tools and licensed agents on call; on Plus ($6,900) our team acts as your agent and runs it, and you open the door.
01 · The options
What are the four ways to sell?
Before the table, the terms. They get used loosely, and the differences decide who does the work.
Commission agent. A licensed agency charges a percentage of the sale price, typically 1.8 to 3.5%, plus marketing costs. You sign an agency agreement and the agent acts for you.
For sale by owner (FSBO) platform. The owner runs the sale, usually through a listing service that is not a licensed agency. It puts your home on the portals. The rest is yours.
Unreserved Lite, $900. A self-managed campaign run through a licensed agency. You run the sale with AI tools that answer buyers around the clock, and licensed agents are on call 7 days. We do not act as your agent unless you book a specific agent task.
Unreserved Plus, $6,900. A fixed-fee, full-service campaign. You sign an agency agreement, and a dedicated campaign manager, backed by licensed agents, runs the sale for you. $2,000 is paid up front and $4,900 only on a successful sale.
The commission agent figures in this guide use 2.1%, the conservative end of the range, before GST.
02 · Job by job
Who does each job when you sell?
Fourteen jobs, from the agreement you sign to the day the money lands. The two shaded columns are Unreserved.
| Job | Commission agent | FSBO platform | Unreserved Lite $900 | Unreserved Plus $6,900 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who is legally your agent | The agency, under a sole agency agreement, often 60 to 90 days | Nobody. The platform lists your home but does not act for you | Nobody by default. You sell your own home and we do not act as your agent. A task-only agency agreement applies if you book agent negotiation or auctioneering | Unreserved, under a separate agency agreement. No lock-in |
| Pricing the home | The agent’s appraisal | You, sometimes with a basic estimate | You, with a free AI valuation from comparable sales and weekly market reports | A pricing strategy session with your campaign manager |
| Photos and floor plan | Booked by the agent, usually paid from your marketing budget | You book them, often as a paid extra | You book them. Photography from $215 is optional, and photo edits are free | Arranged for you, priced separately |
| Listing copy | The agent | You | AI drafts it, you edit and approve | Written for you, you sign off |
| realestate.com.au and Domain | Yes | Usually, in the platform’s paid packages | Yes, plus three more portals | Yes, plus three more portals |
| Answering buyer calls and messages | The agent | You | An AI voice agent answers 24/7 and puts the buyer through to you, with your number kept private | Your campaign manager handles enquiries and follow-up |
| Answering buyer questions about the home | The agent | You | The AI Inspection Agent answers from your documents, 24/7 | The AI Inspection Agent, plus your campaign manager |
| Open homes | The agent | You | You open the door. In Victoria an agent can run them for you, $250 each | You open the door. In Victoria an agent can run them for you |
| Negotiating offers | The agent, and you decide | You | You, with licensed agents on call 7 days. Or book a licensed agent to negotiate for you, $299 each, capped at $1,000 | Your campaign manager negotiates, and you decide |
| Auction | Agent and auctioneer, often for an extra fee | Rarely offered | Online auction and Bid-Smart reverse auction tools. In Victoria, Ben Williams can call it for $400 | Your campaign manager runs it |
| Contract and disclosure documents | Your conveyancer or solicitor | Your conveyancer or solicitor | Your conveyancer or solicitor prepares them and you upload them to Unreserved | Your conveyancer or solicitor prepares them and you upload them to Unreserved |
| Getting the contract signed | The agent | You and your conveyancer | You, with contract and settlement support from our team | Your campaign manager |
| Settlement | Your conveyancer, with the agent following up | Your conveyancer | Your conveyancer, with our settlement support | Your conveyancer, with your campaign manager following up |
| Cost on a $1,000,000 sale | $21,000 commission at 2.1%, plus GST and marketing | About $800 to $2,000 for a package with realestate.com.au and Domain | $900, paid up front | $6,900: $2,000 up front and $4,900 on a successful sale |
Agent row costs: commission at 2.1% before GST. Marketing commonly runs $3,750 to $12,500 on top, per Canstar. FSBO prices are from three platforms’ own pricing pages, checked 1 October 2026. Agent-run open homes and auctioneering are available in Victoria; agent negotiation in VIC, NSW, QLD, SA and WA. Full plan details on the plans page.
The jobs that move your price
Four jobs decide most of the result: setting the price, getting the home in front of every active buyer, answering them quickly, and handling offers calmly. Everything else is logistics. When you compare options, look at who does those four, and whether you trust them to do it well.
Getting in front of buyers is the same on every paid option above: realestate.com.au and Domain are where Australian buyers search. Pricing and fast answers are where software now does a lot of the work that used to justify a percentage. That leaves negotiation as the job where experience counts most, which is why Lite sellers can hand just that one job to a licensed agent.
The job nobody should charge you for
On both Unreserved plans, you open your own front door at inspections. You know the home better than anyone, buyers like hearing it from the owner, and it is a big reason the fee is fixed instead of a share of your price. If you are in Victoria and would rather not, a licensed agent can run them for you.
The job nobody does for free
The contract and your state’s disclosure documents are prepared by a conveyancer or solicitor whichever way you sell. That fee is separate from any agent or platform fee. See what documents you need to sell your house for each state’s list.
Know your price before you choose.
A free AI valuation reads recent comparable sales near you, in about 60 seconds. It is the first job on the list, whoever does the rest.
Get your free valuation03 · Straight answers
Is Unreserved a DIY platform?
Partly, and it is worth being precise. Unreserved is a licensed real estate agency combining the power of AI with industry experts to market and sell your home from $900. Available Australia-wide.
On Lite, you run your own sale, and under our terms we do not act as your agent. What makes it different from a listing site is what sits behind you: an AI voice agent and Inspection Agent answering buyers 24/7, weekly market reports, contract and settlement support, licensed agents on call 7 days, and the option to bring in a licensed agent for negotiation, open homes or the auction when you want one.
On Plus, it is not DIY at all. You sign an agency agreement, our team acts for you, and a dedicated campaign manager runs pricing, the listing, enquiries, negotiation and the auction. The fee is still fixed: $6,900, whatever your home sells for.
Our founder Ben Williams is licensed in Victoria and NSW (079257L), Queensland (4939168) and Western Australia (RA86686), and in South Australia through mutual recognition. Our licensing details are on Ben’s profile.
04 · Choosing
Which should you choose?
Most sellers who can answer their phone and show their own home do well on Lite. Plus is for sellers who want someone else running the campaign. And there are homes where a traditional agent earns the fee.
Run it yourself on Lite if
- You can take buyer calls during the campaign, or let the AI agent route them to you
- You can be there for inspections, usually on weekends
- You are comfortable saying no to a low offer, or happy to book an agent for that part
- Your home is the kind buyers already search for in your suburb
Hand it over to Plus or an agent if
- You will not be available for four to six weeks of enquiries and offers
- You would rather not negotiate with buyers at all
- The home is unusual or prestige, and buyers have to be found rather than advertised to (an agent may earn the fee here)
- It is a deceased estate, or the owners disagree about selling
Plus costs $6,900 against $21,000 or more for an agent on a $1,000,000 home. Compare the two Unreserved plans on Lite vs Plus, or see Unreserved vs a traditional agent.
QUICK ANSWERS
Who does what, answered.
Do I need a real estate agent to sell my house in Australia?
No. You do not need a licence to sell your own home. You do need a conveyancer or solicitor for the contract and your state’s disclosure documents. An agent only has to be involved if someone acts for you, for example by negotiating on your behalf, and that needs a written agency agreement.
Is Unreserved a DIY platform or a real estate agent?
Both, depending on the plan. Unreserved is a licensed real estate agency. On Lite ($900) you run your own sale with our tools and licensed agents on call, and we do not act as your agent. On Plus ($6,900) you sign an agency agreement and our team runs the sale for you.
Who runs the open homes with Unreserved?
You do, on both Lite and Plus. Opening your own front door is the one job we ask you to keep, and it is a large part of why the fee is fixed. In Victoria you can book a licensed agent to run inspections for $250 each, or $1,500 for eight.
Who negotiates with buyers?
On Plus, your campaign manager negotiates and you make the final call. On Lite you negotiate yourself, with licensed agents on call 7 days, or you can book a licensed agent to negotiate for you for $299 each time, capped at $1,000 per campaign.
Who prepares the contract of sale and the vendor statement?
Your conveyancer or solicitor, on every plan and with every option on this page. Unreserved does not prepare disclosure documents. You upload them to your listing, and our AI Inspection Agent uses them to answer buyer questions.
What is the difference between a flat-fee agent and a for sale by owner platform?
A for sale by owner platform lists your home and the work is yours. A flat-fee agent is a licensed agency that charges a set dollar amount instead of commission and can act for you. Unreserved is a licensed agency with a hybrid, fixed-fee model: you choose whether you run the sale or our team does.
KEEP READING
Keep comparing.
SOURCES
Where this comes from.
- Unreserved, Terms of use, summary of self-managed and agency services (checked Oct 2026).
- Unreserved, Plans and pricing (checked Oct 2026).
- Unreserved, Lite agent upgrades (checked Oct 2026).
- Unreserved, Unreserved Plus (checked Oct 2026).
- Consumer Affairs Victoria, Selling property with or without an agent (checked Oct 2026).
- Canstar, How much does it cost to sell a house in Australia? (checked Oct 2026).
- Unreserved, The cheapest way to sell a house in Australia, platform prices checked 1 Oct 2026 (checked Oct 2026).
Commission is calculated at 2.1% ex GST, the conservative end of a 1.8 to 3.5% range. Prices and services change; check each provider before you rely on a figure. 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.
Choose who does the work. Keep the commission.
Start with a free AI valuation in about 60 seconds. Then run it yourself on Lite for $900, or have our team run it on Plus for $6,900. No commission, no lock-in.