COST OF SELLING · SA
What does it cost to sell a house in SA?
Selling a $1,006,099 home in South Australia costs about $33,821 all up, and roughly 83% of that is agent commission. Here is every line, and what happens to the total when you remove the commission.
Estimate my SA selling costsNo sign-up. SA average commission: 2.8%.
Median house values: Cotality Hedonic Home Value Index, capital cities, April 2026. Typical commission rates: 2025-26 industry surveys. Method and full table: Unreserved Commission Report 2026.
About $33,821 to sell a $1,006,099 house in SA
South Australia sits in an awkward spot on selling costs. The median house price is well below Sydney’s, but the average commission rate of 2.8% is higher than both NSW and Victoria. SA sellers pay a bigger percentage of a smaller number, and the dollar result still reaches $28,000 at the median.
SA Cost of Selling Estimator
Commission in South Australia is unregulated and negotiable, typically 2.0% to 3.0%. Enter the rate you have actually been quoted, or start from the SA average.
Charged on top of commission, and payable whether or not the house sells.
Your other selling costs
You pay these whichever way you sell, so they sit in both totals and cancel out of the difference. Each is pre-filled with a typical SA figure. Replace any of them with a quote you have actually been given.
Acts for you on the contract and settlement. Typically $900 to $1,700 in SA.
The certificates behind your vendor disclosure. Typically $200 to $450.
Your lender’s fee to release its mortgage, plus the registry fee. Typically $200 to $350.
Left at $0 by default. An SA auctioneer costs $400 to $800 on the day.
With a traditional agent
With Unreserved
SA COST BREAKDOWN
Every cost of selling a house in South Australia
SA also has a document with teeth: the Form 1 vendor’s statement, which must be served on the buyer before the cooling-off clock starts. Here is the full cost list for an SA sale at 2026 rates.
Agent commission (2.8% SA average)
$28,171The big one, and the only optional line on this list. At the SA average of 2.8% on a $1,006,099 sale, this is about $28,171. Commission is unregulated in South Australia, so the rate is set by the agency and is negotiable.
Marketing and advertising (VPA)
$2,000 to $5,500Photography, floorplan, portal listings, signboard and brochures. Payable whether or not the house sells, and usually invoiced before the campaign starts.
Your conveyancer
$900 to $1,700Handles the contract, Form 1 (Vendor Statement), searches and settlement on your behalf.
Form 1 (Vendor Statement) and searches
$200 to $450South Australia requires a Form 1 vendor disclosure statement, covering title, encumbrances, council and statutory details, to be served on the buyer before settlement.
Mortgage discharge and registry
$200 to $350Your lender’s fee to release its mortgage over the title, plus the land registry fee. If you are breaking a fixed rate, ask for the break cost in writing separately.
Auctioneer (only if you auction)
$400 to $800The auctioneer’s fee on the day. Buyers in South Australia get a 2-clear-business-day cooling-off period on private-treaty sales. There is no cooling-off period at auction (or if the buyer bought at auction within 3 days).
SA SPECIFIC
The Form 1 has to be served, not just prepared
South Australia requires a Form 1 vendor’s statement to be served on the buyer, and the cooling-off clock does not start until it is. Preparing it means paying for title, council and water searches and any strata or community records: $200 to $450, on top of your conveyancer’s fee. Serving it late is one of the most common and most expensive procedural mistakes in an SA sale.
Adelaide’s affordability cuts both ways
Adelaide’s ~$1.01M median is well below Sydney’s, which keeps the dollar commission lower. But the state average rate of 2.8% is higher than NSW or VIC, so SA sellers pay a bigger percentage of a smaller number: about $28,200 at the median.
Form 1 service drives the cooling-off clock
The two-clear-business-day cooling-off period in SA runs from when the Form 1 is served, not from when the contract is signed. Get the sequencing wrong and you hand the buyer an extended right to walk, which can cost you the sale rather than just a fee.
Regional SA rates push toward 3.0%
Outside Adelaide, agent supply thins and rates climb toward 3.0%. On a $450,000 regional median that is about $13,500, which on a modest sale price is a large share of the equity you were counting on.
Do SA sellers pay stamp duty? No.
Stamp duty on a property transfer is a buyer cost in South Australia, not a seller cost. The only tax that can land on a SA seller is capital gains tax, and that applies solely to investment properties, never to your main residence. Licensing and agent conduct in SA is governed by the Land and Business (Sale and Conveyancing) Act 1994 (SA).
SA WORKED EXAMPLE
A $1,006,099 SA sale, two ways
WITH A TRADITIONAL AGENT
$33,821
Commission of $28,171 at 2.8%, plus marketing, conveyancer fees, Form 1 (Vendor Statement) searches and mortgage discharge. Commission alone is about 83% of it.
WITH UNRESERVED
$2,800
A flat $900 replaces the commission and the marketing spend. You still pay your conveyancer, the Form 1 (Vendor Statement) searches and mortgage discharge, because those are not agent fees.
DIFFERENCE
$31,021
Same house, same portals, same buyers. This is the part of your equity that stays with you rather than funding a percentage.
Based on the Adelaide median house value of $1,006,099 (the capital-city median, used as the SA figure) at the state average commission of 2.8%, with mid-range marketing, conveyancer and search costs. Your actual figures depend on your sale price and the rate you would otherwise have negotiated.
ANCHOR THE NUMBER
Every figure here starts with your sale price
A cost estimate is only as good as the price you put into it. Get a free AI valuation backed by comparable sales within 2km of your SA home. Sixty seconds, no sign-up.
FAQ · COST OF SELLING IN SA
Cost of selling a house in South Australia: common questions
How much does it cost to sell a house in SA?
On Adelaide’s ~$1,006,000 median house, expect about $28,200 in commission at the state average of 2.8%, $2,000 to $5,500 in vendor-paid marketing, $900 to $1,700 for a conveyancer, $200 to $450 for Form 1 searches and $200 to $350 for mortgage discharge. Total: roughly $31,500 to $36,200, with commission about 83% of it.
What does a Form 1 cost in South Australia?
The searches behind a Form 1 vendor’s statement typically cost $200 to $450 (title, council and water, plus strata or community records where they apply). Your conveyancer’s fee to prepare and serve it usually sits inside their $900 to $1,700 seller fee. The Form 1 must be served on the buyer, and the cooling-off period does not start until it is.
What are agent fees for selling a house in SA?
South Australian agents average about 2.8% of the sale price, and regional SA runs closer to 3.0%. Commission is unregulated and negotiable. Vendor-paid marketing adds a further $2,000 to $5,500.
Do I pay stamp duty when selling a house in SA?
No. Stamp duty on a property transfer is paid by the buyer in South Australia. Sellers pay commission, marketing, conveyancing, the Form 1 searches and mortgage discharge. CGT applies only to investment properties.
How can I reduce the cost of selling my house in SA?
Commission is more than four-fifths of what an SA sale costs, so it is the only line worth attacking. Unreserved lists your SA home on realestate.com.au and Domain and runs the campaign for a flat $900 (your conveyancer prepares and serves the Form 1), which on the Adelaide median keeps roughly $27,300 that would otherwise be commission.
83% of your selling costs are optional.
Same portals. Same buyers. None of the 2.8% commission. List your South Australia home with Unreserved for a flat $900.
Selling in South Australia
Costs, savings and the steps to sell it yourself.
Selling costs in another state?
Fees, forms and rules change at every border.
Ready to sell your home yourself? Sell it yourself from $900, or have our licensed team run the whole campaign for $6,900. No commission, no lock-in.