No Commission · 7 min read · 6 October 2026
How Much Do You Actually Save Selling Without an Agent?
Quick answer
On a $900,000 Brisbane sale, an agent at 2.5% plus GST costs about $24,750 in commission plus $2,000 to $5,000 in advertising. Selling privately with a $2,000 campaign and $1,500 of conveyancing costs about $3,500 all in. The gross saving is roughly $23,000 to $26,000, but it is only a saving if you achieve a comparable price, which is where the risk sits.
Key takeaways
- On a typical Brisbane sale the gross saving is $20,000 to $35,000.
- Conveyancing, photography and advertising do not go away. Only commission does.
- A 3% pricing error wipes out the entire saving on a $900,000 property.
- The saving is real for organised owners with easily comparable property.
- Value your own time honestly, a private campaign is 20 to 40 hours of work.
Every service in this market leads with a savings figure, and most of them quote the gross commission as though the alternative were free. It is not.
Here is the comparison with both columns filled in, using a $900,000 Brisbane sale because it sits near the middle of the inner-city market.
The agent column
Commission at 2.5% plus GST on $900,000 is $24,750. Some Brisbane agencies charge less on higher-value property and more on lower price bands, so treat 2% to 3.5% as the realistic range.
Advertising is almost always billed separately and is payable whether or not the property sells. A standard inner-Brisbane campaign runs $1,500 to $4,000; a premium one with featured portal placement and video can exceed $8,000.
- · Commission (2.5% + GST): $24,750
- · Advertising: $2,000 to $5,000
- · Conveyancing: $900 to $2,000
- · Total: roughly $27,650 to $31,750
The private column
No commission. A campaign fee, ours starts at $2,000 and includes photography, floor plan, copy, signboard and the paid media. Then the same conveyancing everybody pays.
That is the whole cost. There is no percentage anywhere in it, so it does not change if the property sells for $850,000 or $1,000,000.
- · Commission: $0
- · Campaign fee: from $2,000
- · Conveyancing: $900 to $2,000
- · Total: roughly $2,900 to $4,000
The gross saving, and why it is not the real number
The difference is roughly $24,000 to $28,000 on this example. That is a genuine number and it is why people sell privately.
It is a gross saving, though, not a net one. The net saving is the gross saving minus any difference in the sale price achieved, minus the value of your own time. Both of those can be zero. Both of them can also be very large.
The price risk
A 3% pricing error on $900,000 is $27,000, the entire commission. Sell for $873,000 when the property was worth $900,000 and you have saved nothing at all.
This cuts both ways. An overpriced private listing that sits for four months and then sells under pressure loses more than the commission. A correctly priced one with professional photography and real advertising reach generally does not.
The variable is not whether you are a good negotiator. It is whether your price is defensible from evidence, which is a research task rather than a talent.
Your time is a real cost
A private campaign is realistically 20 to 40 hours across six weeks: preparation, enquiry response, inspections, follow-up, negotiation, and coordinating with your conveyancer.
That is not an argument against it, $24,000 for 30 hours is exceptional compensation by any measure. But it needs to be time you actually have, in the windows buyers want, which for inspections means weekends.
When the saving is most reliable
Standard, comparable property in a suburb with plenty of recent sales evidence. An apartment in a building where four similar apartments sold this year is close to self-pricing.
The saving is least reliable on unusual property with a small buyer pool, where the price is genuinely uncertain and an agent who knows exactly who to call is worth real money.
Get your property in front of Brisbane buyers.
A fixed-fee campaign from $2,000 across Google, Instagram and Facebook, with every enquiry routed straight to you. No commission at any sale price.
Reviewed by SNJ Properties. Written by the SNJ Properties Editorial Team. Last updated 6 October 2026.
This content is general in nature. Property markets, legislation, fees and rental conditions can change. Owners and investors should seek independent legal, financial, tax or real estate advice before making decisions.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Related questions from Brisbane property owners.
- There is no reliable evidence that a correctly priced, well-marketed private sale achieves less. What is clear is that private sales are less forgiving of pricing errors, because there is no agent to talk a buyer up or steer the seller off an unrealistic number.
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