Most sellers ask what the commission is. It is the wrong first question, and this article explains why.

Here is what selling actually costs in Queensland in 2026, using real figures from our own market, and where the money genuinely goes.

Agent commission

Queensland deregulated real estate commission in 2014, so there is no set rate. Anyone quoting you "the standard commission" is describing their own pricing, not a rule. In practice, most agencies across the Southern Downs and Granite Belt land somewhere between 2.5% and 3.5% including GST, and rural or specialist campaigns often sit higher because the work involved is greater.

On a Stanthorpe house at the current median of $598,005, that is roughly $15,000 to $21,000. On a Warwick house at $595,000, much the same.

Some agencies quote a tiered structure: a base rate up to the expected price, then a higher rate on anything above it. Done honestly, that aligns the agent with your result. Ask how the tier is set, because a bonus rate that only kicks in above an unrealistic number is decorative.

Marketing

This is where the range is widest and where the least scrutiny usually gets applied. A basic package with portal listings, a signboard and agent photos might run $1,500 to $2,500. A full campaign with professional photography, video, drone, floor plans and paid social can run $4,000 to $8,000 or more.

The important question is not the amount, it is who pays and when. Vendor-paid marketing means you carry the cost whether the property sells or not. Some agencies absorb it into the commission instead. Neither is wrong, but you should know which arrangement you are in before you sign, not after.

Legal and government costs

  • Conveyancing or solicitor: typically $800 to $1,800 for a straightforward residential sale, more for rural land with water rights, easements or multiple titles.
  • Mortgage discharge: usually $200 to $500 if you have a loan on the property.
  • Title searches and disbursements: a few hundred dollars, generally handled by your conveyancer.

There is no capital gains tax on your principal place of residence. Investment properties are a different conversation and one worth having with your accountant well before you list, not after the contract is signed.

The cost nobody counts

Add the above and a typical Southern Downs sale costs somewhere between $18,000 and $30,000 all in. Sellers spend a great deal of energy negotiating that number down by a few thousand.

Meanwhile, of the 261 properties currently on the market across our region, 40 have already reduced their asking price. The median reduction among them is 6.2%.

On a $600,000 property, 6.2% is roughly $37,000. That is more than the entire cost of selling, commission and marketing and legals combined, given away in a single adjustment because the campaign did not reach the right buyers the first time.

That is the real cost of selling badly, and it never appears on a fee schedule.

Why the gap exists

Time on market across our region currently averages 60 days, but the range runs from a few days to 269. That spread is not explained by the market, because every one of those properties is selling into the same market. It is explained by pricing and by reach.

In a region like ours, a large share of buyers are not local. They are in Brisbane, on the coast, or interstate, looking for acreage, a lifestyle change or somewhere their money goes further. A campaign that only reaches people already reading the local listings is missing the buyers most likely to pay the most.

That is why the marketing question matters more than the commission question. Marketing that reaches an extra pool of buyers pays for itself many times over. Marketing that is simply cheaper does not.

What to ask before you sign

  • What is your commission, including GST, and does it change at any price point?
  • What exactly is in the marketing package, and do I pay for it if the property does not sell?
  • What are the comparable sales behind your price estimate? Ask to see them.
  • How will you reach buyers outside the district?
  • What is your average time on market, and how many of your listings did not sell?

That last one is worth asking of anyone. It is a matter of record, and a straight answer tells you a great deal.

If you want to work through your own numbers, our cost of selling calculator covers the fees, and a free appraisal will give you a realistic price to run them against.