Property Selling Cost Calculator: What You Keep After the Sale

Enter your sale price and every cost of selling, and this free property selling cost calculator adds them up. In our worked example, a $750,000 sale carries about $23,854 in costs, or 3.2 per cent of the price. Below the tool, we cover the cost most calculators leave out, which is getting out of your loan, plus the South Australian fees and tax points that decide how much you carry to your next home.

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Calculator results are estimates only. Your loan payout, any fixed rate break cost and your tax position depend on your own loan and circumstances. A personalised review can confirm what you would walk away with and what a lender would lend on your next purchase.
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What this property selling cost calculator adds up

This tool is the Property Selling Cost Calculator from VisionAbacus. You enter the sale price, then the costs you expect, and it totals them. The inputs fall into four groups. It has no field for your loan balance, so what you actually receive is a second calculation, set out further down this page.

Agent and marketing

Commission, entered as a percentage or a dollar amount, plus advertising and any auction costs. In South Australia the fees and terms in a sales agency agreement can be negotiated, and the agreement must state the commission and the services charged separately. These are the lines that move with your campaign.

Legal and settlement

Solicitor or conveyancer fees and settlement costs. The tool has a GST included option, so enter each quote the way it is written, and do not add GST to a figure that already includes it.

Getting out of your loan

The government mortgage discharge fee, plus the lender’s own prepayment, settlement and early exit fees. In South Australia the Land Services SA fee for a standard discharge of mortgage is $204 for 2026-27. Your lender’s charges are separate, and a fixed rate loan can carry a break cost that this group does not capture.

Moving and other costs

Removalist and anything else you expect to pay out of the sale, such as repairs to get the home ready, staging or storage. Add what you have been quoted, and leave out what you have not.
Once you have the total, work out what you can borrow next with our borrowing power calculator and see the repayments with the loan repayment calculator. This page is about the gap between the sale price and the money in your hand.

From sale price to money in your hand

Cash left after settlement is the sale price, less the cost of selling, less what you owe the lender. Most selling cost calculators stop after the second term. The third is often the biggest number and comes from your lender, not from a fee schedule.

Ask your lender for a payout figure for your expected settlement date. It is the balance owing at that date, plus any break cost on a fixed rate and the lender’s own fees.

That figure, not the sale price, is what you carry to your next purchase as a deposit.
Cash left after settlement

= sale price − selling costs − loan payout

Selling costs are the total from the calculator. Loan payout is the balance owing at settlement, plus any fixed rate break cost and your lender’s discharge fees, as quoted by your lender.
Two things to notice. First, the tool totals the costs, so the loan balance has to be subtracted separately. Second, timing matters. For tax, the sale date is the date you sign the contract, not settlement day, and your costs and your payout both land at settlement.

What each half a point of commission is worth

Commission is the line that scales with your price, and in South Australia it is negotiable. These cards are plain arithmetic, the commission at five rates on five sale prices. They are not a statement of what agents charge. Enter your own price and quote in the calculator above.

$500,000 sale price

1.0 per cent  $5,000
1.5 per cent  $7,500
2.0 per cent  $10,000
2.5 per cent  $12,500
3.0 per cent  $15,000

$650,000 sale price

1.0 per cent  $6,500
1.5 per cent  $9,750
2.0 per cent  $13,000
2.5 per cent  $16,250
3.0 per cent  $19,500

$800,000 sale price

1.0 per cent  $8,000
1.5 per cent  $12,000
2.0 per cent  $16,000
2.5 per cent  $20,000
3.0 per cent  $24,000

$1,000,000 sale price

1.0 per cent  $10,000
1.5 per cent  $15,000
2.0 per cent  $20,000
2.5 per cent  $25,000
3.0 per cent  $30,000

$1,200,000 sale price

1.0 per cent  $12,000
1.5 per cent  $18,000
2.0 per cent  $24,000
2.5 per cent  $30,000
3.0 per cent  $36,000
Read down the $800,000 card. The difference between 1.5 and 2.5 per cent is $8,000. On a $1,200,000 sale each half a point is $6,000. A commission can also be set as a dollar amount, or a mix of both, and can be tied to results, such as a lower rate if the price falls short of the estimate. Ask for the agreement in writing before you sign.

Worked example: a $750,000 sale, with and without a fixed rate

These figures are illustrative. Apart from the $204 government fee, every amount is an assumption chosen for the example. It is not tax advice or a quote.

Sale price $750,000

Costs of selling
Agent commission, assumed 2.0 per cent $15,000
Advertising and marketing, assumed $4,000
Conveyancer or solicitor, assumed $1,800
Mortgage discharge registration, Land Services SA 2026-27 $204
Lender discharge and settlement fees, assumed $350
Removalist, assumed $2,000
Other costs, assumed $500
Total costs $23,854 (3.2 per cent of the price)

Variable rate loan. Balance $420,000, no break cost.
Cash left $306,146

Fixed rate loan. The same balance, 2 years left on the fixed term, and a gap of 1 percentage point between the fixed rate and the lender’s current rate. As a simplified illustration, 1 per cent of $420,000 for 2 years is $8,400.
Cash left $297,746
The break cost in the second case is the same size as the commission gap on an $800,000 sale. Lenders calculate break costs their own way, and the real figure can be higher, lower or nil, so the number above shows the mechanism and is not a forecast. The point is that it is a cost the selling cost calculator cannot see, and it is worth knowing before you list, not after you sign.

What the calculator does not show you

A total of selling costs answers one question. These four gaps decide what you actually keep.

A fixed rate can cost you to leave

Moneysmart lists selling the property as one of the events that can trigger a break fee on a fixed rate home loan. The fee tends to grow as market rates fall below your locked rate, and if you sell after the fixed term ends there is no break fee. ASIC says early termination fees on residential loans have been prohibited since 1 July 2011, but break fees and discharge fees are carved out.

Your payout is not your balance

The balance on your last statement is not the figure that settles the loan. Ask for a payout figure for your settlement date, in writing. In South Australia the discharge is also registered at Land Services SA, where the standard fee is $204 for 2026-27 and is exempt from GST.

Tax can depend on the contract date

The ATO treats your home as exempt from capital gains tax if it meets the main residence conditions, including that it was not used to produce income and the land is two hectares or less. For a sale, the tax date is the date you sign the contract, not settlement. A former home can keep its exemption for up to six years while rented. Confirm your own position with a registered tax agent.

The money left becomes your next deposit

What you keep after the payout is what you can put towards the next purchase, and a lender will assess your new loan on its own policy. If you want to buy before you sell, Moneysmart describes bridging finance as short-term finance that covers the gap, and each lender decides whether and how to offer it. Compare the options before you list.

Before you list your property

Selling cost calculators answer what it costs to sell. A mortgage broker answers what the sale leaves you able to do next, and whether a different structure would cost less to exit. They are separate questions, and the gap between them is where the next purchase is won or lost.
Which page for which question
How much could I borrow next? Borrowing power calculator.
What would the repayments be? Loan repayment calculator.
Would a different loan cost less to leave? Refinance my loan.
Buying your next home? Buy a home.
Based in Adelaide? Home loans in Adelaide.
Sources
Land Services SA: Document lodgement fees 2026-27.
Consumer and Business Services SA: Sales agency agreements. SA Government: Hiring a professional for house and land sales; What is on the vendor’s statement. Law Handbook (SA): Vendor’s statement, Form 1.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission: RG 220, Early termination fees for residential loans.
Moneysmart: Break fee; Switching home loans; Fixed vs variable interest rates; Bridging finance.
Australian Taxation Office: Eligibility for main residence exemption; Capital gains tax on the sale of property; Treating a former home as your main residence.
Checked 14 October 2026.

Important information about this page
This page is general information only and does not take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. It is not tax advice, legal advice, credit assistance or a quote. Results are estimates based on the inputs you enter. Fees, tax rules and lender policy change, and a lender sets its own break costs and payout figures. Every dollar figure in the worked example other than the Land Services SA fee is an assumption, and the commission figures are our own arithmetic. Confirm your position with your lender, a conveyancer or solicitor, and a registered tax agent.
STILL GOT QUESTIONS?

Property selling cost questions, answered

How much does it cost to sell a house in South Australia?

It depends on your price, your agent and your loan, so no single figure is reliable. The costs fall into four groups: agent commission and marketing, legal and settlement, getting out of your loan, and moving. In our worked example a $750,000 sale carries about $23,854 in costs, but every amount except the $204 government discharge fee is an assumption. Add your own quotes to the calculator.

Yes. SA Government guidance says the fees and terms in a sales agency agreement can be negotiated, in writing. Commission can be a percentage of the price, a set fee or a combination, and can be tied to results. The agreement must set out the commission and when it is payable. Ask whether a sole agency commission is still payable if you sell the property yourself.

Land Services SA charges $204 for a standard discharge of mortgage in 2026-27, and the fee is exempt from GST. Your lender may add its own discharge or settlement fee. ASIC treats standard discharge fees as separate from the early termination fees that are prohibited on residential loans.

A break cost applies when you leave a fixed rate loan before the fixed term ends, including by selling the property. Moneysmart says the fee tends to be higher the more rates have fallen since you fixed. It depends on your rate, the time left and the amount owing, so only your lender can quote it. A variable rate loan does not carry a break fee.

Yes, but you may pay a break fee. Moneysmart lists selling the property as one of the events that can trigger it. If you sell after the fixed term ends, there is no break fee and the loan usually moves to the lender’s variable rate. Ask your lender for a break cost quote before you sign a sales agency agreement.

Often not. The ATO says your home is exempt if you are an Australian resident, the dwelling was your main residence for the whole ownership period, it was not used to produce income and the land is two hectares or less. If you do not meet every condition you may get a partial exemption. Check your own position with a registered tax agent.

The contract date. The ATO says the date of the CGT event for selling property is the date you enter the contract, not the settlement date. A contract signed in late June and settled in August belongs in the earlier income year. Finance conditions in the contract generally do not change that date.

It is the legal disclosure document a seller must give the buyer under the Land and Business (Sale and Conveyancing) Act 1994. It covers things like mortgages, caveats, easements and zoning. Your agent usually prepares it. If it is defective, the buyer’s cooling off period can be extended, so accuracy matters.

Your lender is paid out of the sale proceeds at settlement, the mortgage is discharged and the discharge is registered at Land Services SA. What is left after your payout and selling costs is yours. Ask your lender for a payout figure for your settlement date rather than relying on your latest statement balance.

Sometimes. Moneysmart describes bridging finance as short-term finance that covers the period between buying a new property and selling your existing one. Whether you can use it, and on what terms, is each lender’s decision. A broker can compare lenders for you before you list, so you know your position before you commit to a purchase.