The True Cost of Selling a House in Victoria: A Line-by-Line Breakdown

At Barry Plant, we believe in complete transparency. To help you plan your next move with total confidence, we have broken down the typical expenses you will encounter when selling a house in Victoria.

1. Preparing Your Home for Market

First impressions matter, and presenting your home in its best light is key to optimising your sale price. The initial costs usually centre around minor repairs and styling.

Maintenance and Repairs: Budgeting between $500 and $2,000 for touch-up painting, garden mulching, and minor fixes can make a substantial difference.

Professional Property Staging: While optional, professional staging ranges from $2,000 to $6,000 depending on the size of the home. Staging helps prospective buyers visualise the lifestyle your property offers.

2. Marketing and Advertising Fees

To find the right buyer, your home needs to be seen. A comprehensive marketing campaign ensures your property reaches active buyers across digital and physical touchpoints.

Standard Campaigns: In Victoria, a standard marketing campaign generally ranges from $2,000 to $10,000. This typically covers professional photography, floor plans, high-impact signboards, print brochures, and premium listings on major real estate portals like realestate.com.au.

Premium and Luxury Properties: For premium or luxury homes, marketing investments can range between $10,000 and $25,000+. These campaigns require a more bespoke strategy, which may include high-end lifestyle videography, architectural drones, targeted international digital campaigns, and custom prestige print publications to capture the right demographic for a unique property.

What it Covers: This fee typically includes professional photography, floor plans, signboards, print brochures, and premium listings on major real estate portals like realestate.com.au.

3. Professional Property Staging

For homes that require a visual lift, professional property staging typically ranges from $2,000 to $6,000 in Victoria for a standard 4- to 6-week campaign. While this is an upfront outlay, it is often one of the most powerful investments you can make. By replacing lived-in or mismatched furniture with curated, contemporary pieces, staging transforms spaces to look larger, brighter, and highly aspirational in online photography. This direct emotional appeal draws more active buyers through your front door, broadens your market reach, and can ultimately add significant value to your final selling price.

Staging isn't a one-size-fits-all requirement, which is why your Barry Plant agent will always provide an honest, professional assessment of whether it is truly necessary for your home. An empty property almost always benefits from full staging, while a beautifully presented home might only need minor decluttering or partial styling to highlight its best features. We look closely at your local suburb demographics and the target buyer profile to ensure every dollar you invest is geared entirely toward achieving the highest possible return.

4. Agent Commission

The commission covers the expert negotiation, local market strategy, and project management your agent provides throughout your campaign.

In Victoria, these fees are fully negotiable between you and your chosen agent, allowing you to find an arrangement that aligns with your goals.

• Fixed Percentage Structure: This is the most common approach, where you agree on a set, flat percentage of the final sale price upfront (for example, 2%). Whether your home sells for $800,000 or $850,000, the percentage rate stays exactly the same. This structure offers excellent clarity and straightforward budgeting.
  
• Sliding Scale Structure (Performance-Tiered): A sliding scale aligns your agent’s commission directly with performance. For example, you might agree to a standard percentage up to a set reserve price, and a higher percentage for every dollar achieved above that reserve. This structure ensures your agent is highly incentivised to extract every last dollar from the market.

The Victorian Average: While commission structures are flexible and tailored to individual properties, commissions in Victoria generally range between 1.5% and 3% of the final sale price. This fee is only payable upon a successful sale, ensuring your agent’s goals are completely aligned with your own.

5. Legal and Conveyancing Fees

Ensuring a smooth, legally binding property transfer is vital for your peace of mind. You will need a qualified conveyancer or solicitor to handle the paperwork.

Section 32 and Contract Prep: Preparing the Vendor’s Statement (Section 32) and Contract of Sale usually costs between $1,000 and $2,000.

Statutory Certificates: A small portion of this fee covers pulling the necessary council, water, and land title certificates required by Victorian law.

6. Settlement and Bank Fees

If you currently hold a mortgage on the property you are selling, your financial institution will charge fees to process the closure of the loan.

Mortgage Discharge Fee: Banks typically charge between $150 and $500 to release the property title.

Government Registration: A government fee is also required to register the discharge of the mortgage, which is usually just under $200 in Victoria.

Calculate Your Exact Selling Costs

Every property journey is unique. To get a personalised estimate tailored to your specific suburb and expected sale price, use our free, easy-to-use Barry Plant Selling Costs Calculator.

The Value of an Experienced Partner

Since 1979, the Barry Plant team has guided thousands of Victorians through their property transitions. We know that real estate is about people, not just transactions, which is why we approach every campaign with a focus on excellence, clarity, and genuine care.

If you are curious about what your property is worth in today's market, or if you want to map out your specific moving budget, your local Barry Plant expert is always here to provide reliable advice.

Find out more about selling with Barry Plant on our Seller Information page.

Want to learn more about selling from one of our local agents, or get a free price evaluation on your property? Fill out our Appraisal Request Form, and one of our team members will get back to you within the next business day.

Please note: The figures and price ranges outlined in this article are current as of mid-2026 and are intended as a general guide only. Real estate marketing fees, agent commissions, and legal costs can vary significantly based on your property’s specific location, council municipality, market conditions, and the unique strategy required for your home. For a precise, obligation-free breakdown tailored to your property, we recommend speaking directly with your local Barry Plant expert.