Conveyancing Fees for Sellers: What You Pay State by State (2026)

Conveyancing is a necessary legal cost on every residential sale in Australia. Seller conveyancing costs typically run between $500 and $1,500 for the professional fee, plus $300 to $800 in disbursements, depending on the state and property complexity.

This guide covers what conveyancing involves on the sell side, how much to budget by state, who can do the work and what the fine print on low headline quotes actually means.

What Seller Conveyancing Actually Involves

Seller-side conveyancing is more front-loaded than many vendors expect. In most states, the contract of sale is prepared before the property is listed. That means the clock starts running (and so does your legal cost) before you've attracted a buyer.

The core tasks a seller's conveyancer or solicitor handles are:

• Preparing the contract of sale (including vendor disclosure documents, required under state legislation in every jurisdiction)
• Reviewing and negotiating any special conditions raised by the buyer's legal representative
• Liaising with the vendor's lender to obtain a mortgage discharge authority
• Preparing transfer documents
• Conducting standard searches to satisfy disclosure obligations and confirm title
• Attending (or connecting electronically to) settlement
• Making settlement adjustments for rates, water and body corporate levies

For detail on what each state requires you to disclose before the contract is signed, see vendor disclosure obligations across Australian states.

The Two-Part Cost Structure

Most providers quote seller conveyancing as two separate components.

Professional fee: The fee for the conveyancer's or solicitor's time and expertise. For a straightforward residential sale, this runs roughly $500 to $1,500 (Which Real Estate Agent, OurTop10). Complex sales (off-the-plan, strata with defect issues, properties with caveats or adverse title conditions) attract higher fees.

Disbursements: Third-party costs the conveyancer pays on your behalf and passes through. These cover things like title search fees, council and water authority searches, and any additional certificates required in your state. Expect $300 to $800 depending on the state (Which Real Estate Agent).

The critical point: many advertised "from $X" headline quotes refer to the professional fee only, not the all-in cost including disbursements. Always ask for a quote that specifies both.

State-by-State Guide

The table below draws on two sources that measure slightly differently: Which Real Estate Agent (professional fee + disbursements separately) and OurTop10 (all-in ranges including GST, 2026). The all-in figures are provided as a practical guide; the professional-fee framing is the more transparent way to compare quotes.

State/Territory	Disbursements (WREA estimate)	All-in range incl. GST (OurTop10, 2026)
NSW	$300 to $500	$1,000 to $3,000 metro; $800 to $2,200 regional
VIC	Not published	$600 to $1,400
QLD	$200 to $450	$500 to $1,300
SA	$250 to $500	$700 to $1,600
WA	$300 to $600	$700 to $1,600
TAS	Not published	$700 to $1,600
ACT	Not published	$700 to $1,600

The professional fee component across all states sits roughly $500 to $1,500 for a standard residential sale (Which Real Estate Agent, OurTop10). Add the relevant disbursement range to reach a working total estimate for your state.

A note on the NSW range: NSW metro transactions tend to carry higher legal fees due to greater contract complexity, more parties, and larger loan facilities with multiple lenders. Regional NSW transactions are generally simpler and sit at the lower end.

Conveyancer or Solicitor: What's the Difference?

A licensed conveyancer specialises in property transactions. A solicitor (property lawyer) has a broader legal qualification and can also handle anything beyond the standard conveyancing transaction: disputes, tax structuring, estate issues or complex vendor terms.

For a standard residential sale in most states, a licensed conveyancer is fully qualified to do the work, usually at a lower fee. If your sale involves unusual legal complexity, a solicitor may be the appropriate choice.

The QLD and ACT Solicitor-Only Rule

Two jurisdictions are different. In Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, only solicitors can legally perform conveyancing. There is no licensed conveyancer profession in those states. This is a structural feature of those legal markets and generally means conveyancing costs there sit toward the middle of the range rather than the lower end.

NSW: Conveyancers Are Regulated and Fully Qualified

In New South Wales, licensed conveyancers are regulated by NSW Fair Trading and are separately qualified to practise. Either a licensed conveyancer or a solicitor may act for you. The choice largely comes down to fee and the specific complexity of your transaction.

DIY Conveyancing

DIY conveyancing is technically legal in some states. NSW Government pages note this is possible but rarely sensible. The contract of sale carries statutory disclosure obligations; errors can create rescission risk or expose you to claims from a buyer after settlement. For a straightforward sale this is a low-probability risk; for most vendors the professional fee is a manageable cost relative to the protection it provides.

What Is (and Isn't) Included

A standard conveyancing engagement for a seller typically includes:

• Contract drafting and review
• Standard statutory searches (title, local authority, water, body corporate where applicable)
• Transfer of land documentation
• Liaison with your bank for mortgage discharge
• Coordination of settlement
• Settlement adjustments (rates, water and similar)

What may be extra:

• Mortgage discharge fee: Your lender will charge a fee to discharge the mortgage at settlement. This is a lender-side fee, not a conveyancing fee, and varies by lender. It is worth confirming the discharge fee with your bank when you are estimating total costs to sell.
• Additional searches: Some properties require extra certificates (heritage overlays, contamination registers, flood data) that attract additional disbursement costs.
• Supplementary legal work: If the buyer raises legal queries that require detailed correspondence, or if the transaction becomes disputed, additional time charges may apply.

The Low-Headline-Quote Caveat

Conveyancing is a price-sensitive service and online comparison advertising tends to emphasise the lowest entry-level number. A "$399 conveyancing" headline is almost always a professional fee quote that excludes disbursements, excludes GST or excludes both.

Before engaging a conveyancer or solicitor, ask for:

1. A full written quote covering the professional fee and estimated disbursements
2. Confirmation of whether GST is included
3. A clear statement of what is excluded and how additional charges are billed

Getting this upfront prevents surprises on a settlement statement that arrives after the sale is already locked in.

When to Engage Your Conveyancer

In most Australian states, the answer is: before you list. The contract of sale is a pre-listing document. If your agent lists the property without a signed contract ready, you may lose early offers from buyers who are ready to proceed.

The sequence varies slightly by state:

• NSW and ACT: The vendor must provide a complete contract of sale, including all required disclosure documents, before the property can be offered for sale.
• VIC: The vendor statement (Section 32) must be ready before a buyer can sign a contract.
• QLD: A contract can be signed before all searches are in, but the solicitor needs to be engaged early to manage the disclosure timeline.
• WA, SA, TAS: Contracts are generally prepared before or at the point of sale, with the exact sequence varying by practice.

In all cases, engaging your conveyancer early, before the property hits the market, avoids delays at a critical moment.

e-Conveyancing and PEXA

Most settlements in Australia now settle electronically through PEXA, the national e-conveyancing platform. Electronic settlement is now mandated in most states for standard residential transactions. Your conveyancer or solicitor will handle this as part of the standard service.

PEXA itself is not a separate cost you arrange directly. It is the settlement infrastructure your legal representative connects to on your behalf.

Where AgentBridge Fits

The total cost to sell a property includes agent fees, marketing costs and conveyancing. Understanding how each component is priced allows you to make a like-for-like comparison between sale channels.

AgentBridge distributes your brief simultaneously to a national network of 80+ buyers agents rather than listing with a single agent. The distribution fee is transparent and typically 30 to 40% below a traditional agent commission. Combined with a competitive conveyancing fee, the total cost to sell through AgentBridge can be materially lower than a traditional single-agent sale.

Use the cost-of-selling calculator to model total costs including conveyancing, agent fees and any marketing component. For a full breakdown of how distribution compares to a standard agent listing, read how property distribution works for sellers and developers or contact the team at /contact.

See also: agent fees and commission in Australia and marketing costs when selling a house.

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General information only, not financial, legal or taxation advice. Confirm current figures with the relevant provider and get your own professional advice before acting.