Buying costs
What do you pay to buy?
Conveyancing, building and pest inspections, strata report where relevant, loan application and valuation fees, registration fees, and LMI where applicable.
CALCULATOR
What does moving actually cost?
The deposit and stamp duty are the visible costs. These are the ones that catch people out.
RUN THE NUMBERS
Add up what buying and selling really cost
Duty and the registration fees come from the Revenue NSW scale. The rest are market prices — the starting figures are there to be replaced with your own quotes.
Buying
The part of the price you are contributing, before costs.
A starting figure — replace it with your own quote.
Application, settlement and valuation fees.
Usually applies above 80 per cent of the property value. Premiums differ by lender and insurer, so enter the figure you have been quoted.
Applies the NSW first home buyer duty concession and, on a new home within the cap, the grant.
Selling
Commission is negotiable and varies by agent and area. Use the figure in your agency agreement.
A lender discharge fee, plus any break cost if the loan is fixed.
Cash needed to buy
$268,352
including your deposit of $220,000
The loan required would be $880,000, which is 80.0% of the price.
- Transfer duty
- $43,687.00
- Registration fees
- $365.46
- Conveyancing, inspections, lender fees and moving
- $4,300
- Cash needed at settlement
- $268,352
- Agent commission (2.20%)
- $20,900
- Marketing, conveyancing and discharge
- $6,183
- Loan payout
- $480,000
- Net proceeds
- $442,917
- From the sale
- $442,917
- Needed to buy
- $268,352
- Left over
- $174,565
- New loan required
- $880,000
What this calculation assumes
- Duty and registration fees are calculated on the NSW scale for the financial year shown below. Every other cost on this page is a market price, not a government one — the starting figures are placeholders, not quotes, and yours will differ.
- Lenders mortgage insurance is entered by you rather than estimated. Premiums are set by the insurer and vary with the loan size, the loan-to-value ratio, the property and your circumstances.
- Agent commission is applied to the sale price at the percentage you enter. Check your agency agreement for whether it is charged on the whole price or only above a threshold, and whether GST is included.
- Capital gains tax on an investment sale is not calculated. Neither is land tax, council rate adjustment, or the strata levies adjusted at settlement.
- Buying and selling on the same day rarely happens cleanly. If the numbers here show a shortfall between the two, bridging finance or a longer settlement is the conversation to have.
Rates and thresholds: 2026-27 financial year, from Revenue NSW. Checked 27 August 2026. Verify against the source before you rely on them.
WHAT IT TELLS YOU
Transaction costs sit on both sides of a move
Buying brings conveyancing, inspections, loan fees, registration fees and, where equity is thin, lenders mortgage insurance. Selling brings agent commission, marketing, styling and legal costs.
If you are doing both, you pay both sets, and they land close together. Households that budget only for the deposit and duty frequently find themselves short at exactly the wrong moment.
None of these are unpredictable. They are simply rarely added up in advance.
WHAT MOVES THE NUMBER
The three buckets
Selling costs
What do you pay to sell?
Agent commission, marketing and advertising, styling or presentation, conveyancing, and any repairs done to bring the property to market.
Moving and settling in
What comes after?
Removalists, connections, cleaning, overlapping rent or mortgage payments, and the furniture and repairs that always follow a move.
READING THE RESULT
An estimate is a starting point, not an answer
What the calculation covers
- An itemised estimate of transaction costs — based on the price and options you enter.
- Both sides of a move — where you are selling and buying together.
- A total cash requirement — so the deposit is not mistaken for the whole amount.
What a lender does differently
- Agent commission is negotiable — and varies by agency and location.
- Conveyancing quotes vary widely — get two or three before committing.
- Inspection costs depend on the property — strata, rural and older properties differ.
- Overlaps are situation-specific — bridging or double rent depends on your timing.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions about this calculation
How much should I budget beyond the deposit?
It varies with the price and your circumstances, but transaction costs are commonly a meaningful percentage of the purchase price once duty, legals, inspections and lender fees are counted.
We can itemise the likely figure for your specific purchase so you are not working from a rule of thumb.
Is agent commission negotiable when selling?
Generally yes. Commission structures vary between agencies and locations, and both the percentage and the marketing budget are commonly negotiated.
It is worth getting more than one appraisal, and comparing what each includes rather than the headline percentage alone.
Do I need a building and pest inspection?
For a freestanding house it is strongly advisable. The cost is small against the price of the property and against what an undetected structural or pest problem can cost.
For strata, a strata report serves a similar purpose and can reveal levies, disputes and planned works.
What if I am buying and selling at the same time?
You pay both sets of costs, and you need to manage the timing gap. That may mean bridging finance, a simultaneous settlement, or a period of renting in between.
It is worth planning the sequence before either transaction is committed to.
OTHER CALCULATORS
Other numbers worth running
GET IN TOUCH
Want the estimate checked against real lender policy?
Would rather talk it through?
(02) 9659 1694Important information
This page explains a calculation. Any figures you produce from it are estimates based on the assumptions described, not a quote, an offer of credit, or an indication that finance will be approved.
The information on this page is general in nature. It has been prepared without taking your objectives, financial situation or needs into account, so it is not personal advice and you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.
Any rates, figures or examples shown are indicative only. Lending is subject to approval, and lender eligibility criteria, terms, conditions, fees and charges apply. Talk to us about what your own circumstances allow.