Most people focus on the sale price when they sell a home, but the number that really matters is what you keep after the costs come out. Selling a house in New Zealand involves several costs, and together they take a meaningful slice of the price, so it pays to understand them before you start rather than be surprised at settlement. The biggest by far is usually the agent's commission, followed by marketing, sometimes staging, and your legal fees. This guide breaks down each cost in plain English, gives you a realistic sense of scale, and points out where you can sensibly reduce what you pay without harming your result. The figures here are general guidance current at the time of writing; your own agent and lawyer will give you exact numbers for your situation.
Quick answer
The main costs of selling a house in New Zealand are the agent's commission, marketing, optional staging, and your legal or conveyancing fees. Commission is the largest by a wide margin and is usually a percentage of the sale price, often with a tiered structure, plus GST, which means it scales with how much your home sells for. Marketing covers photography, online listing fees and signage, and typically runs from a few hundred dollars into several thousand depending on the campaign. Staging is optional and ranges from a tidy-up to hiring furniture. Legal fees for the conveyancing are usually a fixed-ish professional fee on top. There is no GST added to the sale of most owner-occupied homes, but commission and many services do carry GST. The exact total depends mostly on your sale price and the marketing you choose, so the single most useful step is to get a clear, itemised breakdown from your agent before you sign.
The detail, in plain English
Commission is the cost everyone thinks of first, and rightly so, because it is the biggest. It is generally charged as a percentage of the final sale price, often tiered so a higher rate applies to the first slice of the price and a lower rate to the rest, and GST is added on top. Because it is a percentage, a higher sale price means a higher commission in dollar terms, though it usually still leaves you better off overall. Commission is negotiable and varies between agents and agencies, so it is worth comparing, while remembering that the cheapest rate is not always the best value if it comes with weaker marketing or negotiation. Marketing is the next cost and usually falls to the seller on top of commission. It covers professional photography, the listing fees on the major online portals, signage and printed material, and sometimes premium placement, and it commonly runs from a few hundred dollars for a modest campaign into several thousand for a full one. Staging is optional and ranges widely, from simply rearranging your own furniture at no cost, to hiring furniture for an empty or dated home, which can be a worthwhile investment for presentation but is not always necessary. Your legal or conveyancing fee covers the lawyer who handles the transfer of ownership and the money at settlement, and is usually a professional fee in the hundreds to low thousands. There can be smaller costs too, such as a discharge fee from your bank if you are repaying a mortgage. To dig deeper into the largest cost, read agent commission and selling costs at /agent-commission-selling-costs/.
What it means for you
Knowing the costs up front lets you plan with a clear head, especially if you are selling in order to buy your next home, because what you walk away with is the deposit and the security that funds your next move. Add the commission, the marketing, any staging and the legal fees together against a realistic sale price, and you get a much truer picture of your likely proceeds than the headline price alone. That clarity also helps you weigh trade-offs sensibly: a slightly higher commission with stronger marketing and negotiation can return more than a bargain rate that under-sells your home, so think in terms of net result rather than lowest fee. The aim is not to spend as little as possible, but to spend wisely so the sale lands the strong, certain outcome that gets you securely into the next chapter.
Common questions
What is the biggest cost of selling? The agent's commission, usually a percentage of the sale price plus GST, well ahead of everything else. Do I pay marketing on top of commission? Usually yes; marketing is typically a separate seller cost, so ask for it to be itemised. Is commission negotiable? Yes; rates vary between agents and agencies, so it is worth comparing, while weighing value, not just price. Do I pay GST on selling my home? Most owner-occupied home sales do not attract GST on the sale itself, but commission and many services do carry GST, and investment property can be different, so check with your accountant or lawyer. Can I avoid commission by selling privately? You can, which removes the commission but means you take on the marketing, viewings and negotiation yourself, a trade-off covered in selling privately versus using an agent at /private-sale-vs-agent/.
Your next step
The most reliable way to know your real selling costs is to get an itemised breakdown from a good local agent for your specific home and price, then compare a couple of agents on both their fee and their plan. Maifang can match you, free and with no obligation, with capable local agents so you can do exactly that without cold-calling several agencies. To start, sell your home with us at /sell-your-home/ or find a local agent at /find-a-local-agent/. When you are ready to talk it through, get in touch at /contact/ and we will help you take the next step.
In plain English: In plain English: the main costs of selling a home in NZ are commission (the biggest, a percentage of the price plus GST), marketing, optional staging, and legal fees. Commission and marketing are negotiable and worth comparing, but think in terms of net result, not lowest fee, and always get an itemised breakdown before you sign.
General information, not personalised real-estate, legal or financial advice. Confirm your situation with a licensed adviser. Read the full disclaimer →