[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":423},["ShallowReactive",2],{"media-2026-04-20-selling-with-agent-vs-privately":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"category":404,"date":405,"description":13,"excerpt":406,"extension":407,"keywords":408,"meta":416,"navigation":417,"path":418,"readingTime":419,"seo":420,"source":406,"sourceUrl":406,"stem":421,"__hash__":422},"media\u002Fmedia\u002F2026-04-20-selling-with-agent-vs-privately.md","Selling with an agent vs selling privately: a real comparison","helm",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":395},"minimark",[10,14,19,25,41,46,63,68,79,84,92,96,100,108,112,127,131,142,146,160,164,168,185,189,207,211,225,229,237,241,348,360,364,367,388],[11,12,13],"p",{},"Most Australians assume there are two ways to sell a home: hire an agent, or do it yourself. There's actually a third option now — flat-fee platforms that give you the agent's tools without the commission. This guide compares all three so you can work out which fits.",[15,16,18],"h2",{"id":17},"option-1-traditional-agent","Option 1 — Traditional agent",[11,20,21],{},[22,23,24],"strong",{},"What you get:",[26,27,28,32,35,38],"ul",{},[29,30,31],"li",{},"Someone to run the whole campaign end-to-end",[29,33,34],{},"Access to realestate.com.au and Domain",[29,36,37],{},"Open-home management, buyer qualification, negotiation",[29,39,40],{},"Auction services if you go that route",[11,42,43],{},[22,44,45],{},"What it costs:",[26,47,48,51,54,57],{},[29,49,50],{},"Commission: 1.8% – 3.0% of sale price (metro), higher in regional areas",[29,52,53],{},"Marketing (vendor-paid advertising): $3,500 – $8,000 typical; premium\u002Fauction campaigns can reach $10,000+",[29,55,56],{},"Conveyancing: $1,000 – $2,500",[29,58,59,60],{},"Total on a $1.2m sale: ",[22,61,62],{},"~$30,000 – $36,000",[11,64,65],{},[22,66,67],{},"Who it suits:",[26,69,70,73,76],{},[29,71,72],{},"Sellers with complex properties (development potential, unusual layouts, premium markets)",[29,74,75],{},"Sellers who genuinely can't make time for the process",[29,77,78],{},"Anyone selling in a slow or declining market where an experienced negotiator moves the needle",[11,80,81],{},[22,82,83],{},"The honest downside:",[26,85,86,89],{},[29,87,88],{},"You're paying a percentage that scales with price, not effort. A $2m sale doesn't take twice the work of a $1m sale.",[29,90,91],{},"Agent incentives aren't always aligned with yours — a fast sale is often better for them than a higher sale.",[15,93,95],{"id":94},"option-2-fully-private-sale-fsbo","Option 2 — Fully private sale (FSBO)",[11,97,98],{},[22,99,24],{},[26,101,102,105],{},[29,103,104],{},"100% of the sale price (minus conveyancing)",[29,106,107],{},"Complete control",[11,109,110],{},[22,111,45],{},[26,113,114,116,119,122],{},[29,115,56],{},[29,117,118],{},"Your own time and marketing spend ($500 – $2,000 for basic DIY)",[29,120,121],{},"realestate.com.au and Domain don't accept private listings directly — you'd need a gateway service",[29,123,59,124],{},[22,125,126],{},"~$1,500 – $4,500",[11,128,129],{},[22,130,67],{},[26,132,133,136,139],{},[29,134,135],{},"Sellers with deep real estate or negotiation experience",[29,137,138],{},"Family \u002F neighbour sales where the buyer is already identified",[29,140,141],{},"Rural sales where the market is tight-knit",[11,143,144],{},[22,145,83],{},[26,147,148,151,154,157],{},[29,149,150],{},"You lose access to the two portals that 90%+ of buyers use",[29,152,153],{},"Open homes, buyer screening, offer management — all on you",[29,155,156],{},"No professional photography, copy, or strategy unless you organise and pay for it separately",[29,158,159],{},"It's a real job, not a weekend project",[15,161,163],{"id":162},"option-3-flat-fee-platform-like-helm","Option 3 — Flat-fee platform (like helm)",[11,165,166],{},[22,167,24],{},[26,169,170,173,176,179,182],{},[29,171,172],{},"Full Domain listing (helm is an authorised listing partner)",[29,174,175],{},"AI-enhanced photos and professionally optimised listing copy",[29,177,178],{},"Offer scoring and negotiation insights — the analytical side of what an agent does",[29,180,181],{},"Buyer communication tools, open-home scheduling, digital offer submission",[29,183,184],{},"You stay in the driver's seat, but with software doing the heavy lifting",[11,186,187],{},[22,188,45],{},[26,190,191,194,197,199,202],{},[29,192,193],{},"helm Essential: from $349\u002Fweek (2-week minimum, cancel anytime), or helm Complete: $2,499 one-off",[29,195,196],{},"Optional realestate.com.au add-on: $1,500 (passed through at cost)",[29,198,56],{},[29,200,201],{},"No commission. No sale-price-linked fees.",[29,203,59,204],{},[22,205,206],{},"~$3,500 – $6,000 all in",[11,208,209],{},[22,210,67],{},[26,212,213,216,219,222],{},[29,214,215],{},"Sellers who want agent-grade tools without the agent-grade bill",[29,217,218],{},"Well-presented homes in active markets where the fundamentals speak for themselves",[29,220,221],{},"Sellers who are happy to run their own open homes and make the final call on offers",[29,223,224],{},"Anyone who wants visibility into every offer and data point, not just a phone call from the agent",[11,226,227],{},[22,228,83],{},[26,230,231,234],{},[29,232,233],{},"You still need to turn up to open homes and make decisions",[29,235,236],{},"If the property is genuinely complex or the market is bad, you may want an experienced human in the loop",[15,238,240],{"id":239},"a-quick-side-by-side","A quick side-by-side",[242,243,244,263],"table",{},[245,246,247],"thead",{},[248,249,250,254,257,260],"tr",{},[251,252,253],"th",{},"Factor",[251,255,256],{},"Traditional agent",[251,258,259],{},"Fully private",[251,261,262],{},"Flat-fee platform",[264,265,266,281,295,309,322,334],"tbody",{},[248,267,268,272,275,278],{},[269,270,271],"td",{},"Cost on $1.2m sale",[269,273,274],{},"$30,000 – $36,000",[269,276,277],{},"$1,500 – $4,500",[269,279,280],{},"$3,500 – $6,000",[248,282,283,286,289,292],{},[269,284,285],{},"Domain \u002F REA",[269,287,288],{},"Yes",[269,290,291],{},"No (usually)",[269,293,294],{},"Domain via helm; REA optional",[248,296,297,300,303,306],{},[269,298,299],{},"Pro photos & copy",[269,301,302],{},"Yes (in marketing)",[269,304,305],{},"DIY",[269,307,308],{},"Yes (AI-enhanced)",[248,310,311,314,317,320],{},[269,312,313],{},"Open homes",[269,315,316],{},"Agent",[269,318,319],{},"You",[269,321,319],{},[248,323,324,327,329,331],{},[269,325,326],{},"Negotiation",[269,328,316],{},[269,330,319],{},[269,332,333],{},"You, with data",[248,335,336,339,342,345],{},[269,337,338],{},"Time commitment",[269,340,341],{},"Low",[269,343,344],{},"High",[269,346,347],{},"Medium",[11,349,350],{},[351,352,353,354,359],"em",{},"Figures exclude styling and pre-sale prep, which typically apply to any sale route. For a full cost breakdown, see ",[355,356,358],"a",{"href":357},"\u002Fmedia\u002F2026-04-20-cost-of-selling-a-house-australia","how much it really costs to sell a house in Australia",".",[15,361,363],{"id":362},"how-to-choose","How to choose",[11,365,366],{},"Three honest questions:",[368,369,370,376,382],"ol",{},[29,371,372,375],{},[22,373,374],{},"Does the property broadly sell itself?"," Well-presented homes in active markets often do. Unusual or premium properties often don't.",[29,377,378,381],{},[22,379,380],{},"Do you have 4–8 Saturday mornings over a campaign?"," If yes, a flat-fee platform unlocks most of the savings. If no, the agent's time becomes worth the commission.",[29,383,384,387],{},[22,385,386],{},"How confident are you saying no to a soft offer?"," Negotiation is where agents earn their fee — if you're uncomfortable doing it, you'll want help.",[11,389,390,391,394],{},"There's no single right answer — but there's a right answer for ",[351,392,393],{},"this"," sale. helm is built for sellers who want the option, not an ultimatum.",{"title":396,"searchDepth":397,"depth":397,"links":398},"",2,[399,400,401,402,403],{"id":17,"depth":397,"text":18},{"id":94,"depth":397,"text":95},{"id":162,"depth":397,"text":163},{"id":239,"depth":397,"text":240},{"id":362,"depth":397,"text":363},"Comparison","2026-04-20",null,"md",[409,410,411,412,413,414,415],"real estate agent vs private sale","sell with agent or privately","alternatives to real estate agents","do I need a real estate agent to sell my house","pros and cons of selling without a real estate agent","best way to sell a house in Australia","flat fee vs commission real estate",{},true,"\u002Fmedia\u002F2026-04-20-selling-with-agent-vs-privately","7 min read",{"title":5,"description":13},"media\u002F2026-04-20-selling-with-agent-vs-privately","nwYyAJlB1KOFVIe4rezOWEYlK5faJM1uqZedk6xCbgk",1776768104821]