SA property sellers hit with Australia’s third highest rates – realestate.com.au

South Australians pay the third highest estate agent commission rate in the country when selling, a new report has found.

According to the Real Estate Agent Commission Rates 2026 report from real estate comparison service bRight Agent, SA’s average agent commission is 2.9 per cent, behind Tasmania’s 3.25 per cent and the Northern Territory’s 3 per cent.

By comparison, the national average real estate agent commission was 2.65 percent.

SA’s highest commissions are found in SA’s regions, with Whyalla Norrie on the Spencer Gulf recording an average commission of 3.65 per cent or $10,767, and Yorketown agents on the Yorke Peninsula earning an average commission of 3.5 per cent or $12,600 per sale.

Whyalla was the fifth most expensive nationally, while Yorketown came eighth in the national top 10.

bRight Agent co-founder Aaron Scott said greater transparency around commissions would allow buyers to achieve better value.

“Selling your home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will ever make, but commission rates are still one of the least transparent parts of the process,” he said.

“We give homeowners a clearer benchmark and the confidence to strive for better value.

“The main driver for the higher commission rates for real estate agents in rural and regional areas is a lack of competition between real estate agents.

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“Without strong competition, homeowners cannot shop around as much to get a better rate, and as such they are forced to pay higher prices.”

But Scott still believes it’s important to shop around whenever possible to get the best possible price.

“Even a small reduction in commission can put thousands of dollars back in the seller’s pocket, which is especially important when selling under financial pressure,” Mr Scott said.

Jacob Caine, president of the Real Estate Institute of Australia.

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Jacob Caine, president of the Real Estate Institute of Australia, said there were significant differences in agent commissions for a number of reasons.

“Ultimately, those who charge higher fees tend to offer a more comprehensive service – the scale, scope and inclusions that come with a higher fee are also supported by more man-hours, more people working within their teams, and generally a higher level of skill or sophistication when it comes to marketing, negotiation, styling and the frequency and duration of open inspections and general ‘project management’,” he said.

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He said that in some regional markets, where homes spend longer on the market, agents may charge a higher commission to cover the length of the campaign and the longer time investment.

“The bottom line is that it is a free market. Real estate sellers have every opportunity to choose who they want to run their campaign and they are allowed to negotiate with real estate agents.

“If the value isn’t there, they choose someone who charges a fee that reflects where they see the value.

“Broadly speaking, we would support more transparency because the one thing that undermines the entire system are the operators who are less skilled and less diligent and who invest fewer human hours into the job…those less skilled providers tend to tarnish the reputation of the hard-working, diligent expert agents out there.”