Every seller does the maths at least once: commission on a Melbourne home runs into five figures, and the “sell it yourself” platforms are a Google away. So here’s the comparison laid out honestly — including the parts of an agent’s job that are easy to underrate until you’re doing them yourself at 9pm on a Tuesday.
| Selling with an agent | Selling without an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Commission typically 1.6–2.5% in Melbourne (plus marketing) — on an $850k home, roughly $14,000–$21,000 | Flat platform fees + your own marketing — commonly $1,000–$5,000 all-in |
| Price achieved | Skilled negotiation, buyer competition and off-market databases regularly add more than the commission costs | You negotiate yourself — the saving is only real if you don’t leave more than the fee on the table |
| Pricing the home | Live comparable-sales knowledge, appraisal experience, feel for the suburb this month | Your research vs the market; overpricing (the most common private-sale mistake) means going stale |
| Buyer reach | Agency portal subscriptions, buyer databases, open-home traffic from other listings | Private-sale platforms list you on the portals, but without a database or cross-traffic |
| Negotiation & process | Done daily for a living; emotional distance from YOUR house is genuinely valuable | Direct, personal — some buyers like it; many use your inexperience |
| Time & stress | Agent runs opens, calls, paperwork chase | Every enquiry, inspection and follow-up is your evening |
| Presentation & photography | Bundled in the marketing package — ask what’s actually included and whether drone work is licensed | Entirely yours to organise — and the single most common corner cut in private sales |
The honest read
For most sellers, a good agent earns their fee. The commission is visible; what it buys is mostly invisible — pricing judgement, buyer databases, negotiation done with professional distance, and a process that doesn’t consume your life for eight weeks. The sellers who do well privately tend to share a profile: a straightforward property in a hot suburb, time on their hands, comfort negotiating, and the discipline to price on evidence rather than hope. If that’s not you, the “saving” is often an illusion.
If you do go private, understand what you’re taking on: you become your own marketing department. And if you go with an agent, choose one the way you’d choose any professional — interview two or three, ask what their marketing package actually contains, and check the photography inclusions specifically.
The part we can help with either way
Whichever column you land in, presentation is not optional — listings with professional photography and aerial context consistently outperform phone-camera listings. Agented sellers: ask whether the package includes licensed drone work (much of Melbourne is controlled airspace, and it matters — here’s what to check). Private sellers: photography is the corner most often cut and the one that shows — commissioned aerial stills and video are a few hundred dollars against a six-figure outcome, and you own the files outright.
We’re a CASA-licensed and fully insured Melbourne aerial operator — credentials and insurance documentation available on request. We work happily with agents (many of our jobs come through them, and partner rates are available for agencies and photography studios that book regularly) and directly with private vendors. Send your address for a same-day quote either way.
General information, not financial or legal advice — selling costs and outcomes vary; get advice for your situation.