Ray White, McGrath, Harcourts, LJ Hooker, Barry Plant and Jellis Craig commission rates

Why no agency publishes a rate

Like every other major Australian network, none of these six agencies publishes a commission rate anywhere on its website.

That is not evasiveness so much as structure. Commission is set per listing, and it moves with the property value, the difficulty of the sale, how busy the office is, and above all how much competition the agent thinks they face for your business. A published rate would remove the last of those, which is the one that works in your favour.

What you would actually pay

Since no agency publishes a figure, the honest baseline is the typical rate in your state. These are the figures from the Unreserved Commission Report 2026, applied to each capital city’s median house value.

Agency by agency

What changes from one network to the next is where it operates and how its offices are run. What does not change is that none of them publishes a rate.

Ray White commission rates

Ray White started in 1902 in a shed in Crows Nest, on Queensland’s Darling Downs, and is still run by the White family. Its offices are franchises, so the person setting your fee is the local office owner, not head office. That is why two Ray White offices can quote differently on similar homes in neighbouring suburbs.

Queensland is Ray White’s home market. On the Brisbane median of $1,222,906, commission at 2.1%, the low end of what agencies charge, comes to $25,700 before GST. At the 2.80% Queensland average in the table above, it is $34,200.

What to ask a Ray White agent: “Is that rate set by this office or by the group?” It will be this office. That tells you the rate is negotiable with the person in front of you.

McGrath commission rates

John McGrath started the business from his home in Sydney in 1988. McGrath listed on the ASX in 2015 and runs two kinds of office: some owned by the company and some franchised. Its footprint is NSW, the ACT and Queensland, with Sydney at the centre.

Sydney is the most expensive market in the table. On the $1,600,301 Sydney median, 2.1% commission is $33,600 before GST. At the 2.35% NSW average it is $37,600. On the Canberra median of $1,049,789, 2.1% is $22,000.

What to ask a McGrath agent: “Is this a company office or a franchise?” A company office answers to a listed business with its own fee policy. A franchise owner sets their own.

Harcourts commission rates

Harcourts began in New Zealand and franchises offices across Australia. Because it is spread so widely, there is no single “Harcourts rate” to compare against. What you pay depends on the state you sell in as much as the brand on the board.

The spread is wide. At 2.1%, commission on the Melbourne median of $972,734 is $20,400 before GST. On the Sydney median it is $33,600. Same brand, same rate, $13,200 apart.

What to ask a Harcourts agent: “What did this office charge on its last three sales in my suburb?” Their answer is a better guide than any national figure.

LJ Hooker commission rates

LJ Hooker opened its first office in Maroubra, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, in 1928. Every office in the network is independently owned and run by its franchisee. The brand is national, but the fee is set locally.

New South Wales is where LJ Hooker started. On the Sydney median of $1,600,301, 2.1% commission is $33,600 before GST. Marketing is usually billed on top, so ask for both numbers together.

What to ask an LJ Hooker agent: “What is the total, commission plus marketing, in dollars, if I sell at your quoted price?” Settle on one figure in writing before you sign.

Barry Plant commission rates

Barry Plant is a Melbourne network. Almost all of its offices are franchises in Victoria. If you are comparing Barry Plant, you are almost certainly selling in Victoria, so the Victorian figures are the ones that matter.

On the Melbourne median of $972,734, 2.1% commission is $20,400 before GST. At the 2.35% Victorian average in the table it is $22,900.

What to ask a Barry Plant agent: “Is the rate the same if I sell above your quote?” Victorian agents often propose a tiered rate that rises with the price. Get the tiers in writing.

Jellis Craig commission rates

Jellis Craig is a Victorian agency, centred on Melbourne. Like Barry Plant, a Jellis Craig quote is a Victorian quote, so Victorian rules apply. From 1 October 2026 every listing must come with a Property Price Statement. For auctions from 16 October 2026, the reserve must be published seven days before the auction.

On the Melbourne median of $972,734, 2.1% commission is $20,400 before GST, and $22,900 at the 2.35% Victorian average.

What to ask a Jellis Craig agent: “Show me the Property Price Statement you would publish for my home.” The figure in it is the price you will be marketed at, and the commission maths starts there.

What is negotiable

• The rate itself. The single most negotiable number in the transaction, and the one agents most expect to be asked about.
• The marketing budget. Both the amount and who carries it. Ask what is actually being bought with it.
• The agreement length. A shorter exclusive period costs the agency something and costs you nothing.
• A bonus structure. Some vendors agree a lower base rate with a higher share above a target price, which aligns the incentive far better than a flat percentage.

How to ask

Agents quote percentages because percentages sound small. The counter is simple: ask for dollars.

If my property sells for what you have just appraised it at, what is the total number I will pay you, including marketing? One figure, in dollars.

The question worth asking every agent

Ask it of two or three agencies on the same day and the range will surprise you. Agents expect this question from informed vendors and it does not offend anyone.

What the same sale costs on a flat fee

For contrast, and stated plainly. Unreserved has four plans. This section compares Lite and Plus, the two that list on realestate.com.au. Unreserved Lite is $900 one-off, whatever your property sells for, and lists on realestate.com.au, Domain and three more portals. You open the door at your own opens and the platform runs the enquiries. Unreserved Plus is $6,900: $2,000 up front and $4,900 on successful sale, with a dedicated campaign manager who writes and builds the listing and handles buyer enquiries. Photography, video and floor plans are optional upgrades, priced separately. A standard For Sale signboard is included on every paid plan.

On a $1,200,000 sale, commission alone at 2.1 per cent, a conservative rate at the low end of the 1.8% to 3.5% range. Against that commission, Lite leaves you $24,300 better off and Plus leaves you $18,300 better off. Marketing sits on top of the agent bar.

Common questions

What commission do Ray White, McGrath, Harcourts, LJ Hooker, Barry Plant and Jellis Craig charge?

None of them publishes a commission rate, and no major Australian agency does. Commission is negotiated per listing and varies between offices in the same network, by property value and by how much competition the agent faces for your business. The state averages on this page are the market context, not a quote from any of these agencies.

Is agency commission negotiable?

Almost always. Commission is one of the most negotiable numbers in the transaction, particularly where an agent knows you are speaking to more than one agency. The rate, the marketing budget and who pays for it are all separately negotiable.

How much would commission cost on a typical house?

It depends on the rate you agree and the state you are in. At the typical rates in the Unreserved Commission Report 2026, commission on a capital-city median house runs from about $22,000 in Darwin to about $37,600 in Sydney, before any marketing spend. Ask for the figure in dollars, not as a percentage.

What is a good commission rate in Australia?

The useful question is not the percentage but the total dollars and what they buy. A lower rate on a bigger marketing bill can cost more than a higher rate with marketing included. Ask every agent to quote you a single all-in figure for a sale at your expected price.

How is Unreserved different from these agencies?

We charge a flat fee rather than a percentage. There are four plans. Unreserved Lite is $900 one-off and lists on realestate.com.au, Domain and three more portals, with licensed agents available 7 days a week by phone, email or chat. Unreserved Plus is $6,900, paid as $2,000 up front and $4,900 on successful sale, and adds a dedicated campaign manager who writes and builds the listing and handles buyer enquiries. Unreserved is a licensed agency in VIC, NSW, QLD, SA and WA.