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Cost of selling a house in 2024

So what is the cost of selling a house in 2023? We set out what to expect in terms of estate agent fees, legal fees and other costs involved in the sale of your property.

Angela Kerr Director, Editor

Before you put your home on the market you’ll want to understand the full cost of selling a house in 2024 – as it will likely be more than you think! That’s because many of the services you’ll need to use charge their fee as a percentage of your home’s value – and as property prices have rocketed in recent years, this means you may have to pay more in selling fees.

Top tip: if you want to reduce the total cost of selling a house this year, remember to shop around and compare quotes. This will ensure you get the right service at the right price. As we’ll cover below, a lot of the services on our site allow you to get and compare online quotes from local providers.

How much does it cost to sell a house?

The cost of selling your house in 2024 will depend on a number of factors including the sale price of your property, the size of your home and it’s location, which estate agent and property lawyer you choose and where you’re moving to. But, on average, the cost of selling a house is set out in the following table.

However, depending on your circumstances you may have other costs to pay from an indemnity policy, to capital gains tax or home repairs before selling.

The cost of selling a house in 2024

Estate agent fees

Estate agent fees typically range from 0.9%-3.6% depending on which estate agents you use, how many are selling your property – and how well you negotiate. Average high street estate agent fees in the UK for a ‘no sale, no fee’ sole agency service is 1.42%, including VAT. So on a £285,000 house this would mean estate agent fees of around £4,000 would be added to the cost of selling a house.

The Property Ombudsman advises that fees advertised by estate agents must be shown inclusive of VAT  – alongside a statement confirming that VAT is included. But we often see estate agent fees quoted excluding VAT (currently 20%). So always check. If you choose to use more than one estate agent, expect to pay a higher fee – 2.4% – 3.6% is typical for multi agency. So consider whether it is really worth it, especially today when most people look for a property using Rightmove or Zoopla.

And be prepared to haggle on fees, estate agents will expect this and if you’re successful you’ll reduce the cost of selling a house. If you are going for sole agency, you should aim for a fee of 1.2% (this is 1% + VAT) – or even less for high value properties.

But when you’re looking for an estate agent, it’s not just about getting the cheapest one. Read our guide on How to find the best estate agent for more information or start looking now for the best estate agents near you.

Can I cut costs of selling with an online estate agent?

Online agents are often considerably cheaper than their high street counterparts, with fixed fee packages ranging from £0-£999. When they first emerged more than 10 years ago the service offered by online estate agents was hands-off leaving you, the seller, to write up the marketing information and conduct the viewings. But in recent years, in an attempt to win over more customers, the bare-bones online estate agents have added to their packages and offer a “hybrid” estate agency option including accompanied viewings and, some now even offer no sale no fee packages. The most famous of the online estate agents are Purplebricks and YOPA.

For more advice on cutting costs, see our guide: the cheapest way to sell a house. And to see which online estate agents offer the cheapest and best value packages, check out our online estate agent comparison table:

Estate agent fees calculator

When you’re working out the cost of selling a house, use our estate agent fee calculator to see how much commission you will pay your estate agent.  The calculator is set at the average commission rate including VAT. Use the slider to adjust your expected selling price. If you wish, you can see how this compares to fixed fee agents like Purplebricks or Yopa. Otherwise, you can set the ‘fixed fee’ to zero to see the total commission you would pay.

Conveyancing fees for selling

You’ll need to factor conveyancing fees into your cost of selling a house. Your conveyancing solicitor will deal with the legal side of the sale of your home. Conveyancing costs when selling a house average between around £610 and £950 according to research by Reallymoving and are usually linked directly to the value of a property.

Conveyancing fees when selling a house can be split into two parts:

• The legal fees: This is what the conveyancer or solicitor charges for doing the work
• The disbursements: These are third party charges for certain services. When you are selling, the main disbursements are for the transfer of ownership, which typically costs £200-£300, and the title deeds copy at £6.

If the property you’re selling is leasehold, your conveyancing fees will be more; it will typically add on around £300 to the cost of selling a house. While if you have a mortgage on the property, this can add on around an extra £50 to the cost of selling a house. And if you need to supply your buyer with a Leasehold Management Pack, you’ll need to pay more for this too. The cost for these can vary significantly from £300 to as much as £800.

One of the best ways to save on fees and reduce the cost of selling a house is to shop around and compare conveyancing quotes. When comparing conveyancing quotes, ask if all these disbursements are included. And if not, whether they are likely to be required.

Auction fees

If you choose to sell your house at auction rather than via an estate agent there are also fees to pay. In terms of the cost of selling a house at auction, you should expect to pay your auctioneer around 2.5% of the price you get for the property and you also need to find out if there will be any advertising costs. Find out more in our guide on How to sell your house at auction.

However, if you opt to sell your home via the ‘modern method of auction’, which is when the auction takes place online, your buyer will pay the costs associated with selling the property rather than you. But don’t let this reduction in the cost of selling a house alone sway you – there are pros and cons to this way of selling. Find our more in our guide on Buying and selling with online property autions.

Porting vs taking out a new mortgage

If you are selling a house with a mortgage, you can usually ‘port’ the mortgage from the property you originally borrowed against to the one you’re moving to. Most borrowers opt to port their mortgage because they are either on a deal with a low interest rate or have a product with an early repayment charge. Find out out more with our guide on porting a mortgage.

The alternative is to take out a new deal. This may be a good option if you’re paying your lender’s, usually expensive, standard variable rate.

Mortgage fees

If you are taking out a new mortgage deal there are two types of mortgage fees you may need to pay that you need to be aware of:

• Early repayment charge

• Mortgage exit fee

Early repayment charge

If you’re still in the middle of your current mortgage deal you may be subject to an early repayment charge if you take out a new mortgage. And if you need to pay this it could add a large amount to the cost of selling a house. The amount you’ll have to pay will differ according to any remaining balance. For example, if you have a £100,000 mortgage with a 4% early repayment charge you’d pay £4,000. So always check whether you have such a provision in your mortgage and, if so, the ability to pay it before you put your house on the market.

Mortgage exit fee

And when you’re looking at the cost of selling a house you may also be charged a mortgage exit fee. This is your lender’s admin fee for closing the file on your mortgage and it’s made when your mortgage balance is cleared.

Expert mortgage advice

When it comes to your mortgage, it’s a good idea to get advice to make sure you’re making the best decision for your personal circumstances. The mortgage market has been volatile in recent months so by speaking to an expert you’ll get the most up-to-date advice.

Energy performance certificate (EPC) cost

You are required by law to have an Energy Performance Certificate for your property before you sell it. Getting an Energy Performance Certificate will add to the cost of selling a house as they cost between £60 and £120. The certificate grades houses according to how energy efficient they are (with A being the highest and G the lowest) and suggests ways in which to improve your rating together with associated costs. These can be purchased via your estate agent (usually considered the more expensive option) or by using an independent energy performance assessor on the government EPC register.

However as EPCs are valid for 10 years, you may already have one. You can check if you have a valid EPC here.

Removal costs

Unless you’re planning to move all your furniture and possessions yourself you’ll need to add removal fees to the cost of selling a house. Removal costs will fluctuate according to how much stuff you need to move and how far. Our removal partners Reallymoving say the average cost of removals including VAT is as follows.

It’s also worth remembering that some removal companies will offer a decent discount on advance bookings so always compare prices. Find three removals firms and ask them to visit your home and give you a quote. Don’t forget to be explicit if you have a loft or a shed that also needs clearing; if it’s missed at the quote stage you could be in for an unexpected cost and time delay on the day.

If you’re looking to save on the cost of selling a house, by booking your removals firm early and for early or mid week (rather than Friday) you may also get a discount. See further advice on removal costs and how to find the right removals company including important questions to ask your removals company.

House selling fees: Costs to prepare your home for sale

When you’re looking at the cost of selling a house, in addition to any major repairs you may have to undertake, some estate agents will recommend that you consider basic home improvements in order to increase the desirability of a property or to facilitate a speedier sale. Obviously the cost of repairs and improvements will vary according to the work needed.

• Deep clean (£0-£150): If you do this yourself it won’t cost you anything other than your time and the price of cleaning products but you may opt to get a cleaning company in.
• Make necessary repairs (£0 to £1000s): Do any minor DIY jobs that are necessary. For bigger jobs, call an expert in.
• Redecorate (£0-£2000+): Giving your walls a fresh coat of neutral paint doesn’t need to be an expensive job if you can do it yourself. But you may opt to get a decorator to do it.

For more tips, read our guide How to make your home more valuable and saleable.

It’s always a good idea to purge your possessions of clutter before you move and thereby drive the price down. If you’re looking to clear out items, consider using our partner’s household rubbish removal service.

Do you need to pay Capital Gains Tax?

When you’re considering the costs of selling a house, where does capital gains tax (CGT) fit in? CGT is payable when you sell an asset that has increased in value since you bought it. The rate varies based on a number of factors, such as your income and size of gain. Capital gains tax on residential property may be 18% or 28% of the gain (not the total sale price). Although the higher rate will reduce to 24% from April 2024. Although you only have to pay capital gains tax on gains that exceed your annual allowance. The tax-free allowance is currently £12,300 per person in 2022-2023.

Usually, when you sell your main home (or only home) you don’t have to pay any capital gains tax so you won’t need to factor this into the cost of selling a house. However, in some circumstances you may have to pay. For example:

• If you’ve  let out your home to tenants – at any time during which you’ve owned it.
• You’re selling a second home – such as a rental property or holiday home.
• If you sell a property you’ve inherited.

If you are in any doubt it is sensible to seek advice. An independent financial/ tax adviser can give you their unbiased view on whether your home will be exempt from CGT.

Home Reports in Scotland

The buying and selling process is different if you are in Scotland. It is the seller’s responsibility to organise a Home Report for the buyer in Scotland. You should be able to view the Home Report before you even make an offer on the property. According to RICS, these cost on average between £585 and £820.

Costs of selling a house calculator

Calculating the cost of selling a house can seem a bit complex as some fees will usually be charged as a percentage rather than a flat rate. For example, if your estate agent is charging a percentage of the sale price, the amount you pay them will depend on the price achieved. So go through all the fees you’ve been quoted and write the likely costs (and the upper and lower limits) either in a spreadsheet or a notebook to help you keep track.

Frequently Asked Questions