Conveyancing costs come in two parts: the professional fee for the conveyancer or solicitor’s work, and disbursements, which are the searches, registration fees and settlement charges they pay on your behalf. A quote that only shows the first part is not the whole price.
Typical fees by state
Published guides put a licensed conveyancer’s professional fee for a standard home purchase at roughly $500 to $3,000, and a solicitor’s at about $1,500 to $3,200 or more. Disbursements usually add another $300 to $800. These are the ranges Mozo publishes by state:
| State | Licensed conveyancer | Solicitor |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales (metro) | $1,000 to $3,000 | $1,500 to $3,200+ |
| Victoria | $600 to $1,400 | $1,200 to $2,500+ |
| Queensland | Solicitors do conveyancing in Queensland | $1,000 to $2,500+ |
| SA, WA, Tasmania, ACT | $700 to $1,600 | $1,200 to $2,500+ |
OpenAgent, quoted by Canstar, gives a narrower all-in figure of $1,085 to $1,875 depending on the state, including searches and the electronic settlement fee. Treat all of these as rough guides: your own quote depends on the property and the work involved.
What the professional fee usually covers
- Reviewing the contract and the vendor’s disclosure statement (the Form 1 in South Australia, the Section 32 in Victoria) before you are bound
- Ordering and checking searches on the title, council, water and any owners corporation
- Working with your lender and the other side’s representative
- Calculating adjustments for council rates, water and strata levies
- Running the electronic settlement and lodging the transfer with the land titles office
Disbursements to expect
- Title and plan searches
- Council, water and land tax certificates
- Owners corporation or strata certificates for units and townhouses
- Electronic settlement (PEXA) fees
- Government fees to register the transfer and any mortgage
Stamp duty is separate again and is usually the largest cost. See stamp duty in South Australia.
Why quotes differ
- Type of property: strata units, off-the-plan purchases, rural land and subdivisions take more work.
- Buying or selling: sellers in South Australia and Victoria pay for preparing the disclosure statement.
- Conveyancer or solicitor: solicitors usually charge more but can advise on legal problems. See conveyancer or solicitor.
- Fixed fee or hourly: a fixed fee is easier to compare, as long as you know what is outside it.
Western Australia
In WA the profession is called settlement agents. Fees work the same way: a professional fee plus disbursements. Compare settlement agents in Western Australia.
Finding fees on Conveyancer Finder
Where an office publishes a fixed fee, its listing shows it, along with what it includes. On city and region pages you can tick Fixed fee shown to see only those offices. Start with Adelaide, New South Wales, Victoria or Queensland, then read how to compare conveyancing quotes before you choose.
Find a conveyancer near you. Search by suburb or postcode and compare offices by distance and Google reviews.