Technically, no. Legally, you can sell your own home in Australia without one. Most people who try it work out fairly quickly why most people don't.
What you're actually giving up
Vendors who sell privately tend to achieve around 10% less than those who sell through an agent. On a $900,000 property, that's $90,000 left on the table. Agent commission typically sits between 1.5% and 3%. You can do that maths at your own pace, but it doesn't take long.
What most private sellers underestimate is the negotiation. Knowing when to push, when to hold, and how to read a buyer is a skill built over years. That's the gap that costs vendors money, and it won't show up anywhere on the contract.
The option most vendors don't know they have
Most vendors assume that selling through an agent means the full public campaign treatment: professional photos, portal listings, open homes every Saturday. For a lot of properties, that's a solid approach.
But plenty of vendors would rather not put their home on public display at all. Agents who list on Sold Off Market can sell your property quietly, without it ever reaching the traditional portals. Your property gets matched directly to buyers who are actively searching for exactly what you're selling. No public campaign. No weeks sitting on the market. Just the right buyer, found privately.
You also skip the marketing spend. A full public campaign typically costs anywhere from $7,000 to $20,000 depending on the property. That money stays in your pocket.
You still have your agent in your corner for the negotiation. You still have someone who knows how to read a buyer and close a deal. You just don't need the billboard.
So, do you need one?
You don't need an agent to sell. But the 10% gap between what private sellers and agent-assisted sellers achieve is pretty well documented. And if a public campaign was what you were trying to avoid, there's a way to skip that and keep an agent in your corner at the same time.
You can sell a secret.
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