Yes, your home can appear on realestate.com.au and Domain without hiring a real estate agent. You just can't load the listing yourself. Both portals take sale listings through agency accounts, so private sellers get there through a listing service such as SellPrivate.
Why owners can't list directly
realestate.com.au and Domain are built around the real estate industry. Sale listings are loaded through registered agency accounts, so an owner can't open an account and post a home the way you might list a car. That is why advertising privately on the big portals always involves a go-between.
It's worth the extra step. These are the sites buyers check first, and a home that only appears on a classifieds site or social media will be seen by far fewer of them.
How a private listing gets onto the portals
- Choose a package. You pay a fixed fee to a listing service rather than a commission to an agent.
- Add your details and photos. You fill in a form with the address, features, price and description, then upload your photos.
- The listing is checked. We review every listing before it goes live, usually within one business day of payment.
- It goes out to the portals. Approved listings go to realestate.com.au, Domain and SellPrivate.com.au. You don't need your own portal account and you don't pay the portals separately.
- Buyers contact you. Enquiries come to you, not to a sales agent, and you decide what happens next.
Who does what
| Task | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Set the asking price | You, helped by a free property value report |
| Supply photos, details and a description | You (Premium includes professional photography, a floor plan and a written ad) |
| Check the listing before it goes live | SellPrivate |
| Get it onto realestate.com.au, Domain and SellPrivate.com.au | SellPrivate |
| Answer enquiries and run inspections | You |
| Negotiate and accept an offer | You |
| Prepare the contract and handle settlement | Your conveyancer or solicitor |
SellPrivate is an advertising and support service, not a real estate agent. We don't negotiate for you, hold deposits or prepare contracts. See how the whole process works.
realestate.com.au or Domain: do you need both?
Many buyers look at both sites, and some only set up alerts on one, so being on both widens your reach. Every SellPrivate package includes realestate.com.au, Domain and SellPrivate.com.au, so you don't have to choose between them.
Questions to ask any listing service
Whoever you use, get clear answers to these before you pay:
- Which portals are included, and are there any extra portal fees?
- How long does the listing stay up, and what happens when that time runs out?
- What level of portal placement is included? Portals sell higher placement in search results for an extra fee.
- Who receives buyer enquiries, and how quickly?
- Can I change the price and photos after it goes live, and does that cost anything?
- What happens to my money if the listing can't be published?
What it costs
SellPrivate packages start at $995 including GST, with no commission, and your listing stays up until your home sells or you withdraw it. Your other main cost is a conveyancer or solicitor, which you'd pay with an agent too. Our guide to what it costs to sell a house privately breaks down the full budget.