Selling smart is not just about the highest sticker price. It is about the price you actually walk away with at settlement. The difference between those two numbers is the marketing, the commission, the legal costs and any fixes you make along the way. In New Zealand, the commission line is by far the biggest of those, and it is also the one that has changed the most in the last few years. Quietly, more Kiwi homeowners are running the numbers and choosing a private sale. Here is the maths, in plain terms.

Where the money usually goes when a home is sold

On a typical $900,000 home, the traditional commission can sit somewhere between $25,000 and $35,000, plus marketing on top. That figure is paid out of your sale proceeds at settlement. Your conveyancing lawyer is usually around $1,200 to $2,000. A few smaller costs, like a LIM if you order one and a discharge of mortgage fee, sit in the low hundreds. The single biggest line is almost always the commission. That is also the line you have the most direct control over.

When you sell privately with the right marketing in place, the commission line disappears. You still pay for the listing, signage, photography and advertising, but those are typically thousands rather than tens of thousands. The remainder stays with you. For a lot of Kiwi homeowners, that is an extra deposit on the next home, a bigger renovation budget, or a much shorter mortgage. The decision is not about cutting corners. It is about deciding where the value should sit at the end.

How Market My Place fits the smart play

Market My Place runs the marketing side at a flat fee that gets your listing in front of the buyers who matter, on Trade Me Property, Realestate.co.nz and on social media. There is no percentage commission. You handle the conversations and decisions, with our team available if you want a sense check. For a lot of homeowners, that is the smartest single decision they make in the whole sale, and it is the one that quietly compounds into every future move.