Buying
Buying a home in Saudi Arabia without a broker
The brokerage law puts the 2.5 percent on whoever signed the contract with the broker, so a buyer who hires nobody owes nothing.
Where private sellers actually list in Saudi Arabia
Each of these is a separate pool. A saved search on one tells you nothing about the others, so set up alerts on every one you intend to use.
- Anyone.com Listed by the owner
Homes listed by the owners themselves, which Saudi law expressly allows and most of the region does not. You contact the owner and negotiate with them directly, and the deed then transfers through the notary the same way it always does.
More than 31 million active listings across 31 markets, agent-represented and owner-listed together. Aqar carries owner and broker listings, with the owner filter behind a subscription.
Search owner-listed homes ↗ - Aqar Owners can list
Buyer filter An owner-only filter, available through the paid Aqar Plus service rather than the free search
The largest Saudi listing platform, and it runs two separate paths on purpose: an owner route that needs the deed number and the owner's national ID but no brokerage licence, and a broker route that needs a FAL licence and a registered contract. That is why Saudi Arabia has genuine owner inventory where its neighbours do not. The filter to isolate those listings exists, and it sits behind a subscription.
- Bayut Saudi Arabia Owners can list
Buyer filter No owner-only filter found
Integrated with the regulator, so seller identity, any broker licence and the property deed are checked before an ad goes live. It carries both owner and licensed-broker listings, which makes it a useful cross-check on what you find elsewhere.
- Haraj Owners can list
Buyer filter No filter at all, and no structure to the listings either
A general classifieds site, free and owner-heavy. Thin on detail and no verification, so treat anything here as a lead to be checked rather than a listing to be trusted.
How many homes this really covers
Nobody publishes what share of Saudi sales happen without a broker, so treat any figure you see as invented. What is verifiable is more useful: Aqar built a separate owner listing flow and sells a filter to find those listings, which no platform does for a segment that does not exist. The practical constraint is that the filter costs money, so the free search mixes owner and brokered listings together.
The Real Estate Brokerage Law, article 14
Two sentences decide the money. The commission on a sale is 2.5 percent of the transaction amount, and it is borne by the party contracting with the broker under the brokerage contract. So there is no custom to argue with and no split to negotiate: if you did not sign, you do not owe. Brokering without a licence from the regulator is prohibited outright, and licensed brokers must use the standard contract logged on the regulator's platform. Fines reach SAR 200,000. Separately, every advertisement now needs its own advertisement licence, and unlike Dubai the property owner is an eligible applicant in their own right, at no fee.
In force since Implementing regulations effective January 2023. Read the legislation
Buying one, step by step
-
Sign no brokerage contract you did not intend to
The law ties the fee to the contract, so this single document decides whether you owe 2.5 percent. Read whatever is put in front of you at a viewing before you sign it, and if you found the property yourself, keep it that way.
-
Search Aqar's owner listings
The owner route is a real category on the platform rather than a label. If you are searching seriously, the paid filter that isolates those listings is worth what it costs against the commission you are not paying.
-
Check the deed and the advertisement licence
Ask for the deed number and confirm the name on it matches the person selling. An owner advertising lawfully will also have an advertisement licence number, which is free for them to obtain, so its absence is worth asking about.
-
Agree who bears the transaction tax, in writing
The law puts the 5 percent on the seller as the party disposing of the property, but the contract can move it, and often does. A buyer can also be held jointly liable where the tax is avoided, so this belongs in the contract rather than in an understanding.
-
Register the transaction before the deed
The tax is registered through the authority's platform before the transfer is formalised at the notary. Getting the order wrong is what delays Saudi transfers, not the negotiation.
-
Complete through Najiz
Seller initiates, buyer approves through Absher, the tax settles, the deed issues. Typically several working days rather than weeks, and no intermediary is required at any step.
Check before any money moves
- The deed number, and that the registered owner matches the person selling
- Whether the property is mortgaged, and what has to happen for the charge to be released before transfer
- Who is bearing the 5 percent transaction tax, stated in the contract rather than assumed
- Whether you qualify for the first-home relief, which has conditions and a threshold worth confirming with the tax authority directly
- For an apartment, the building's status and any outstanding service charges attached to the unit
- Any broker's advertisement licence number, or the owner's, since both are required on a lawful listing
Selling one instead? See where to list a home yourself in Saudi Arabia , or the full guide to selling without an agent in Saudi Arabia .
Common questions
Do I owe commission if I buy without a broker in Saudi Arabia?
No. The brokerage law sets the fee at 2.5 percent and says it is borne by the party who contracted with the broker. If you signed no brokerage contract, there is nothing to pay, and that is statute rather than custom.
Can an owner advertise their own property?
Yes, and this is what separates Saudi Arabia from the UAE. Aqar runs a dedicated owner listing route requiring the deed and the owner's national ID rather than a brokerage licence, and the regulator's advertisement licence lists property owners as eligible applicants at no fee.
How do I find listings from owners rather than brokers?
Aqar has a filter that shows only listings added by the owner or by someone with a direct connection to them. It is part of the paid Aqar Plus service rather than the free search, which is worth a month's subscription if you are actively looking.
Who pays the 5 percent transaction tax?
By law the seller, as the party disposing of the property, though contracts frequently shift it to the buyer and a buyer can be jointly liable where the tax has been avoided. Settle it explicitly in the contract. There is a first-home relief for Saudi citizens, and its conditions are worth confirming with the tax authority rather than taking from a guide.
Can the two of us transfer the deed without any professional?
Effectively yes. The Ministry of Justice's electronic transfer lets the seller initiate against the deed and the buyer approve, with the new deed issuing once the tax is settled. The notary remains the authority, and no broker is required at any point.
Sources
Every legal, tax, and process claim on this page traces to one of these. We re-check them on a schedule and date the page when anything changes.
- Real Estate Brokerage Law, including article 14 on commissionReal Estate General Authority · rega.gov.sa
- Real estate advertisement licence issuance serviceReal Estate General Authority · rega.gov.sa
- Real Estate Transaction Tax regulationZakat, Tax and Customs Authority · zatca.gov.sa
- Listing and licensing: owner and broker routesAqar · help.aqar.fm