Original research
What selling your home without an agent is worth: the 2026 data
Median asking prices of homes listed by their owners in 14 countries, and what a seller's agent would charge on them. For 31 countries, the break-even discount for a private sale, and the cost of the notary, lawyer or registry the law requires, set against the agent fee.
Last reviewed . Asking prices cover homes active June 17 to October 6, 2026.
These are BestFSBOGuide.com's own medians of asking prices for more than 130,000 homes listed by their owners in 14 countries, set against a sourced commission table and official fee schedules.
What owners ask, and the agent fee on that price
A commission is usually quoted as a percentage. The table turns it into money, using what owners in each country ask. It gives the median asking price of homes offered for sale by their owners in 14 countries, and the fee a seller's own agent would typically charge on that price, including any VAT or GST.
These are asking prices, not sale prices. Land, mobile homes and non-residential listings are left out, and each home is counted once. The countries are listed alphabetically. They are not ranked, because the homes offered in each country differ in size and type.
| Country | Median asking price | 95% interval | Homes, rounded | Seller's agent fee on it | Read it with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | A$725,000 | A$699,000 to 750,000 | 1,600 | about A$18,100 (2.5%) range A$16,000 to 19,900 | Read with its 95% confidence interval, A$699,000 to 750,000. |
| Austria | €359,000 | €350,000 to 368,000 | 5,000 | up to €12,900 (3.6%) range €10,800 to 12,900 | Commission shown is the 3.6% cap that applies to each side when buyer and seller both pay the agent ("up to"); a seller can be charged more if the buyer pays nothing. |
| Belgium | €320,000 | €310,000 to 329,000 | 2,400 | about €9,600 (3%) range €7,700 to 11,500 | |
| Canada | C$470,000 to 530,000 | range only | 8,700 | C$10,800 to 12,200 (2.3%) | The median moves widely with the sample mix, so it is given as a range: C$470,000 to 530,000. |
| Finland | €125,000 | €119,000 to 130,000 | 2,400 | about €5,000 (4%) range €3,800 to 6,300 | Debt-free asking price (velaton hinta), which includes the home's share of any housing-company loan. |
| France | €245,000 | €241,000 to 250,000 | 6,800 | about €13,500 (5.5%) range €9,800 to 17,200 | The median depends on how the sample is weighted; an alternative weighting gives €296,000. |
| Germany | €385,000 | €380,000 to 395,000 | 5,100 | about €13,900 (3.6%) range €11,600 to 13,900 | |
| Italy | €135,000 | €130,000 to 138,000 | 13,300 | about €5,000 (3.7%) range €3,200 to 6,600 | €135,000 to 140,000 depending on definition. |
| Malaysia | RM 400,000 | RM 400,000 to 410,000 | 16,000 | about RM 10,800 (2.7%) range RM 8,800 to 12,800 | RM 400,000 to 420,000 depending on how repeated ads for the same home are counted. |
| Mexico | MXN 3,850,000 | MXN 3,780,000 to 3,950,000 | 3,700 | about MXN 223,000 (5.8%) range MXN 135,000 to 270,000 | Snapshot of listings active June to September 2026. |
| Poland | PLN 500,000 to 560,000 | range only | 10,200 | PLN 15,000 to 16,800 (3%) | The median moves with the sample mix, so it is given as a range: PLN 500,000 to 560,000. Snapshot of listings active June to September 2026. |
| Portugal | €285,000 | €280,000 to 290,000 | 3,200 | about €17,700 (6.2%) range €14,000 to 17,700 | Snapshot of listings active June to September 2026. |
| Spain | €170,000 | €165,000 to 175,000 | 7,100 | about €8,200 (4.8%) range €6,100 to 10,400 | Excludes land, rentals and non-residential listings. €160,000 to 175,000 depending on definition. |
| United States | $349,000 | $345,000 to 350,000 | 45,800 | about $9,600 (2.75%) range $8,700 to 10,500 plus about $8,900 if a 2.55% buyer's agent fee is offered | Excludes land, mobile homes and non-residential listings. Median is $325,000 to $367,000 depending on definition. |
The fee column uses the usual seller-side rate for each country, including VAT, with the low and high end of its range below it. For the other 17 countries in this study no asking price is published: either the number of homes was too small, or the median moved too much depending on how the sample was cut.
How much less you could accept and still come out ahead
Selling without an agent saves the fee, but a seller who then accepts a lower price gives some of that back. The break-even discount is the price cut at which both routes leave the seller with the same money. Accept less of a cut and the private sale comes out ahead; accept more and the agent sale would have netted more. It is a threshold, not a forecast of what private sellers get.
d* = (a - b - l) / (1 - b - t)
- a
- the seller's agent fee including VAT, as a share of the price. In the United States and Canada it includes the buyer's agent, because in an agent sale the seller customarily pays both.
- b
- the buyer's agent fee a private seller still offers (US 2.55%, Canada 2.15%, zero elsewhere).
- l
- the extra cost of selling privately, such as a paid listing the agent would otherwise have covered.
- t
- any tax the seller pays as a share of the price (Philippines 6%, Saudi Arabia 5%, Indonesia 2.5%, Turkey 2%).
Costs paid on either route, such as the notary, a lawyer or certificates, cancel out and are left out. For the United States: a = 5.3%, b = 2.55%, l = 0.056%, t = 0, which gives 2.76%.
- Portugal 6.05% , range 4.75 to 6.05%
- Mexico 5.7% , range 3.4 to 6.9%
- France 5.4% , range 3.9 to 6.9%
- Spain 4.8% , range 3.6 to 6.1%
- Cyprus 4.7% , range 3.5 to 5.9%
- Philippines 4.47% , range 3.09 to 5.85%
- Finland 3.94% , range 2.94 to 4.94%
- Italy 3.6% , range 2.3 to 4.8%
- Germany 3.54% , range 2.94 to 3.54%
- Austria 3.5% , range 2.9 to 3.5%
- Croatia 3% , range 2.4 to 3.65%
- Saudi Arabia 2.95% , range 2.32 to 2.95%
- Belgium 2.9% , range 2.3 to 3.5%
- Poland 2.9% , range 1.9 to 3.6%
- United States 2.76% , range 2.5 to 3.03%
- Switzerland 2.6% , range 2.1 to 3.1%
- Malaysia 2.6% , range 2.1 to 3.1%
- Indonesia 2.56% , range 1.95 to 3.28%
- Turkey 2.42% , range 2.42 to 2.42%
- Greece 2.4% , range 2.4 to 3.6%
- Canada 2.31% , range 1.78 to 2.84%
- Australia 2.25% , range 1.95 to 2.5%
- Sweden 2% , range 1.25 to 2.75%
- Qatar 1.9% , range 0.9 to 2.9%
- India 1.7% , range 1.1 to 2.3%
- Singapore 1.55% , range 1 to 2.1%
- Ireland 1.4% , range 1.15 to 2.4%
- United Kingdom 1.3% , range 1.1 to 1.7%
- Netherlands 0.89% , range 0.69 to 1.29%
- China 0.4% , range 0 to 0.9%
- United Arab Emirates 0% , range 0 to 2%
The median across the 31 countries is about 2.6%. At the usual fee, 22 of 31 countries are above 2%, more than two thirds. Across the low and high ends of the fee ranges that count runs from 18 to 27, and it is 23 if selling privately cost nothing extra. Sweden sits at exactly 2%, a result that depends on the assumed 0.25% cost of selling without the main portal.
Portugal's usual fee, 5% plus 23% IVA (6.2%), is also the top of its 4.9% to 6.2% range, so its range runs only downward. At the middle of that range its break-even is about 5.4%, level with France.
Where the margin is thin
The margin is thinnest in the United Arab Emirates (0%), China (0.4%), the Netherlands (0.89%), the United Kingdom (1.3%), Ireland (1.4%) and Singapore (1.55%). There, a private seller who accepts even a slightly lower price than an agent would have got can end up with less.
In the United Arab Emirates the buyer customarily pays the agent, so a seller saves nothing in fees by selling privately; the figure is 0%, or 2% if the sale contract puts the agent fee on the seller. In China the seller's share of the fee is about 0.5%. In the Netherlands fees are low and the cheapest route onto the main portal costs about €1,850. In the United Kingdom the extra cost of reaching the agent-only portals, "a few hundred pounds", is taken as £300; at £200 or £500 the figure moves only between 1.23% and 1.33%.
| # | Country | Seller's agent fee | Tax in the fee | Extra private cost | Break-even | Range | Break-even in money, on a round example price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 6.2% 4.9 to 6.2% | 23% IVA (22% Madeira, 16% Azores) | 0.15% lawyer for the promissory contract | 6.05% | 4.75 to 6.05% | €18,200 on €300,000 |
| 2 | Mexico | 5.8% 3.5 to 7% | 16% IVA on the agent's fee | 0.1% assumed allowance | 5.7% | 3.4 to 6.9% | MXN 171,000 on MXN 3,000,000 |
| 3 | France | 5.5% 4 to 7% | 20% TVA | 0.1% assumed allowance | 5.4% | 3.9 to 6.9% | €16,200 on €300,000 |
| 4 | Spain | 4.8% 3.6 to 6.1% | 21% IVA (7% IGIC in the Canary Islands) | 0% free private listing | 4.8% | 3.6 to 6.1% | €14,400 on €300,000 |
| 5 | Cyprus | 4.8% 3.6 to 6% | 19% VAT | 0.1% assumed allowance | 4.7% | 3.5 to 5.9% | €14,100 on €300,000 |
| 6 | Philippines | 4.3% 3 to 5.6% | 12% VAT, only if the broker is VAT-registered | 0.1% assumed allowance | 4.47% | 3.09 to 5.85% | PHP 268,100 on PHP 6,000,000 |
| 7 | Finland | 4% 3 to 5% | 25.5% ALV | 0.064% private listing | 3.94% | 2.94 to 4.94% | €9,800 on €250,000 |
| 8 | Italy | 3.7% 2.4 to 4.9% | 22% IVA | 0.1% assumed allowance | 3.6% | 2.3 to 4.8% | €10,800 on €300,000 |
| 9 | Germany | 3.6% 3 to 3.6% | 19% MwSt | 0.063% 30-day private listing | 3.54% | 2.94 to 3.54% | €14,200 on €400,000 |
| 10 | Austria | 3.6% 3 to 3.6% | 20% USt | 0.1% assumed allowance | 3.5% | 2.9 to 3.5% | €14,000 on €400,000 |
| 11 | Croatia | 3.1% 2.5 to 3.75% | 25% PDV (small agencies below the threshold charge none) | 0.1% assumed allowance | 3% | 2.4 to 3.65% | €6,000 on €200,000 |
| 12 | Saudi Arabia | 2.9% 2.3 to 2.9% | 15% VAT | 0.1% assumed allowance | 2.95% | 2.32 to 2.95% | SAR 44,200 on SAR 1,500,000 |
| 13 | Belgium | 3% 2.4 to 3.6% | 21% BTW/TVA | 0.1% assumed allowance | 2.9% | 2.3 to 3.5% | €10,200 on €350,000 |
| 14 | Poland | 3% 2 to 3.7% | 23% VAT (small agents may be exempt) | 0.1% assumed allowance | 2.9% | 1.9 to 3.6% | PLN 17,400 on PLN 600,000 |
| 15 | United States | 2.75% 2.5 to 3% | no VAT or GST on the commission | 0.056% flat-fee MLS listing | 2.76% | 2.5 to 3.03% | $12,400 on $450,000 |
| 16 | Switzerland | 2.7% 2.2 to 3.2% | 8.1% MWST | 0.1% assumed allowance | 2.6% | 2.1 to 3.1% | CHF 26,000 on CHF 1,000,000 |
| 17 | Malaysia | 2.7% 2.2 to 3.2% | 8% service tax (SST) | 0.1% assumed allowance | 2.6% | 2.1 to 3.1% | RM 20,800 on RM 800,000 |
| 18 | Indonesia | 2.6% 2 to 3.3% | PPN 12% nominal, effectively 11%, only if the firm is VAT-registered | 0.1% assumed allowance | 2.56% | 1.95 to 3.28% | IDR 51,300,000 on IDR 2,000,000,000 |
| 19 | Turkey | 2.4% 2.4 to 2.4% | 20% KDV | 0.031% private listing | 2.42% | 2.42 to 2.42% | TRY 96,700 on TRY 4,000,000 |
| 20 | Greece | 2.5% 2.5 to 3.7% | 24% VAT (FPA) | 0.1% assumed allowance | 2.4% | 2.4 to 3.6% | €4,800 on €200,000 |
| 21 | Canada | 2.3% 1.8 to 2.8% | GST or HST, 5% to 15% by province | 0.043% mere-posting MLS listing | 2.31% | 1.78 to 2.84% | C$16,100 on C$700,000 |
| 22 | Australia | 2.5% 2.2 to 2.75% | 10% GST | 0.25% assumed allowance | 2.25% | 1.95 to 2.5% | A$19,100 on A$850,000 |
| 23 | Sweden | 2.25% 1.5 to 3% | 25% moms | 0.25% assumed allowance | 2% | 1.25 to 2.75% | SEK 80,000 on SEK 4,000,000 |
| 24 | Qatar | 2% 1 to 3% | none (Qatar has no VAT) | 0.1% assumed allowance | 1.9% | 0.9 to 2.9% | QAR 38,000 on QAR 2,000,000 |
| 25 | India | 1.8% 1.2 to 2.4% | 18% GST (registered brokers only) | 0.1% assumed allowance | 1.7% | 1.1 to 2.3% | INR 136,000 on INR 8,000,000 |
| 26 | Singapore | 1.65% 1.1 to 2.2% | 9% GST (GST-registered agencies only) | 0.1% assumed allowance | 1.55% | 1 to 2.1% | S$23,300 on S$1,500,000 |
| 27 | Ireland | 1.5% 1.25 to 2.5% | 23% VAT | 0.1% assumed allowance | 1.4% | 1.15 to 2.4% | €4,900 on €350,000 |
| 28 | United Kingdom | 1.4% 1.2 to 1.8% | 20% VAT | 0.1% flat-fee online agent ("a few hundred pounds") | 1.3% | 1.1 to 1.7% | £3,900 on £300,000 |
| 29 | Netherlands | 1.3% 1.1 to 1.7% | 21% BTW | 0.411% all-in listing package | 0.89% | 0.69 to 1.29% | €4,000 on €450,000 |
| 30 | China | 0.5% 0 to 1% | 6% VAT for general taxpayers | 0.1% assumed allowance | 0.4% | 0 to 0.9% | CNY 12,000 on CNY 3,000,000 |
| 31 | United Arab Emirates | 0% 0 to 2.1% buyer pays by custom | 5% VAT | 0.1% assumed allowance | 0% | 0 to 2% | AED 0 on AED 2,000,000 |
The fee is the seller's own agent, including VAT or similar tax where it applies. Where no extra cost of selling privately is published, an allowance of 0.10% of the price is assumed for listing and photos, and 0.25% in Australia and Sweden, where the main portal is closed to most private sellers. That is the case in 22 of the 31 countries. The example price is a round figure in each currency, used only to show the amount.
In the United States and Canada the break-even assumes the private seller still offers the buyer's agent (2.55% and 2.15%). If no buyer's agent fee is offered at all the figure rises to 5.24% and 4.41%, but that is an upper bound: it compares an agent sale in which the seller pays both agents with a private sale in which nobody pays the buyer's.
The professional the law requires, and the one it doesn't
Selling without an agent does not mean handling the legal transfer alone. In most of these countries a neutral professional or a state office completes it, and in many the law or custom puts that cost on the buyer. Hiring an agent is optional in every country in this study, and in 20 of the 21 countries where both can be priced, the agent costs more than the notary or lawyer.
In 15 of the 31 countries a notary or similar public officer must handle the deed. In Quebec a notary does so by custom, and a deed attested by a lawyer is also accepted (Civil Code of Québec article 2991). On a strict reading the count is 11: Austria needs only certified signatures, Croatia only a signature certification (about €6), the Philippines a lawyer's acknowledgment, and Portugal also allows a document authenticated by a lawyer or solicitador (Decree-Law 116/2008, article 22). In 10 of the 15 the buyer pays the notary: by statute in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Portugal, and by custom in Poland, Austria, Greece and Mexico (in Mexico the Federal Civil Code's default, article 2263, is half each). In Spain (Civil Code article 1455) and the Philippines (Civil Code article 1487) the seller pays for the deed by default, although the parties often agree otherwise.
Where both can be computed, the seller's agent fee is larger than the professional's fee in 20 of 21 countries, at a median of about 3.8 times. It is at least twice as large in 16 and at least three times as large in 13. Apart from the United Arab Emirates, where the seller customarily pays no agent, Austria is the one country where the whole legal step, including the 1.1% land register fee, costs more than the agent: 3.8% of the price against 3.6%.
Malaysia is the one country of the 21 where the agent fee is not larger. The statutory solicitors' scale of 1.25% per side plus service tax puts legal fees on a RM 400,000 home at about RM 10,800 for both sides, the same as the 2.7% agent fee. The seller's own solicitor costs about RM 5,400, so the agent fee is twice that. In the United Arab Emirates the trustee office fee is about AED 4,200, and the buyer customarily pays the agent.
| Country | Required for the deed | Legal basis | Who pays | Price used | Professional fee | Registry or state fee | Seller's agent fee | Agent ÷ professional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A notary or similar public officer must handle the deed (15) | ||||||||
| Austria | Notary (Notar) or lawyer (Rechtsanwalt) | GBG § 31 certified signatures; Notariatstarifgesetz guideline maxima | buyer custom | €359,000 owner asking-price median | €6,462 to 12,924 market rate | €3,949 | €12,924 (3.6%) | 1.3× |
| Belgium | Civil-law notary (notaris / notaire) | acte authentique; AR 16.12.1950 bareme J | buyer statute: ancien Code civil art. 1593 | €320,000 owner asking-price median | €4,203 statute | 0 | €9,600 (3%) | 2.3× |
| Croatia | Public notary (javni biljeznik) | Law on Notary Fees: ovjera potpisa | seller (signature certification) statute fee, seller signs | €200,000 example price | about €6 signature certification | 0 | €6,200 (3.1%) | n/a |
| France | Notaire | acte authentique; Code de commerce A444-91 | buyer statute: Code civil art. 1593 | €245,000 owner asking-price median | €2,826 statute | €245 | €13,475 (5.5%) | 4.8× |
| Germany | Notary (Notar) | BGB § 311b (notarial form); GNotKG Tabelle B | buyer statute: BGB § 448(2) | €385,000 owner asking-price median | €2,845 statute | €1,203 | €13,860 (3.6%) | 4.9× |
| Greece | Civil-law notary (symvolaiografos) | notarial deed on the statutory notary scale; Ktimatologio | buyer custom | €200,000 example price | €1,885 to 2,230 statute | €1,050 | €5,000 (2.5%) | 2.4× |
| Indonesia | PPAT (Pejabat Pembuat Akta Tanah, land-deed official) | PPAT deed (AJB); PP 24/2016 cap 1% | agreed, often split PP 24/2016 art. 32(1) cap | IDR 2,000,000,000 example price | IDR 10,000,000 to 20,000,000 statutory cap, market below | 0 | IDR 52,000,000 (2.6%) | 3.5× |
| Italy | Notaio | rogito notarile; tariff abolished 2012 (market) | buyer statute: Codice civile art. 1475 | €135,000 owner asking-price median | €2,440 to 3,660 market rate | 0 | €4,995 (3.7%) | 1.6× |
| Mexico | Notario publico | escritura publica; state aranceles | buyer custom; statutory default is half each (CCF art. 2263, state codes similar) | MXN 3,850,000 owner asking-price median | MXN 38,500 to 77,000 market rate | 0 | MXN 223,300 (5.8%) | 3.9× |
| Netherlands | Civil-law notary (notaris) | BW 3:89 notarial deed; notary fees deregulated (market) | buyer statute: BW 7:12 | €450,000 example price | €500 to 1,200 market rate | €104 | €5,850 (1.3%) | 6.9× |
| Philippines | Notary Public | notarized Deed of Absolute Sale; LRA | seller by default, often negotiated statute: Civil Code art. 1487 (default) | PHP 6,000,000 example price | PHP 10,000 to 60,000 market rate | PHP 12,000 | PHP 258,000 (4.3%) | 7.4× |
| Poland | Civil-law notary (notariusz) | akt notarialny (KC art. 158); taksa max RMS 28.06.2004 § 3 | buyer custom | PLN 519,000 within the owner asking-price range | PLN 3,501 statute | PLN 200 | PLN 15,570 (3%) | 4.4× |
| Portugal | Notary (notário) or Casa Pronta official; a lawyer or solicitador can authenticate a private document | escritura publica or Casa Pronta (IRN); DL 116/2008 art. 22 also allows a private document authenticated by a lawyer or solicitador | buyer statute: Codigo Civil art. 878 | €285,000 owner asking-price median | €375 official fee | 0 | €17,670 (6.2%) | 47.1× |
| Spain | Notary (notario) | escritura publica; RD 1426/1989; RD 1427/1989 | seller: deed; buyer: first copy + registry statute: Codigo Civil art. 1455 (default, often agreed otherwise) | €170,000 owner asking-price median | €424 statute | €204 | €8,160 (4.8%) | 19.2× |
| Switzerland | Notary (Notar / notaire) | ZGB art. 657 public authentication; cantonal tariffs | split or buyer (cantonal) custom, cantonal | CHF 1,000,000 example price | CHF 1,000 to 5,000 market rate | 0 | CHF 27,000 (2.7%) | 9× |
| Each side normally retains its own lawyer or conveyancer (8) | ||||||||
| Australia | Licensed conveyancer or solicitor | licensed conveyancer/solicitor; PEXA | each side its own custom; PEXA lodgement by licensed practitioners | A$725,000 owner asking-price median | A$880 to 2,750 per side; A$3,630 for both market rate | 0 | A$18,125 (2.5%) | 5× |
| Canada | Real estate lawyer (most provinces); notaire by custom in Quebec; lawyer or notary public in British Columbia | lawyer at closing; Quebec: notaire by custom (CCQ art. 2991 also allows a lawyer-attested deed) | each side its own (Quebec: notaire, buyer) custom; Quebec civil law | C$470,000 within the owner asking-price range | C$1,000 to 2,500 per side; C$3,500 for both market rate | 0 | C$10,810 (2.3%) | 3.1× |
| Cyprus | Lawyer (δικηγόρος, dikigoros) | lawyer (common law); DLS | each side its own custom | €300,000 example price | €3,570 to 5,355 per side; €8,925 for both market rate | 0 | €14,400 (4.8%) | 1.6× |
| Ireland | Solicitor (conveyancing solicitor) | solicitor (no notary); Tailte Eireann | each side its own custom | €350,000 example price | €1,476 to 3,075 per side; €4,551 for both market rate | 0 | €5,250 (1.5%) | 1.2× |
| Malaysia | Conveyancing solicitor (peguam) | Solicitors Remuneration Order 2023 | each side its own SRO 2023 scale (lawyer not compulsory per JKPTG) | RM 400,000 owner asking-price median | RM 5,400 per side; RM 10,800 for both statute | 0 | RM 10,800 (2.7%) | 1× |
| Singapore | Conveyancing lawyer (a qualified solicitor) | conveyancing lawyer; SLA | each side its own custom | S$1,500,000 example price | S$1,500 to 5,000 per side; S$6,500 for both market rate | 0 | S$24,750 (1.65%) | 3.8× |
| United Kingdom | Conveyancer or solicitor | no statutory requirement; HM Land Registry | each side its own custom | £300,000 example price | £732 to 1,140 per side; £1,872 for both market rate | 0 | £4,200 (1.4%) | 2.2× |
| United States | Title or escrow company, or a real estate attorney in some states | title/escrow company or attorney (18 attorney-customary states) | mostly seller (title policy custom varies) custom by state | $349,000 owner asking-price median | $3,490 to 6,980 title and closing fees market rate | 0 | $9,598 (2.75%) | n/a |
| A state registry or e-service completes the transfer; no private professional is required (8) | ||||||||
| China | No single professional is universally mandatory for a domestic individual-to-individual sale. A licensed lawyer (lushi) is strongly advisable for drafting or reviewing the sale contract, and many sellers also engage a real estate agent informally for the paperwork. A notary (gong zheng ren) is required if either party cannot attend the transfer in person and must act through a representative. | municipal registration centre | no professional required not applicable | CNY 3,000,000 example price | None required | CNY 80 | CNY 15,000 (0.5%) | n/a |
| Finland | Public purchase witness (kaupanvahvistaja) for paper real-property deeds | NLS e-service (no witness) or EUR 143 kaupanvahvistaja for paper deeds | no professional required; title registration fee paid by the buyer custom | €125,000 owner asking-price median | None required | €172 | €5,000 (4%) | n/a |
| India | None required; a lawyer or document writer is customary (optional) | Sub-Registrar, Registration Act 1908 | no professional required not applicable | INR 8,000,000 example price | None required | INR 80,000 | INR 144,000 (1.8%) | n/a |
| Qatar | Real estate agent (wasit) is optional; a lawyer is advisable for drafting the sales and purchase agreement | MoJ Real Estate Registration Dept (Law 2/2007) | no professional required; registration fee paid by the buyer custom | QAR 2,000,000 example price | None required | QAR 5,300 | QAR 40,000 (2%) | n/a |
| Saudi Arabia | No mandatory professional equivalent to a Western notary | Najiz (MoJ) e-conveyance; REGA registry | no professional required not applicable | SAR 1,500,000 example price | None required | SAR 230 | SAR 43,500 (2.9%) | n/a |
| Sweden | None required (written contract; Lantmäteriet registers title) | private contract + Lantmateriet lagfart | no professional required not applicable | SEK 4,000,000 example price | None required | SEK 825 | SEK 90,000 (2.25%) | n/a |
| Turkey | Land Registry Officer (Tapu Mudurlugu staff) | Tapu officer executes the deed | no professional required not applicable | TRY 4,000,000 example price | None required | 0 | TRY 96,000 (2.4%) | n/a |
| United Arab Emirates | Real estate broker (wasit), optional; legal adviser or conveyancer, recommended | DLD trustee office / ADM DARI | no professional required; the contract sets who pays the trustee office fee not confirmed by a cited source | AED 2,000,000 example price | None required | AED 4,200 | AED 0 (buyer pays by custom) AED 42,000 (2.1%) if the contract puts it on the seller | n/a |
Fees marked "statute" or "official fee" are computed from the official schedule cited in the row. Fees marked "market rate" are typical rates from published sources where no statutory scale exists. Where each side retains its own lawyer, the ratio compares the agent fee with both sides' fees together. Transfer taxes are excluded. In the United States the 1% to 2% for title insurance and closing fees is not a professional fee alone, so no ratio is given.
Worked example: Germany at €385,000
| Price (median owner asking price) | €385,000 |
|---|---|
| Notary, 3.0 fees of €785 under GNotKG Table B, plus outlays and 19% VAT | €2,845 |
| Land register, 1.5 fees plus €25 | €1,203 |
| Legal step, paid by the buyer by default under BGB § 448(2) | €4,048, 1.05% of the price |
| If the buyer takes a mortgage of 80% of the price | about €1,391 more, 1.41% in total |
| Seller's agent at 3.6% including VAT | €13,860, 3.4 times the legal step |
| Both agents, 3.6% each | €27,720, about 6.8 times the legal step |
Who closes a home sale in each US state
The United States has no notary step of the European kind. Attorneys close home sales in 11 states, and in 7 more an attorney is customary although a title company can close. In 6 states either can close with no attorney custom. In 27 jurisdictions, including Washington DC, an escrow or title company closes the sale.
An attorney closes the sale (11)
Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia
Either can close; an attorney is customary (7)
Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey
Either can close; no attorney custom (6)
Alabama, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, Tennessee, Virginia
An escrow or title company closes the sale (27)
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
The legal rows are general information, not legal advice. Each one cites its legal basis, and the rules were reviewed on October 6, 2026. Check the current position with a local notary, lawyer or closing agent before you sign.
What protects the margin
The break-even shows how much room a private seller has. That room can be lost in two places: an asking price set too low at the start, and a first offer accepted before a better one had a chance to arrive.
Pricing from comparable homes nearby, rather than from a round number, guards against the first. Having several offers in view at once, so they can be compared on price and conditions, guards against the second. It also helps to know which buyers have shown they can pay before you negotiate with them. The legal transfer is then handled by the notary, lawyer or closing agent described above, as it would be in an agent sale.
Anyone.com covers this part of a private sale at 0% commission. Buyers book viewings from the listing, and you compare and negotiate offers in one dashboard. Buyers can choose to verify themselves, and their offers then carry a badge. The contract itself is not signed there: you sign it with the professional your country requires.
Method
Asking prices. Medians of asking prices for homes offered for sale by their owners, active between June 17 and October 6, 2026. Land, mobile homes, non-residential listings, listings identified as agent listings and implausible prices are excluded, and each home is counted once. These are asking prices, not sale prices. The 95% interval is for the median. Counts of homes are rounded to the nearest 100. The mix of homes behind each median differs by country, and a small share of agent listings may remain. Where the median moved widely depending on how the sample was cut, only a range is given (Canada, Poland), and Portugal, Mexico and Poland are marked as snapshots of listings active June to September 2026. Finland's prices are debt-free asking prices (velaton hinta), which include the home's share of any housing-company loan.
Commission. Seller-side agent commission including VAT, from the sourced table at agent commissions by country, reviewed October 6, 2026. This page uses the usual rate for each country, the same figure the commission calculator uses. In Austria 3.6% is the cap for each side when buyer and seller both pay the agent; a seller can be charged more if the buyer pays nothing.
Break-even. Computed for each country with the formula above, at the usual fee and at the low and high end of the fee range. It is a threshold, not a prediction of the discount private sellers actually accept.
Legal costs. Notary, registry and lawyer costs are computed from the official fee schedules cited in each row, or are typical market rates from published sources where no statutory scale exists. Transfer taxes are excluded. Each country's legal step is priced at its median owner asking price where one is published, and otherwise at the example price. The median ratio of 3.8 depends partly on the price used for Singapore, the middle country: at S$800,000 it would be about 3.5. General information, not legal advice. Reviewed October 6, 2026.
Downloads
Free to reuse with credit under CC BY 4.0. The 31-country file has one row per country: the median asking price and rounded count where published, the seller's agent fee including VAT and what it includes, the break-even discount at the central, low and high fee, and the required professional with its cost, payer and legal basis. The US file lists all 50 states and Washington DC.
How to cite
BestFSBOGuide.com. "What selling your home without an agent is worth: the 2026 data." Reviewed October 6, 2026. https://www.bestfsboguide.com/research/selling-without-an-agent
Writing about this? We can share the per-country sources or give a comment. Email editors@bestfsboguide.com.