South African real estate agents hit Australia’s third highest income

South Australians pay the third highest agent commission in the country when they sell, a new report says.

According to bRight Agent’s Real Estate Agent Commission Rates 2026 report, the commission rate for South African agents is 2.9 percent, sitting behind 3.25 percent in Tasmania, and 3 percent in the Northern Territory.

In comparison, the average national agent commission was 2.65 percent.

You’ll find SA’s highest commissions in the South African regions, with Whyalla Norrie in Spencer Gulf recording an average commission of 3.65 per cent, or $10,767, and Yorketown in Yorke Peninsula agents earning an average commission of 3.5 per cent or $12,600 per sale.

Whyalla was the fifth most expensive nationally, while Yorketown was eighth in the top 10 nationally.

bRight Agent founder Aaron Scott said more transparency about commissions would enable buyers to push for a better price.

“Selling your home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make, yet commission fees are still one of the most obvious parts of the process,” he said.

“We give homeowners a clear benchmark and confidence to get the best value.

“The main goal of the commission of senior agents in rural and regional areas is the lack of competition between agents.

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“Without strong competition, homeowners cannot shop around for better prices, so they are forced to pay higher prices.”

But Scott believes it’s still important to shop wherever possible to get the best value.

“Even a small reduction in commission can put thousands of dollars back in the seller’s pocket, which is especially important when you’re selling under financial pressure,” said Mr Scott.

Real Estate Institute of Australia president Jacob Caine.

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The president of the Real Estate Institute of Australia, Jacob Caine, said there was a large variation in agent commissions for various reasons.

“Finally, those who charge higher fees tend to offer a wider service – the scale, scope and coverage that comes with higher fees are also supported by more man hours, more people working in their teams, and often a higher level of expertise or sophistication when it comes to marketing, negotiation, style and the frequency and duration of open testing,” ‘said the open survey.

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He said in some regional markets, where homes stay on the market for a long time, agents can charge a higher commission to cover the length of the campaign and the long-term investment.

“The important thing is that it is a free market – real estate agents have every opportunity to choose who they want to run their campaign and get to discuss with agents.

“If there is no price, they will choose someone who charges a price that matches what they see.

“In general we can support greater transparency because the one thing that undermines the whole system is those workers who are less skilled, less diligent and invest less man-hours in the work … those less experienced providers tend to tarnish the reputation of professional agents who work hard outside.”