Sydney man saves thousands by selling home through fixed-fee agency

PHOTO: Upside Realty

When it was time for Paul Kaperonis to sell his late parents’ home last year, he was faced with a $44,000 dilemma.

The home, in Kingsford in Sydney’s southeast, was valued at more than $1.8 million — and as real estate fees are more than 2 per cent of the selling price in NSW on average, Mr Kaperonis and the other five beneficiaries of the estate were facing a hefty bill.

After a bit of research, the lawyer — who has previously sold homes via traditional real estate agents — decided to dabble with the fixed-fee model.

He settled on Upside Realty, which now charges $8900 for homes sold by private treaty and $9700 for those sold by auction.

The three-bedroom home ended up selling for $1,875,000, and had the family opted for a traditional real estate agent, more than $44,000 would have been swallowed by fees.

Instead, Mr Kaperonis’ decision ended up saving the family around $35,000.

“It was my family home — after my mum and dad passed away, we decided to put it on the market, but it had been the family home since 1966,” Mr Kaperonis said.