Buying your first home comes with a long list of costs, and conveyancing is one of the ones people tend to underestimate. Not because it’s the most expensive item on the list, but because the quotes can look deceptively simple while the actual cost depends on more than just the headline number.
So here’s a proper breakdown. What you’re paying for, what the numbers realistically look like in NSW right now, and what else needs to go in your budget that has nothing to do with your conveyancer’s fee.
What Conveyancing Actually Costs in NSW
For a standard residential purchase, most first home buyers in NSW end up paying somewhere between $1,500 and $2,500 all in. That covers both the professional fee and the standard disbursements. Where you land in that range depends on the property type, the complexity of the contract, and who you engage.
Professional service fee: $800 to $1,500
This is your conveyancer’s fee for the actual work. Reviewing the contract before you sign it, flagging anything risky or unusual in the terms, preparing the settlement documents, dealing with your lender and the seller’s solicitor, and making sure everything lands correctly on settlement day.
Some conveyancers charge a fixed fee. Others charge by the hour. For a first home buyer, fixed is almost always the better option. You know what you’re paying from day one, and it doesn’t change if the process takes longer than expected or you have a lot of questions along the way.
Disbursements: $400 to $700
Disbursements are the third-party costs your conveyancer pays on your behalf and passes through to you at cost. They’re not a margin item, they’re just charges that have to be paid to run the searches and complete the settlement.
The standard ones for a NSW purchase are the PEXA fee for electronic settlement, a council rates certificate to check what’s owed on the property, and a water authority certificate for unpaid water charges. If you’re buying a unit or townhouse you’ll also need a strata certificate, which shows the owners corporation’s financial position, levies payable, and any arrears. Your conveyancer will confirm which ones apply to your property.
GST
GST applies to the professional fee and some disbursements. Most quotes wrap it into the total, but it’s worth asking specifically whether the figure you’re looking at is GST-inclusive. Some quotes aren’t, and the difference adds up.
What First Home Buyers Often Get Charged Extra For
Standard conveyancing covers the purchase process. But first home buyers tend to have work on top of that, and not every conveyancer includes it in their base quote.
First Home Buyer Assistance Scheme
If you’re buying a property under $800,000 and this is your first purchase, you’re likely eligible for a full stamp duty exemption under the NSW First Home Buyer Assistance Scheme. Between $800,000 and $1,000,000 you may get a partial concession. Your conveyancer prepares and lodges the declaration and makes sure your eligibility is properly documented. Some include this in the fixed fee. Others charge it separately. Ask before you sign anything with them.
First Home Owner Grant
If you’re purchasing a newly built home or building from scratch, you may also be eligible for the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant. Your conveyancer can handle this application as well. Same deal, check whether it’s included or billed additionally.
Complicated contracts
Not every contract is straightforward. A vendor who wants an unusually long settlement period, a subject to finance clause that needs pushing back on, special conditions added by the seller’s solicitor, or a deceased estate can all mean more work. Most of the time this doesn’t change the fee, but it can if it becomes significant. A good conveyancer will flag this early rather than surprise you with it later.
The Other Costs That Catch First Home Buyers Off Guard
Conveyancing is one cost. It’s not the only one. These are the others that tend to land harder than expected.
Stamp duty
For most buyers this is the largest single expense outside the deposit. On a $750,000 purchase the duty is around $29,000 at the standard rate. First home buyers who qualify for the full exemption pay nothing, which is a significant saving. The eligibility thresholds do change, so confirm the current figures with your conveyancer rather than relying on older information.
Building and pest inspection
This is arranged by you, not your conveyancer, and it needs to happen before you exchange contracts, not after. A building and pest inspection runs between $400 and $700 depending on the property and its location. It’s not legally required. But buying an older property without one is the kind of decision that tends to look very different six months after you’ve moved in and found something the vendor didn’t mention.
Strata inspection report
If you’re buying a unit or townhouse, a strata certificate tells you the financial basics of the owners corporation. A strata inspection report goes further. It covers the building’s defect history, what repairs have been done and what’s planned, the state of the sinking fund, insurance arrangements, and whether there’s any litigation involving the scheme. These reports cost between $250 and $400. For anything built before 2000 particularly, they’re worth doing.
Lender fees
Your bank or lender will likely charge an application fee, a valuation fee, and a mortgage registration fee. These vary between lenders and loan products. Ask your broker or bank for the full list of upfront charges before you commit to a loan, because they’re not always front and centre in the initial conversation.
Mortgage registration fee
Separate to your lender’s fees, registering the mortgage with NSW Land Registry Services costs around $175. Your lender usually handles this as part of settlement and charges it back to you.
Moving costs
Removalists, boxes, connecting electricity and gas, redirecting mail. Easy to forget until you’re doing it. Budget somewhere between $500 and $1,500 depending on how much you have and how far you’re moving.
Fixed Fee vs Hourly Rate
The majority of conveyancers offering residential services in NSW now quote a fixed fee, and for a first home buyer that’s the right structure. You know the number upfront, and it doesn’t move if the transaction takes longer or gets more complicated than expected.
Hourly rates can look cheaper at first glance. The issue is that property transactions don’t always run smoothly. A seller who delays responding, a bank that takes longer than expected to provide a discharge, a contract that needs more back-and-forth than anticipated. Under an hourly arrangement those complications translate directly into a higher bill. Under a fixed fee they don’t.
Why the Cheapest Quote Usually Isn’t the Safest Choice
There’s a wide range of conveyancers in NSW and the cheapest quote doesn’t tell you much about the quality of the work. Some firms price low and make it up in volume, which means less time spent on your file. Others price low because they’re newer to the market and haven’t established their worth yet.
What actually matters for a first home buyer is whether the contract gets reviewed properly before you sign, whether the grant and exemption applications are handled correctly and lodged on time, and whether the conveyancer is contactable when you have a question and moving fast enough to avoid missing settlement.
A missed settlement date can trigger penalty interest charges. A contract issue picked up after exchange rather than before it can cost considerably more than any difference in conveyancing fees. The $300 or $400 difference between two quotes is rarely the right basis for choosing who handles your first property purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average conveyancing cost for a first home buyer in NSW? Most first home buyers in NSW pay between $1,500 and $2,500 all in, covering the professional fee and standard disbursements. The final figure depends on the property type, location, and whether additional work like grant applications is included in the quote.
What is the difference between conveyancing fees and disbursements? The professional fee is what your conveyancer charges for their time and work. Disbursements are the third-party costs they pay on your behalf, including government search fees, council and water certificates, PEXA settlement fees, and where applicable a strata certificate. Both should be itemised clearly in any quote you receive.
Do first home buyers pay less for conveyancing in NSW? Not automatically. The core legal work is the same for any buyer. Some conveyancers bundle first home buyer grant and stamp duty exemption applications into their fixed fee, which adds value for first home buyers specifically. It’s worth asking what’s included before you compare quotes on price alone.
Is stamp duty included in conveyancing costs? No. Stamp duty is a state government tax paid separately to Revenue NSW. Your conveyancer helps you apply for any exemptions or concessions you’re eligible for, but the duty itself sits outside their fee entirely.
Can I do my own conveyancing as a first home buyer in NSW? Technically yes. In practice, it’s a significant risk if you’re not familiar with NSW property law. The contract for sale contains legal conditions that are easy to misread, and a mistake at the review stage or a missed settlement deadline can end up costing far more than the conveyancing fee you were trying to avoid.
When do I pay conveyancing fees? Most conveyancers in NSW collect payment at settlement, so you don’t pay until the property is legally yours. Some charge a small amount upfront. Confirm the payment structure when you receive your quote so there are no surprises.
Getting Conveyancing Right the First Time Matters
Conveyancing is not where you want to find out you made the wrong call. The fee is a small part of what you’re spending on your first home, and the work it covers protects an investment that’s worth considerably more. Get a written quote that breaks down the fee and the disbursements separately, ask what’s included for first home buyers specifically, and make sure you’re comfortable with how the conveyancer communicates before you engage them.
If you’re buying your first home in NSW and want a clear, itemised quote from the start, contact Strictly Conveyancing today.
