Selling without an agency in Luxembourg: what it really costs

How much do you really save by selling without an agency?

About 3.51 % of the sale price, VAT included. In Luxembourg no tariff is imposed in practice: 3 % is market custom and freely negotiable. VAT at 17 % is added to the fee.

Let us run the numbers on a house at the national median price of €870,000, according to the Observatoire de l'Habitat: €26,100 in commission plus €4,437 in VAT, or €30,537. On a property sold for €1 million, the bill reaches €35,100. By custom, the seller who signed the mandate pays it. That is not a small sum, and it is perfectly legitimate to want to keep it.

In its 2023 sector inquiry, the Autorité de la concurrence compared 3 % on an average advertised property, i.e. €27,768, with roughly €7,000 of work, based on 70 hours at €100 an hour, and recommended fees in euros or by the hour rather than as a percentage (Paperjam). So the question is not whether the commission is high. Sometimes it is. The question is what you will pay instead.

How much time does a private sale take?

More than you think, and mostly in the evenings and at weekends. The 70 hours used by the Autorité de la concurrence are the time of a professional who has the tools, the document templates and the buyers. A private seller starts from scratch.

In practice you have to prepare the file, take photos that make people want to visit, write the listing, answer calls and messages, tell the curious from solvent buyers, organise viewings, follow up, negotiate and then coordinate with the notary. You also have to pay: listing packages on the portals, photography and the mandatory energy performance certificate are borne by the seller. We do not quote an amount, because no reliable figure has been published.

No official statistic measures the average time to sell in Luxembourg. What we do know is that the apartment market has recovered: 1,049 existing apartments sold in the second quarter of 2026, close to pre-crisis levels (gouvernement.lu).

Why does a pricing error cost more than the commission?

Because it runs to tens of thousands of euros and never shows up on an invoice. Over the twelve months to the end of June 2026, existing apartments were advertised at an average of €9,437 per m² and sold at €7,712 per m², a gap of 18 %. In Luxembourg City it was €12,086 advertised against €10,269 signed (Le Logement en chiffres no. 20). The two samples are not identical, so this is not a pure negotiation margin. But the message is clear: the price in a listing is not the market price.

And asking prices are still falling. According to Immotop, the average asking price stood at €8,111 per m² in the second quarter of 2026, down 5.0 % year on year (Chronicle.lu). A seller who sets the price by looking at neighbouring listings therefore often starts too high. The property stays online, buyers see the successive cuts and negotiate harder.

The opposite mistake is quieter and crueller. A price that is too low finds a buyer quickly, and nobody will ever tell you how much you left on the table.

On a house sold for €870,000, a 5 % pricing error is worth €43,500, more than the 3 % commission including VAT, which comes to €30,537.

Do you want to know the real price of your property before deciding whether to sell alone or with help? Get my free valuation →

To be fair, agencies get it wrong too. The Autorité de la concurrence noted a bidding-up effect, with some agencies winning mandates by quoting prices disconnected from the market. The real issue is not agency or no agency. It is the method: start from signed prices, not hoped-for prices.

Which legal steps do you have to handle yourself?

Everything that comes before the notarial deed. Selling your own property requires no licence. It is the intermediary selling on behalf of others who must hold a business licence as an estate agent, a recognised qualification and professional liability insurance (Guichet.lu).

The rest is up to you. The energy performance certificate is mandatory to sell. In a co-ownership building, the buyer will ask for the latest minutes of the general meeting and the service charge statement. Then comes the preliminary sale agreement (compromis), which many private sellers sign using a template found online. It is a binding contract: financing condition, deadlines, penalty clause, date of the deed. Have your notary review it before you sign, not after.

The authentic deed is then executed by the notary and transcribed at the Publicité foncière. The buyer pays 7 % in registration and transcription duties (6 % plus 1 %) at signing (Just Arrived). The capital gains tax is the same with or without an agency.

One last, often forgotten point: the buyer's solidity. A private seller has little more than a bank letter to go on. A compromis that falls through for lack of financing means weeks lost and a property that comes back on the market with a history.

Which hidden costs should you set against the 3 %?

Your time, your exposure and your negotiating position. We have covered time. Exposure means your address, your interior photos and every price cut visible to everyone online. Negotiation, finally, is the hardest exercise when you sell your own home: you lived there, you know every bit of work you did, and the buyer can tell. An intermediary can say no without emotion. An owner finds it harder.

There is also the opportunity cost. A property that stays on the market longer than planned means a bridging loan still running, a next purchase on hold, sometimes a good buyer you let slip away. None of these lines appears on an invoice. All of them weigh on the net result.

When is selling without an agency a good choice?

When the buyer is already there. Many private sellers do very well on their own, and it is no accident: a neighbour who was waiting for your house, a sitting tenant, a family member. In that case the marketing work is done and a notary is enough to secure the deed. Paying 3 % for a buyer you found yourself would make no sense.

It is also a reasonable choice if the property is simple, the local market active, you have time and negotiating does not scare you. On the other hand, for an unusual house, a prestige property or a sensitive situation such as an inheritance, a divorce or a move abroad, going it alone quickly becomes a second job. And remember that the commission is negotiable: you can discuss the rate rather than give up on support.

How do you decide, figures in hand?

By starting with a fair price, whether you sell alone or with help. Establish the value of your property from the signed prices in your municipality, not from listings. Then calculate the real commission including VAT and set it against the time, the costs and the risk of a pricing error. If the balance tips towards selling alone, go for it, with a notary at your side.

At Secretimmo, an off-market agency and platform, our fee is 3 % for a public exclusive mandate. The on-site valuation is free if a mandate is signed within the week, otherwise it is charged at €600 excl. VAT. Start with the free online estimator at secretimmo.lu/valuation: in two minutes you get a range based on the real market, whether you sell alone or with us.

This article is based on Le Logement en chiffres no. 20 (Observatoire de l'Habitat and STATEC, sales from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026), the 2023 sector inquiry of the Autorité de la concurrence, Immotop data published by Chronicle.lu and information from Guichet.lu. The figures are indicative and do not replace the advice of your notary or tax adviser.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an estate agency cost in Luxembourg?

Usually 3 % of the sale price excluding VAT, or 3.51 % with 17 % VAT. This rate is market custom: no tariff is imposed in practice and it is negotiable. On a property sold for €1 million, that is €35,100.

Do I need a licence to sell my property without an agency?

No. The estate agent business licence applies to intermediaries selling on behalf of others. You are free to sell your own property, and the deed is executed by a notary in any case.

Who pays the registration duties on a sale?

The buyer, when the deed is signed: 7 % in registration and transcription duties (6 % plus 1 %), with or without an agency. By custom, the seller pays the agency commission if he or she signed a mandate.

How long does it take to sell without an agency?

No official statistic measures the average time to sell in Luxembourg. As a benchmark, the Autorité de la concurrence put the work of a sale at about 70 hours for a professional in 2023. A private seller starting from scratch should expect more.

Do you earn more by selling without an agency?

Not necessarily. You save the commission, but the 18 % gap between asking and signed prices shows that the starting price is the real issue. A 5 % error on a €870,000 house costs €43,500, more than the commission including VAT.