Why won’t the agent disclose the selling price of a property?
Updated 15 October 2026
Often because the seller or buyer asked for privacy, or because the agent isn’t thrilled with the number. It doesn’t stay secret for long though: in NSW the purchase price goes on the public record when the sale is registered, and nobody can have it suppressed. You can look it up for free.
Not knowing what a similar home sold for makes it hard to judge what you’ll pay. Here’s why prices get held back, and four ways to find them anyway.
Why the price is sometimes kept quiet
The seller or buyer asked
Either side can ask the agent not to publicise the price, often for privacy. People are nosy, and everyone’s an expert. But asking an agent to stay quiet is not the same as keeping it off the record. NSW Land Registry Services does not suppress or withhold the purchase price of any property, and is required by legislation, including the Real Property Act 1900 and the Valuation of Land Act 1916, to make property sales information available for public inspection.
The agent isn’t thrilled with the result
A lower-than-expected number doesn’t help an agent’s reputation.
There’s a nearby listing in play
A low result can drag down expectations for a similar property down the road. A high one can inflate them. Either way, the agent has a reason to keep the number quiet while the other campaign runs.
How to find the price anyway
Step 1: Use the free NSW Valuer General tool
The NSW Land Values and Property Sales Map shows sales for individual properties from 2001, and street and suburb level sales for the last five years. The data comes from NSW Land Registry Services, usually within eight weeks of settlement.
Step 2: Wait for registration
The price appears after settlement, not on the day contracts are exchanged. So the most recent sales are always missing, which is a real problem when the market moves quickly.
Step 3: Try a paid property data service
Pricefinder and Cotality (formerly CoreLogic and RP Data) are the two most used. These services are useful, but they’re not a sure thing. Some sold price data comes from the agent when the Valuer General hasn’t yet updated the register, so a recent sale can still show a blank. Ask your bank or broker first, as they may already have access.
Step 4: Ask a buyers agent
A buyers agent doesn’t just look a price up. We follow the campaign while it’s running, stay in close contact with the selling agents throughout, and know who to call afterwards to find out what it went for. That’s local knowledge and relationships, and no database holds it. We also subscribe to Pricefinder and Cotality, so we can pull the data quickly without passing a per-report cost to our clients.
Why this matters more above $3m
In my experience, the higher the price, the more sales go undisclosed. That makes comparables much harder to find when you’re buying. And comparables are what tell you whether a price is fair.
This is where connections and local knowledge earn their place. If I’ve followed a campaign myself, I already know how it played out. If I haven’t, I know which agent to call and who else was in the room. Then I can tell my client what the comparable sales actually went for, not just what a database happens to show.
Common questions
Is the sale price of a house in NSW public?
Yes. Once a sale is registered, the price is on the public record and appears in the Valuer General’s sales information.
How long until a price shows up?
It follows settlement, not exchange. NSW Land Registry Services usually passes the information to the Valuer General within eight weeks of settlement.
Can a seller keep the price secret?
They can ask the agent not to publicise it, but they can’t remove it from the register. Requests to suppress a price on a website outside NSW Land Registry Services go to that website’s administrator.
Does the agent have to tell me the price guide?
Not necessarily. An agent must put their estimated selling price in the agency agreement, but isn’t required to disclose it to potential buyers. If they do quote a price, it can’t be below that estimate.
Why are comparables harder to find at higher prices?
In my experience, more high-value sales go undisclosed. That’s why local knowledge and contacts with the selling agents matter when you’re buying at that level.
If you’d rather someone else did the digging, that’s what our Find & Buy service is for.
Michelle May, buyers agent since 2008.
Michelle runs Michelle May Buyers Agents in Sydney and helps buyers find and secure homes.