Call for free independent agent advice
From a top local agent now
Home › Property Value › Top Property Valuers in Sydney [2025]
Once you have decided to sell, it’s essential to understand your property’s value in the current market. This will set your expectations and help you achieve the best price for your property.
You can engage one of many real estate property valuers in Sydney, who will provide a legally binding, written valuation report. You can opt for an appraisal instead; however, this is an estimate of your property’s value and is not legally binding.
Real estate agents do appraisals free of charge and base them on a visit to the property and comparative market analysis. This normally involves comparing similar properties that were sold in your area within the last 6 months.
Need more information on property valuations, property estimates and how to get them? Or just looking to build your property’s value? Read up in our guide to calculating your property’s value.
For years you could jump online, type a valuer’s licence number into the Fair Trading register and see if they were legit. That changed on 1 March 2016, when the Valuers Act 2003 was repealed and state registration was abolished. The move was part of a broader red-tape cull and means no one in NSW now holds a government-issued “valuer’s licence”.
So what replaced it? Revenue NSW rewrote its rules, switching the wording from “registered valuer” to “suitably qualified valuer.” In practice that phrase means a professional who:
is a Certified Practising Valuer (CPV) or Provisional Member of the Australian Property Institute (API); or
holds Associate or Fellow status with the Australian Valuers Institute (AVI); or
is a Chartered Valuation Surveyor (MRICS/FRICS) with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Banks, the Family Court and Revenue NSW all follow the same standard. If your valuer can’t show current membership of one of those bodies and a matching professional-indemnity policy, their report may be tossed out.
Appraisals are a different beast. They’re still free, still done by real estate agents, and still useful for getting a ballpark number. But they carry no legal weight. Agents may be brilliant negotiators, yet an appraisal alone won’t satisfy a lender or tax office if the price looks low.
Because there’s no state register any longer, vetting a valuer takes a little more homework. Here’s a proven five-step path:
Check professional membership – Ask for the API, AVI or RICS ID and confirm it on the body’s website or by phone. Genuine valuers are happy to provide it.
Confirm recent local work – A Bondi specialist may not understand Blacktown, and vice-versa. Request two recent sample reports in your postcode.
Verify insurance – Professional-indemnity cover of at least $1 million is industry norm. Insurers won’t back hobbyists, so this is a fast credibility filter.
Get a written quote – Supply the address, purpose (sale, CGT, deceased estate, divorce) and any quirks (heritage listing, secondary dwelling). Quotes should note the inspection date and delivery deadline.
Attend the inspection – Most jobs take 30-45 minutes on site. Walk through with the valuer, point out upgrades and hand over renovation invoices or strata minutes that prove work was done right.
Reports for standard homes usually arrive within three business days. Keep the PDF safe; you’ll need it for negotiations and for your accountant.
Independent valuers survey 2025 fees as follows:
Those numbers have crept roughly $100 since 2023, driven by higher PI insurance and the shift to more detailed digital reporting. Quotes should list GST, so there are no surprises.
Tax tip: If the property is an investment, valuation fees are immediately deductible as an expense in the year paid. If you’re a home-owner calculating capital-gains tax later, the fee can be added to your cost base. Confirm the right treatment with your accountant, but keep the invoice regardless – the ATO loves paperwork.
If the price still feels steep, start with our free Cotality report. It pulls the latest comparable sales and rental figures into a neat PDF and costs nothing for our readers. Use that as a warm-up, then order the full valuation when you list. Learn how here.
For more detailed information, check out our property valuation guide.
For most Sydney sellers the answer is yes, provided you choose a “suitably-qualified” valuer rather than relying only on a free agent appraisal. A paid valuation can feel like an extra line-item when campaigns already run into the thousands, but here’s why it usually pays its way.
Getting a paid valuation from a “suitably qualified valuer” (API CPV, AVI Associate/Fellow or MRICS/FRICS) is still the only evidence Revenue NSW, banks and the courts will rely on. Since the Valuers Act 2003 was repealed in 2016, the State no longer licences valuers, but the ruling DUT 044 makes it clear that official transactions stamp-duty reviews, CGT, family-law settlements must be backed by a report signed by one of those accredited professionals and based on a physical inspection.
The numbers at stake are huge. Sydney’s median house price just hit about $1.72 million, so every 1% pricing error can cost (or save) you roughly $17,000. A formal valuation doesn’t just pin down the right figure; it also flags hidden deal-breakers like easements, unapproved works, looming strata levies before buyers seize on them as bargaining chips. Presenting a defensible report up-front often shortens negotiations because you’ve put hard evidence on the table, not guess-work.
Yes, the typical $600–$800 fee stings, but it’s usually tax-deductible for investors and can be added to your CGT cost base on the family home. Think of it as low-cost insurance on a million-dollar asset: skip it only when the agent’s free appraisal, recent comparable sales and ready buyer demand all align perfectly otherwise, the valuation almost always pays for itself.
Casemore Valuations provide a whole range of residential and commercial property valuations, including buying and selling valuations. The team services the Sydney metro area and adjacent regions. They also offer specialist strata services.
The team of three at Casemore Valuations have been providing independent property valuations in Sydney for 23 years. The business is a member of the Australian Property Institute and has independently valued almost 14,000 homes.
AVG Valuers are expert independent property valuers and consultants in Sydney. The consultants are certified property valuers, while also being members of API and AVI. You can speak to the team about your specific needs in a free consultation, which is an opportunity to gain more insight into their property valuation service.
Ron Gedeon founded the original business, named RPG Valuers, over 28 years ago. In 2010, it merged with Australian Valuers Group to create AVG Valuers – one of the most renowned property valuers in Sydney. The team works with every major lender in Australia and is a trusted name in the industry.
Egan National Valuers offer independent valuations in Sydney and other cities around Australia. The professional team of registered valuers use their exceptional market knowledge to provide accurate valuations that assist with the successful sale of each property.
Egan is a well-known property valuer in Sydney, having been established for more than 45 years. They are known for their reliable and independent property valuations that provide the most valuable insights into the market than many other popular property valuers in Sydney.
Sydney Suburban Property Valuations provide valuation services to all types of properties within 100 kms of the Sydney metro area. Their reports are comprehensive and dependable so that clients can feel confident about getting the highest price for their property.
The local property valuer has been a fixture in Sydney for over 33 years, and it has a reputation for quality. The team has extensive knowledge of Sydney’s real estate market, which enables them to provide in-depth reports based on up-to-date market research.
Herron Todd White is Australia’s largest property advisory firm and offer real estate property valuations in Sydney. They are passionate about helping their clients achieve their property goals and aim to give you an edge in the property market.
Founder Kerry Herron established the property valuation business over 50 years ago and it has grown to a nationwide business with over 800 staff. Herron Todd White won Best Specialist Firm in the BRW Client Choice Awards in 2008/2009 and featured in The Australian IBISWorld list of Australia’s Top 500 companies in 2014. In 2016, it was voted #1 Valuation Advisor by Euromoney Real Estate Awards.
Check out our city-by-city valuer guides to compare property valuers in major cities around Australia.
Melbourne Property Valuers – Top 5 Valuers [2025]
Brisbane Property Valuers – Top 5 Valuers [2025]
Adelaide Property Valuers – Top 5 Valuers [2025]
Perth Property Valuers – Top 5 Valuers [2025]
You can get a head start on valuing your property with a professional appraisal. A quality real estate agent can provide this for you at no cost. This is a great first step towards understanding the true value of your property before it goes to market. Find a quality agent by comparing the best in your area today.
Bank valuations aim to protect the lender, not maximise your price. They’re often conservative. Use them as a cross-check but rely on an independent valuation for listing decisions.
Most lenders accept reports up to three months old; hot markets or high-LVR loans may require an update after 60 days. Plan ahead if your campaign is likely to stretch out.
Yes. Revenue NSW and lenders insist on a full internal inspection. Desktop or “drive-by” reports are not accepted for sale or CGT purposes.
Often, yes. Flexibility on inspection time or bundling multiple properties can trim the price. Just be wary of anyone who undercuts the market drastically; quality work requires time and expertise.
