Buying, selling or managing property in Australia involves more paperwork, data and decision-making than most people expect. The good news is that a handful of well-established platforms now do a lot of the heavy lifting, from checking whether an agent is properly licensed to working out what stamp duty you will actually owe.
This guide runs through the Tools Everyone In The Real Estate Industry Should Be Using, based only on information confirmed with Australian regulators and industry bodies, so you can see what each one does, who it is really for, and where its limits are.
At realCLEAR, we believe honest advice matters more than a quick transaction. That applies just as much to the tools you use to research a decision as it does to the decision itself. None of the platforms below are ours, and we do not earn anything from recommending them. They are simply part of how the Australian property system now works.
Why These Tools Matter For Homeowners, Not Just Agents
It is tempting to assume that data platforms and settlement systems are only relevant to real estate professionals.
In practice, most of these tools were either built for the public or have public-facing versions, precisely because governments and industry bodies recognised that buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants need the same quality of information as the people they are dealing with.
Understanding how these tools work will not tell you whether now is the right time to buy or sell. Nobody can responsibly predict where property prices are heading, and any tool or article that claims otherwise should be treated with caution.
What these tools can do is help you verify facts, understand costs, and keep proper records, which puts you in a stronger position no matter what you eventually decide to do.
1. PEXA: Australia’s Electronic Conveyancing Platform
PEXA (Property Exchange Australia) is the digital workspace where property settlements now happen in most of the country. Instead of solicitors, conveyancers and banks meeting in person to exchange paper documents and bank cheques, they log into a shared online workspace, lodge signed documents, and transfer settlement funds electronically.
Rather than physically exchanging paper documents, all parties lodge digitally signed documents and transfer funds electronically through the Reserve Bank of Australia’s settlement infrastructure.
Several states, including Victoria and New South Wales, have mandated electronic conveyancing, while Queensland moved to adoption in February 2023, right after Western Australia. This means that if you are buying or selling in most Australian states, your settlement will most likely go through PEXA whether you interact with it directly or not.
You will not typically log into PEXA yourself. Your solicitor or licensed conveyancer manages the workspace on your behalf. But knowing that this system exists, and that it has largely replaced paper settlements, helps explain why your conveyancer may ask you to verify your identity electronically or sign documents through a linked portal rather than in person.
You can read more about how the platform works on the PEXA Exchange product page.
2. Cotality (Formerly CoreLogic): Property Data And Valuation Reports
If you have ever seen a price estimate on a real estate listing or received a property report from your bank, there is a good chance the underlying data came from Cotality.
CoreLogic announced its global rebrand to Cotality in March 2025, reflecting the company’s progression from its origins in financial services supporting the mortgage industry to becoming a broader leader in property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions.
For everyday buyers and sellers, Cotality data usually arrives indirectly, folded into estimates on major listing portals or provided free through a bank or broker. The company also sells one-off Property Reports directly to the public, giving buyers, sellers and investors access to a property’s estimated value, sales history, comparable sales and area insights for a fee.
It is worth being realistic about what these reports are. An automated valuation is a statistical estimate based on recent comparable sales and property attributes, not a formal valuation and not a substitute for a licensed valuer’s opinion, particularly for lending or legal purposes. Treat it as a useful starting point for a conversation, not a final answer.
3. ASIC’s MoneySmart Calculators
ASIC’s MoneySmart website is the Australian Government’s free, independent financial guidance service, and its property-related calculators are some of the most useful tools available to anyone thinking about a home loan. The mortgage calculator helps you work out roughly how much you might be able to borrow and what your repayments could look like under different interest rate scenarios.
As one MoneySmart update explained during a cash rate change, a $500,000 mortgage at 6.15% interest with repayments of around $3,056 a month would drop to about $2,976 a month if the rate fell by 0.25%, illustrating how even small rate movements affect a household budget.
Because MoneySmart is run by a financial regulator rather than a lender or portal, it has no incentive to make your borrowing capacity look larger or smaller than it is. That independence is exactly why it belongs on this list. You can find it directly at MoneySmart’s mortgage calculator.
4. The ATO’s Capital Gains Tax Record Keeping Tool
Anyone who owns an investment property, or who might one day sell a home that was not always their main residence, needs to keep records of what they paid, what they spent on the property, and what they eventually sell it for.
The Australian Taxation Office provides a free record keeping tool specifically for this purpose. For assets with a capital gains tax event date, the tool works out your net capital gain or loss for the year and applies the calculation method that gives you the best result.
Good record keeping matters more than most people realise. You generally need to keep capital gains tax records for five years after you sell or otherwise dispose of an asset, unless you keep a certified asset register.
Without those records, working out your tax position accurately becomes very difficult, and you risk paying more tax than necessary simply because you cannot substantiate a deduction. This is general tax information only.
Everyone’s situation is different, and capital gains tax rules can be genuinely complex once depreciation, partial exemptions or foreign residency are involved. Anyone with an investment property should speak to a registered tax agent or accountant about their specific circumstances. You can access the tool directly through the ATO’s CGT record keeping tool.
5. State Licence Verification Registers
This is the tool most Australians have never heard of, and arguably the one that protects them the most. Every state and territory maintains a public register where you can check whether a real estate agent, conveyancer or property manager actually holds a current licence before you deal with them.
Tools Everyone In The Real Estate Industry Should Be Using and How NSW Runs Its Register
New South Wales offers a clear, real example of how this works, though it is important to note this is one state’s system. Other states and territories run comparable but different registers, and readers outside NSW should confirm the process with their own state authority.
Before dealing with a conveyancer or property agent in NSW, you can check whether they hold a current licence through the Verify NSW licence check tool, which shows the licence category, any conditions, the licence number, dates of issue and expiry, and any disciplinary action taken.
All real estate agents, including those handling sales, leasing and on-site residential property management, along with stock and station agents and strata managing agents, must hold an appropriate licence under the Property and Stock Agents Act 2002.
This kind of check takes a few minutes and costs nothing. It will not tell you whether an agent is a good fit for your needs, but it will tell you whether they are legally entitled to be doing the work in the first place. You can search the register through NSW Fair Trading’s property services licence check.
A Worked Example: Checking Costs Before You Buy
Illustrative scenario only, not a guaranteed outcome. Imagine a buyer considering a property in NSW. Before making an offer, they might use three of the tools above together: MoneySmart’s mortgage calculator to check likely repayments, Revenue NSW’s transfer duty calculator to estimate stamp duty, and the NSW Fair Trading register to confirm the selling agent is licensed.
None of these tools tell the buyer whether to proceed. They simply make sure the buyer is working from accurate numbers and dealing with a properly licensed professional, which is a very different thing from being told what decision to make.
Revenue NSW’s own guidance explains that transfer duty is calculated on a property’s dutiable value using current rates and thresholds, with worked examples available on its website. You can try the calculator yourself through Revenue NSW’s transfer duty calculator.
Comparing The Five Tools At A Glance
| Tool | Who Runs It | Main Use | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEXA | Industry-owned electronic lodgement network | Digital property settlement | Usually included in conveyancing fees |
| Cotality | Private property data company | Property and suburb data, valuation estimates | Free via some banks; paid reports direct |
| MoneySmart calculators | ASIC (Australian Government) | Mortgage repayment and borrowing estimates | Free |
| ATO CGT record keeping tool | Australian Taxation Office | Capital gains tax record keeping | Free |
| State licence registers | State governments (e.g. NSW Fair Trading) | Verifying an agent or conveyancer’s licence | Free |
How This Fits Into Your Own Decision
Whether you are thinking about entering the market, selling a long-held property, or simply managing one you already own, none of these tools replace a proper conversation about your circumstances. They are there to inform that conversation, not to substitute for it.
If you are weighing up whether to sell, realCLEAR’s Sell service is built around giving you an honest answer, even when that answer is “not yet.” If you are considering renting out a property instead, our Rent service can walk you through what that involves.
And if you already have a property being managed and want a second opinion on how it is being handled, our Manage service exists for exactly that conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need to use PEXA myself when I buy or sell a property?
- No. Your solicitor or licensed conveyancer manages the PEXA workspace on your behalf. You may be asked to complete identity verification or sign documents electronically as part of the process, but you will not typically operate the platform directly.
- Is a Cotality or CoreLogic property estimate the same as a bank valuation?
- No. An automated estimate is a statistical model based on comparable sales data. A bank valuation, particularly for lending purposes, is generally a separate and more formal process. It depends on the lender and the purpose of the valuation, so it is worth asking your bank or broker directly what they will rely on.
- Are ASIC’s MoneySmart calculators accurate enough to plan a purchase around?
- They are a genuinely independent, government-run starting point for estimating repayments and borrowing capacity, but they are still general tools. Your actual borrowing capacity depends on your lender’s specific criteria, your income, expenses and credit history. Treat the results as a guide and confirm figures with a licensed mortgage broker or your lender.
- Do I have to use the ATO’s tool to calculate capital gains tax, or can I use a spreadsheet?
- You can keep records however you like, including a spreadsheet, as long as they are accurate and complete. The ATO’s tool is simply a free way to organise those records and apply the correct calculation method. For anything beyond a straightforward situation, it is worth engaging a registered tax agent.
- What happens if I deal with an agent who turns out not to be licensed?
- This varies depending on the circumstances and your state’s regulations, so it genuinely depends on the situation. Checking the public register before you engage an agent is the simplest way to avoid this problem in the first place.
- Do other states have the same licence check system as NSW?
- Each state and territory has its own regulator and its own version of a public licence register, such as Consumer Affairs Victoria or the Queensland Office of Fair Trading. The details differ, so it is worth confirming the process with your own state’s authority rather than assuming NSW rules apply everywhere.
- Are these tools free for everyone, or do some require a professional account?
- PEXA access is restricted to authorised professionals such as conveyancers, solicitors and lenders. Cotality’s consumer reports are paid. MoneySmart, the ATO’s tool and the state licence registers are free and open to the public.
- Should I use these tools instead of getting professional advice?
- No. These tools are designed to complement professional advice, not replace it. A conveyancer, mortgage broker, accountant or licensed real estate agent will interpret your specific situation in ways a calculator or database cannot.
- Can any of these tools tell me whether property prices will rise or fall?
- No, and you should be wary of any tool or article that claims to know this. These platforms provide data, estimates and records based on the past and present. Nobody can responsibly predict future market movements, and realCLEAR does not offer that kind of advice either.
- Is it worth checking an agent’s licence even if I found them through a well-known agency?
- Yes. Working with a well-known agency does not guarantee that the individual agent handling your matter is currently licensed or free of disciplinary history. It only takes a few minutes to check, and it costs nothing.
Wrapping Up
None of the tools covered here will tell you whether to buy, sell, hold or do nothing with a property. That is deliberate. The right decision depends entirely on your own circumstances, and no calculator or database can weigh that up for you.
What these five tools can do is make sure you are working from verified numbers, dealing with properly licensed professionals, and keeping the kind of records that save you money and stress later on.
If you are trying to work out what any of this means for your own property, the most useful next step is usually a conversation rather than another calculator. You can book a free, no-obligation conversation through realCLEAR’s Contact Us page, and we will give you a straight answer, even if that answer is to wait.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. It is not legal, financial or tax advice. Property laws and rules vary between Australian states and territories, and they change over time. Always confirm current requirements with your own state’s fair trading or consumer affairs authority. Seek independent professional advice before making property decisions.
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