Selling a home can feel overwhelming if you've never done it before. There are legal steps, marketing, inspections, negotiations — and it all feels mysterious if you don't know what's coming.
Let me walk you through the entire selling process step-by-step, so you know exactly what to expect and when.
Step 1: Preparation (2–4 weeks)
Before you list, you need to prepare your property and your paperwork.
Property preparation
This is where we covered earlier: clean, accessible, functioning, and presented well. You don't need perfection — you need buyers to be able to walk through, see potential, and feel confident in the property's condition.
Key things:
- Professional deep clean (or DIY deep clean if budget-conscious)
- Small repairs (broken handles, dripping taps, non-functioning doors)
- Fresh paint in key areas (optional but high-ROI)
- Curb appeal (garden tidy, driveway pressure-washed)
Documentation preparation
Have these ready:
- Title document (or proof of ownership if mortgaged)
- Council rates statements
- Body corporate documents (if applicable)
- Warranty documents or guarantees for recent work
- Building or pest inspection reports (if you have them)
- Disclosure statement documenting any known defects
Agent selection
Interview 2–3 agents. Ask about their marketing strategy, their understanding of your local market, and what commission is negotiable. Choose someone you trust and who understands your property and goals.
Step 2: Listing and Marketing (Ongoing until sold)
Once you've chosen an agent and prepared the property, it's time to list.
Photography and listing creation
Professional photos are taken, floor plans created, and the listing is written. This typically happens within 1–2 days of listing agreement. In today's market, 95% of buyers start online, so this is critical.
Marketing begins
The property goes live on realestate.com.au, agent websites, and other portals. Paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram typically starts immediately. Signage goes up. Marketing continues for the entire campaign.
Open homes and inspections
Your agent will schedule open homes (usually Saturday and Sunday mornings, sometimes midweek). Buyers and their inspectors will want to visit. You need to be available and accessible. This is ongoing until a contract is signed.
Timeline: If your property is well-presented in an active market, you may receive interest within days. More commonly, it takes 2–4 weeks to generate serious buyer interest.
Step 3: Building Interest and Inquiries
As the listing gains traction, inquiries start coming in. This is normal — not every inquiry becomes an offer, but each one represents a potential buyer.
Inquiry phase
Buyers call or email asking questions. Your agent qualifies these inquiries: Are they genuine? Do they have finance? Are they ready to buy now or browsing?
Private inspections
Most serious buyers will request a private inspection with their buyer's agent or their own inspector. You need to allow these. Private inspections often happen on weekdays.
What to expect: Inspectors spend 30–60 minutes going through the property, checking roof, plumbing, electrical, structural elements, and overall condition. You don't need to be present (your agent can manage access), though some buyers prefer the owners to be available to answer questions.
Your agent will report back on any questions or concerns raised during inspections.
Step 4: Offers and Negotiation (Varies)
Once genuine buyer interest exists, offers come in. This is where strategy matters.
Single offer
If you receive one good offer, you typically accept it and move to contract. Done.
Multiple offers
If you receive multiple offers simultaneously (or nearly so), you can run a mini-auction. Inform all parties that you have multiple offers and are asking for best-and-final offers by a certain time. This often drives price upward as buyers compete.
Negotiation
Offers sometimes come with conditions: building inspection, finance approval, sale of another property. Your agent negotiates these. The goal is a strong contract with minimal risk of falling through.
Expected price: Most offers are at or slightly below your asking price. If your property is well-priced and presented, competitive offers are common. If you're overpriced or the property needs work, offers may be lower.
Step 5: Contract Signed
Once you've accepted an offer and both parties sign the contract, you're under contract to sell.
What happens now:
- Deposit lodged: The buyer puts down a deposit (typically 10% of the purchase price) with the agent or conveyancer. This is held in trust.
- Cooling-off period: In Queensland, the buyer has 5 business days to withdraw without penalty (cooling-off period). During this time, they may have an inspection done. If they find issues, they can withdraw.
- Due diligence: The buyer's conveyancer conducts searches (title, rates, environmental, etc.). They may ask questions about the property or request additional documentation.
Most contracts survive the cooling-off period, but it's not guaranteed until it expires.
Step 6: Conveyancing and Settlement Preparation (4–8 weeks)
After the cooling-off period, the contract is unconditional and the buyer is committed to purchase.
Conveyancing process
Your conveyancer and the buyer's conveyancer coordinate:
- Verify all title information
- Arrange for discharge of your mortgage (if applicable)
- Prepare settlement documents
- Handle rates and utility adjustments (prorating what you owe vs. what the buyer owes)
- Coordinate final settlement details
Typically, settlement is scheduled 4–8 weeks after contract, though this can vary.
Final inspection
The day before or morning of settlement, the buyer usually does a final inspection to ensure the property is in the agreed condition and agreed fixtures are still in place. You need to be available for this.
Step 7: Settlement (The final step)
Settlement is the legal transfer of ownership. You don't typically need to be present — your conveyancer handles the paperwork.
What happens:
- The buyer's bank transfers the purchase price to the agent/conveyancer
- Your mortgage (if any) is paid out from those funds
- Your conveyancer receives your net proceeds
- The title is transferred to the buyer
- Keys are handed over to the buyer
Settlement usually happens mid-morning. By end of business, the property is no longer yours legally, the money is in your account (minus agent commission and conveyancing), and the buyer has the keys.
"The selling process is straightforward if you understand each stage. The main variables are: how quickly will you find a buyer (depends on property, price, market) and will inspections raise issues that affect the sale (depends on property condition)."
Jackson's Tip
The entire process from listing to settlement typically takes 8–12 weeks. This varies — some properties sell in 3 weeks, others take 4 months. The main variables are market demand in your price range, property condition, and how well-presented it is. The more attractive and move-in-ready a property is, the faster it sells. The more work it needs, the longer the process.
This is the high-level overview. Each step has details and nuances that matter, but this is the journey from "I want to sell" to "settlement complete."
If you're preparing to sell or are just curious about the process, let's have a conversation. I can walk you through your specific situation and timeline, and answer any questions about how this applies to your property.