How to sell your property privately in Australia

Start with recent comparable sales in your suburb — same property type, similar land size, sold in the last three to six months. State land registries and free suburb reports give you median prices, and Home24's suburb pages show what is currently on the market around you.

Price against sold results, not asking prices. Overpricing is the single biggest reason private sales stall: enquiries dry up in the first two weeks, and the listing then looks stale to buyers who track the area.

In most states you cannot legally advertise a property for sale until the contract of sale (and, in some states, a vendor's statement or disclosure statement) is prepared. In Victoria this is the Section 32 statement; in NSW a contract with prescribed documents must be available from the first day of marketing; Queensland, SA, WA, TAS, ACT and NT each have their own disclosure rules.

A conveyancer or property solicitor typically costs a fraction of agent commission and handles the contract, disclosures, deposit holding and settlement. Book them early — preparing the paperwork can take one to two weeks.

Declutter, fix the small defects buyers notice (dripping taps, scuffed paint, dead globes), and clean thoroughly. Consider hiring furniture if the property is empty.

Photography matters more than anything else you will do online. Shoot in daylight, take a wide shot of every main room, include the kitchen, bathroom, outdoor space and street frontage, and lead with your strongest image. Listings with a full photo set get several times more enquiries than listings with one or two.

Lead with the facts buyers filter by: bedrooms, bathrooms, parking, land size, property type and price or price guide. Then describe what living there is like — light, layout, outdoor space, schools, transport.

Be specific and honest. Vague copy attracts time-wasters; accurate copy attracts the small number of people who actually want your property.

List on a property marketplace, share to local community and suburb groups on social media, and put a board out the front if your council allows it. Word of mouth still sells a surprising number of homes.

Listing on Home24 is free and there is no commission at any point — buyers contact you directly through the platform.

Open homes or private appointments both work. Take names and phone numbers of everyone who attends, keep valuables and personal documents out of sight, and never run an inspection alone if you can avoid it.

Follow up every attendee within 24 hours. Most private sales come from a buyer who inspected twice.

Ask for offers in writing with the buyer's finance position, deposit amount, settlement period and any conditions (finance, building and pest, sale of another property). Price is only one part of a good offer.

Once you agree, send the details to your conveyancer. They prepare the contract for signing, handle the cooling-off period rules in your state, and manage the deposit.

Between exchange and settlement (commonly 30 to 90 days) the buyer completes finance and inspections, and you keep the property in the condition agreed. Your conveyancer coordinates with the buyer's, discharges your mortgage and books the settlement.

On settlement day the balance is transferred, title changes hands, and you hand over the keys.

Agent commission in Australia generally runs between 1.5% and 3.5% of the sale price plus marketing costs. On an $800,000 sale that is roughly $12,000 to $28,000. Selling privately, your main costs are conveyancing, photography and advertising.

In exchange you take on the work: pricing, marketing, inspections, negotiation and buyer follow-up. If you have time, are comfortable talking to strangers about money, and your property is in an area with active buyer demand, a private sale is very achievable.