Getting ready to sell

Before your property goes on the market, four things need sorting: who's handling the legal side, what the sale will cost you, your contract of sale, and your disclosure documents. That groundwork happens long before the “for sale” sign goes up, and it decides how smoothly — and how safely — your sale runs.

Getting this stage right protects both your sale price and your settlement date. A contract with the wrong terms, or a missing disclosure, can give a buyer the right to walk away, delay settlement, or negotiate a reduction — sometimes months down the track. This guide walks you through the four things to sort out before you list. It's general information, not legal advice — the details depend on your property and your state.

When should you engage a conveyancer?

In NSW and Victoria you can't advertise a property for sale until the contract is ready, so the work has to happen before the sign goes up. Queensland doesn't work that way, but your disclosure documents still need to be sorted before a buyer signs anything. Either way, lining up a conveyancer before you list means the paperwork is ready the moment an offer lands.

• Do you need a conveyancer to sell? — what they do for a seller, and where rules differ by state.
• Preparing your contract of sale — what goes in it, and when it has to be ready in your state.

What does selling really cost?

Agent commission is the big one, but it's far from the only cost — legal fees, marketing, mortgage discharge, and potentially capital gains tax. The legal bit is the one that traditionally arrives last and least explained. Ours doesn't: fixed fee, known before you start.

• What does it cost to sell a property? — a plain breakdown of every cost.

What disclosures do you need before you list?

Every state requires a seller to disclose certain things about the property — and the rules differ significantly between VIC, NSW and QLD.

• What must you disclose when selling? — the state-by-state rules and the consequences of getting them wrong.

Where does a conveyancer fit in?

A conveyancer's role at this stage is quietly protective: they prepare a compliant contract of sale, assemble the disclosure certificates your state requires, and check the document a buyer signs before it goes out — so a technicality doesn't come back to bite you months later. Get a fixed-fee quote before you list, so you know the legal side is sorted and what it costs. Just Zettle it.