Going to market

Once the sign goes up, four things decide how your sale lands: whether you go to auction or private treaty, what happens when offers come in, how the deposit is held, and what rights the buyer has after they sign.

Key takeaways for sellers

• You market once the legal groundwork's done. In NSW and Victoria your contract has to be ready before you can advertise. In Queensland it doesn't, but your Form 2 disclosure has to reach the buyer before they sign (see Getting ready to sell) — then Going to market is about method, offers and the deposit.
• Choose your method deliberately. Sell at auction and there's no cooling-off period anywhere in Australia — the moment the hammer falls, the buyer is committed. Sell by private treaty and they get a window to walk: 5 business days in NSW and Queensland, 3 in Victoria. That changes your risk between signing and settlement.
• Read the agency agreement before you sign it. An exclusive agency agreement ties you to one agent for a fixed term. Switch before it expires and you can end up owing commission to two agents on the same sale.

What do the four stages cover?

Choose how you'll sell — auction or private treaty, and what each one commits you to.

Understand the deposit — how much, who holds it, and when you actually get it.

Handle offers and the contract — what to check before you accept, and what the buyer can still do afterwards.

Roughly the order it happens: engage your conveyancer → searches ordered → contract drafted → agency agreement signed → live on market.

Who does what during the campaign?

What are your obligations during the campaign?

Open homes bring strangers through your house on a schedule set by someone else. Two things worth sorting before the first one: check your insurance actually covers people on site during inspections, and if the property is tenanted, your tenant has to be given proper notice before each inspection. Notice periods differ by state, and getting them wrong can stall your campaign.

An offer isn't just a number — it comes with a settlement date, conditions and a deposit arrangement you'll live with for the next six weeks. Zettle reviews it before you commit, on a fixed fee you know up front. Just Zettle it.