Selling property in Victoria: the complete state guide

Selling in Victoria starts with the section 32. Before a buyer can sign, your lawyer or conveyancer has to prepare the vendor's statement, setting out the title, what is owed on the property, the planning controls, the owners corporation details and more. Get the section 32 right and the sale runs cleanly. Get it wrong and the buyer may be able to walk away, even close to settlement.

After that it's more straightforward. The buyer gets a short three clear business day cooling-off, and settlement is usually 30, 60 or 90 days later. This guide walks the whole sale, what you prepare, what you are on the hook for, and what lands in your account at the end, with a link to the detailed explainer for each step.

The short version for Victorian sellers

• Your section 32 comes first. The vendor's statement has to be prepared and given to the buyer before they sign. A missing or inaccurate section 32 can let the buyer rescind, so this is your conveyancer's first job.
• Compliance is on you. Working smoke alarms and a registered, compliant pool or spa before the sale. And if you did major owner-builder work, you may need a defects report and building insurance. Raise it with your conveyancer before you list.
• The buyer's cooling-off is short. Three clear business days by private treaty, and none at auction, so a sale under the hammer is locked in on the spot.
• Transfer duty isn't your cost. The buyer pays that. You pay agent commission, conveyancing, preparing the section 32, and discharging your mortgage, and keep your building insurance until settlement funds clear.

How selling in Victoria differs from Queensland and New South Wales

If you have sold in another state before, these are the parts of a Victorian sale that work differently.

What's different about selling in Victoria

The Victorian selling process, step by step

1. Prepare your section 32 and contract. Before anything is signed, your lawyer or conveyancer orders the searches and prepares the vendor's statement and the contract of sale. In Victoria this is the first job, because the buyer cannot sign without the section 32.
2. Go to market. Private treaty or auction. Your agent lists the property with a Property Price Statement, which replaced the Statement of Information on 1 October 2026 as the required price guide. They run the campaign and handle inspections and offers, with your section 32 ready for any buyer who wants to sign. For auctions and fixed-date sales from 16 October 2026, your agent must also ask you in writing for your reserve price and publish it at least seven days before the sale, as a single dollar amount. At auction, the buyer is bound on the fall of the hammer with no cooling-off.
3. The buyer signs and pays the deposit. Having received your section 32, the buyer signs and pays the deposit, usually up to 10%, held in the agent's trust account or by your conveyancer.
4. Cooling-off runs, if it applies. Three clear business days by private treaty, and none at auction. Your sale can still unwind in this short window.
5. The buyer works through any conditions. Finance and building and pest, where they apply. Meanwhile you line up your side: mortgage discharge, smoke alarm and pool compliance, and a section 27 for early deposit release if you qualify.
6. The sale is unconditional. If the buyer defaults from here you can generally keep the deposit and pursue your losses beyond it, though recovering more than the deposit means proving what you lost, which takes time and money. Most sellers are better off finding out early whether the buyer can still complete, so tell your conveyancer the moment something looks shaky.
7. Settlement. Adjustments for rates and owners corporation fees are worked out, your mortgage is discharged, and the balance is transferred to you electronically through PEXA.

⚠️ Before you list: do not let a buyer sign without a complete, accurate section 32. In Victoria a missing certificate or a wrong vendor's statement is the most common way a sale unravels, because the buyer can rescind, sometimes right up to settlement.

What it costs to sell in Victoria

You don't pay transfer duty. That is the buyer's cost in Victoria, not yours. What you do pay is agent commission (negotiable in Victoria, with no fixed scale, commonly around 2 to 3% plus a marketing budget), conveyancing, the cost of preparing your section 32, and discharging your mortgage. See what it costs to sell a property.

The parts that catch people. Your lender charges a discharge fee, and a fixed-rate loan can add break costs, so check early. If the land has been rezoned a windfall gains tax can apply, and a land tax clearance is usually obtained for settlement, so raise these with your accountant. Conveyancing is a fixed fee; see what conveyancing costs in Queensland, NSW and Victoria. If the property is not your main residence, capital gains tax may apply. Discharging your mortgage covers the lender side.

Common questions about selling in Victoria

Quick answers to what Victorian sellers ask most.

Do I need a section 32 before I can sell my house in Victoria?

Yes. In Victoria the buyer cannot sign until your lawyer or conveyancer has prepared the section 32 vendor's statement. It is the first step, because a missing or inaccurate statement can let the buyer rescind.

What documents must be included in a section 32 vendor's statement?

The section 32 sets out the title and plan, what is owed on the property (council and water rates and other outgoings), planning and zoning, connected services, any owners corporation certificate, and known building or planning issues. Your conveyancer assembles these before the property goes to contract.

Can a buyer pull out of the sale if my section 32 is missing information?

Yes. If a required certificate is left out, or the statement is false or misleading, the buyer can generally rescind the contract any time before settlement and recover their deposit. That is why getting the section 32 complete and accurate before you list matters so much.

How can I access the buyer's deposit before settlement using section 27?

You serve a section 27 statement setting out your mortgage details. Early release is generally available where the amount needed to discharge your loan is not more than 80% of the sale price. The buyer then has 28 days to object. If they don't, consent is taken to have been given and the deposit can be released to you before settlement.

What are the rules for owner-builders selling a renovated home in Victoria?

If you carried out major building work yourself as an owner-builder, you generally have to give the buyer a defects inspection report and domestic building insurance before the contract is signed. Whether it applies depends on when the work was done and what it cost, so if you've owner-built in the last decade, raise it with your conveyancer before you list.

What compliance do I need to meet when selling a home in Victoria?

Working smoke alarms are required, and if the property has a pool or spa it must be registered and hold a valid compliance certificate for the sale. The pool certificate can take time to get, so start it early rather than the week before. See compliance when selling.

How long does settlement take in Victoria?

Commonly 30, 60 or 90 days from the contract date, completed through PEXA. See time and settlement in property contracts (VIC).

Selling somewhere specific in Victoria?

Local knowledge, compliance and the checks that matter in each part of Victoria.

• Conveyancing in Melbourne

Selling in Victoria runs on getting the section 32 right before anyone signs. If you're getting ready to sell, get a fixed-fee quote and have your section 32 and contract prepared first. Just Zettle it.

General information only, not legal advice. Conveyancing law varies by state and changes over time, so confirm your situation with a licensed conveyancer or solicitor.