A private sale, start to settlement
In short
The whole private sale on one page, in six stages: engage a conveyancer, go live, handle enquiries and open homes, take offers, sign contracts, settle. What you do, what your conveyancer does, and the documents your state needs before you start.
On this page
Stage 1: Engage a conveyancerStage 2: Photos and listing go liveStage 3: Enquiries and open homesStage 4: Offers in, you decideStage 5: Contracts and cooling-offStage 6: SettlementWho does whatSourcesPrivate sale, start to finish. There are fewer steps than most people expect, and the work splits cleanly in two: you run the listing, the buyers and the offers, and your conveyancer runs the legal side.
This guide deliberately gives no timeframes. How long each stage takes depends on your state, your contract and your market, and a number here would be wrong for half of you.
Stage 1: Engage a conveyancer
Do this first, before you list. A conveyancer or property solicitor prepares your contract of sale and the disclosure documents your state requires, usually holds the deposit in their trust account, and runs settlement. In several states you cannot lawfully start marketing, or a buyer cannot be bound, until those documents exist.
What your state needs before you sell
| State | What must be ready | When |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | A contract for sale with the prescribed documents attached (title search, plan, drainage diagram, planning certificate, pool documents if relevant) | Before you market the property |
| VIC | A signed Section 32 vendor statement | Before the buyer signs |
| QLD | A Seller Disclosure Statement (Form 2) and the prescribed certificates, from 1 August 2025 | Before the buyer signs |
| SA | A Form 1 vendor's statement | In practice before the contract, as cooling-off only starts once it is served |
| WA | No statutory disclosure statement, but you must not mislead buyers about material facts; ask your conveyancer what to disclose | Before the buyer commits |
| TAS | No mandatory vendor statement (an optional one exists in the standard contract) | n/a |
| ACT | The proposed contract plus required documents, including building, pest and energy efficiency reports | Available for inspection when the property is offered for sale |
| NT | No general disclosure statement; unit title and pool documents apply where relevant | Before the buyer commits |
Missing or wrong documents can let a buyer walk away, in some states right up to settlement. This is the main reason the conveyancer comes first.
Stage 2: Photos and listing go live
Good photos, an accurate description and a clear asking price or guide. Then the listing goes out to where buyers search, which in Australia means Domain and realestate.com.au.
This is where helm starts. helm enhances your photos, drafts the listing copy for you to edit and approve, and publishes to Domain and realestate.com.au. You check every word before it goes live, because what the listing says is your responsibility.
Stage 3: Enquiries and open homes
Buyers message, ask questions and want to inspect. Reply promptly, keep a record of who has seen the property, and run open homes or private inspections at times that suit you. Our guide to running your open home as a private seller covers the day itself.
helm puts every enquiry in one inbox, lets you schedule open homes, and shows how many people are viewing and saving the listing.
Stage 4: Offers in, you decide
Offers arrive with a price and terms: deposit, finance, conditions, settlement date. Read all of it, not just the number. Our guide to what to do when you receive an offer walks through it, and conditional vs unconditional offers covers the conditions in detail.
helm scores every offer on its terms and lays them out side by side, so you can compare them before you reply. What helm's offer score looks at explains how. Accepting, countering or declining is always your decision.
Stage 5: Contracts and cooling-off
Once you and a buyer agree, your conveyancer sends the contract. The sale becomes binding when both of you sign (or when contracts are exchanged in NSW, the ACT and the NT). In most states the buyer then has a short statutory cooling-off period; WA and Tasmania have none. The deposit is held by the stakeholder named in the contract, usually your conveyancer or solicitor in their trust account, not in your own account.
From here, helm's part is done. helm is not a party to the contract and never holds the deposit.
Stage 6: Settlement
Your conveyancer and the buyer's conveyancer settle the sale between them: the balance is paid, the title transfers and the keys change hands. In most states this happens through an electronic platform such as PEXA. Before settlement, chase anything your state requires of a seller, such as smoke alarm or pool paperwork. Our guide to safety checks that come up when you sell lists them by state.
Who does what
| Stage | You | helm | Conveyancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engage a conveyancer | Choose one | Contract and disclosure documents | |
| Listing goes live | Approve the listing | Photos, copy, both major portals | |
| Enquiries and open homes | Reply and show buyers through | One inbox, open home scheduling | |
| Offers | Decide | Offer scoring, side-by-side view | Reads the conditions with you |
| Contracts and cooling-off | Sign | Contract, deposit in trust | |
| Settlement | Hand over the keys | Settles with the buyer's conveyancer |
helm covers listing to offers. Your conveyancer covers the rest.
Sources
NSW Government, Steps to selling a property. Consumer Affairs Victoria, Conveyancing and contracts for sellers. Queensland Government, Seller disclosure scheme. Legal Services Commission of South Australia, Law Handbook: Form 1. WA Government, From the Commissioner: The material fact of the matter when it comes to buying a home. Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (Tasmania), Advice when buying or selling property; Hobart Community Legal Service, Buying and selling real estate. ACT Legislation Register, Civil Law (Sale of Residential Property) Act 2003. NT Government, Unit title schemes disclosure statement (Form 122). ARNECC, Electronic Conveyancing National Law. General information, not legal advice; your conveyancer or solicitor confirms what applies to your sale.