SELLING PROPERTY

Selling your home can be a nail biting experience. It’s a move most of us only make once or twice in a lifetime so it pays to do your homework first. This article will help you prepare for the sale of your home:

The sale process

A residential property cannot be advertised for sale until a Contract of Sale has been prepared.

The contract must contain a copy of the title documents, drainage diagram and the Zoning Certificate (s 149) issued by the local council. Property exclusions must also be included and a statement of the buyer’s cooling off rights must be attached. The draft contract must be available for inspection at the agent’s office. It is important that you consult your solicitor or conveyancer about preparing the contract to make sure that everything is in order.

There are two main ways of selling a residential property, by private treaty and by auction:
CONTRACT EXCHANGE

Settlement - Private treaty

When you sell your home by private treaty, you set a price and the property is listed for sale at that price. In general, the price is negotiable with the seller often asking a higher amount than they expect to sell the property for, and the buyer making an initial offer much lower than the asking price.

The process of a sale by private treaty offers the following benefits:
Selling privately is often just as tense as a public auction, and you will be faced with important decisions when you are presented with offers which are lower than your asking price. There are risks with selling by private treaty which also should be considered:
You should also be aware that when a property is sold by private treaty, the buyer has a five day cooling-off period during which they may withdraw from the sale.

CONTRACTS AND DEPOSITS

Auction

To sell through an auction process, the amount you want for the property is generally not revealed to potential buyers who are encouraged to attend the auction and bid for the property against other potential buyers. Auctions have become an increasingly popular way to sell or buy residential property, but before you decide to go down that path, do your homework and familiarise yourself with the process and what it involves.

Setting a reserve price

The reserve price is the lowest amount you are willing to accept for your property. Before bidding begins, advise your agent what you nominate as the reserve price. This is usually not told to the prospective buyers. If the highest bid is below the reserve price, the property will be ‘passed in’. You will then either try and negotiate a price with interested bidders or put the property back on the market.

If the bidding continues beyond the reserve price, the property is sold at the fall of the auctioneer's hammer.
Successful bids

The successful bidder must sign the sale contract and pay you a deposit on the spot (usually 10%). There is no cooling-off period for anyone who buys a property at auction. If the property is passed in at auction but contracts are exchanged on that same day, the cooling-off period still does not apply.

Contract exchange

Exchanging sale contracts is the legal part of selling a home and happens regardless of whether you sell your property by private treaty or auction.

There will be two copies of the sale contract: one for you and one for the buyer. You each sign one copy before they are swapped or ‘exchanged’. This can be done by hand or post and is usually arranged by your solicitor, conveyancer or the agent. At the time of the exchange, the buyer will be required to pay a deposit, usually 10% of the purchase price.

The contract exchange is a critical point in the sale process:

Settlement

Settlement is the conclusion of the sale transaction and usually takes place about six weeks after contracts are exchanged.

Using an agent

A key to successfully selling your home is choosing the right agent. Before making your choice, we suggest you talk to three agents and:
The law says that there must be a written contract between between the seller and the agent, called an agency agreement.

Selling without an agent

If you decide to that you want to sell your property without the assistance of an agent, you will need to do quite a bit of homework before tackling the job yourself. The first thing you need to know is that a residential property cannot be advertised for sale until a Contract of Sale has been prepared. It is important that you consult your solicitor or conveyancer about preparing the contract to make sure that everything is in order.

One of the benefits of selling your property yourself is the chance to make a financial saving through not having to pay commission to an agent.

The broad steps involved in selling your property without an agent are as follows:
Before deciding to go through with the sale of your property without an agent, you should thoroughly research what you will need to do at every stage of the sale process.