Selling a house privately in Victoria.

Get your Section 32 and contract ready, the Victorian-first step

Victoria runs on one document: the vendor statement, known everywhere as the Section 32 after the section of the Sale of Land Act 1962 that requires it. Engage your conveyancer before you book a photographer. A Section 32 usually takes one to two weeks, and you should not start marketing without it.

What goes in the Section 32

The Section 32 tells the buyer everything that affects the title and use of the land. It covers the certificate of title and title plan, any mortgages, easements and covenants, zoning and planning overlays, council and water rates and other outgoings, building permits issued in the past seven years, any notices or orders affecting the property, owners corporation details if it is a unit or townhouse, and whether the land is in a bushfire-prone area. It must be accurate and complete. If it is missing or wrong, the buyer may be able to end the contract before settlement, which is the worst possible time to find out. Our contracts of sale and vendor statements guide explains the document in plain English, and Consumer Affairs Victoria covers it on its conveyancing and contracts for sellers page.

To get your conveyancer started, send them:

• Your full names as they appear on the title, and the property address.
• Your latest council, water and owners corporation notices.
• Your lender’s name and loan account number, so they can arrange the mortgage discharge.
• Any building permits, certificates or warranties for work done in the past seven years.
• Pool or spa registration and barrier certificate, and owner-builder paperwork if it applies.

The due diligence checklist

Every seller in Victoria, with or without an agent, must make the Consumer Affairs Victoria due diligence checklist available to buyers at inspections. It is free, and it points buyers to issues like owners corporation rules, flood and fire risk, growth area infrastructure contributions and native vegetation controls. Print a stack for every open, and put a copy online with the listing.

Owner-builder work and pools

Two things catch Victorian sellers late. If you did owner-builder work under a permit in the last six and a half years, the Building Act requires a defects inspection report from a registered building inspector before you sell, and domestic building insurance if the work was worth more than $16,000. Both go into the Section 32, so order them early. If you have a pool or spa, it must be registered with your council and the barrier must hold a current certificate of compliance. Buyers’ conveyancers will ask for both.

The 2027 changes to the Section 32 and the deposit

Victoria passed the Consumer Legislation Amendment Act 2026 in September. Consumer Affairs Victoria lists two changes that matter to sellers:

• From 1 June 2027, the Section 32 timing. For a home advertised through a licensed agency, the Section 32 must be available within 14 days after it is first advertised for a private sale, or before the buyer signs if it sells sooner. For an auction or fixed-date sale, it must be available at least 14 days before the day.
• From 1 July 2027, early release of the deposit. The current process for getting the deposit released before settlement ends. Early release will only happen if the contract includes a condition the buyer agrees to.

If your Section 32 is ready before you list, the June rule will never slow you down.

Do you need a conveyancer or a lawyer?

Victoria lets you do your own conveyancing, but Consumer Affairs Victoria is blunt about the risk: you lose the professional indemnity insurance a conveyancer or lawyer carries if something goes wrong. Almost every private seller uses one. A licensed conveyancer handles a standard sale well and is usually cheaper. A lawyer suits a sale with a complication, like a deceased estate, a trust, a subdivision or a boundary issue. They prepare the Section 32 and contract, hold the deposit in trust and run settlement. Budget about $900 to $2,000 including the searches.

Understanding your property’s value

Pricing is where private sales are won or lost. Too high and the listing sits, goes stale and attracts lowball offers. Too low and you hand your equity to a buyer. You want a number you can defend.

Use the comparable sales method. Find homes like yours sold in the last three to six months, ideally within one to two kilometres. Then adjust each sale for the differences: land size, bedrooms and bathrooms, condition, parking and aspect. Look at how long each one took to sell and what is listed against you right now, too. One sale tells you little. Three or four, adjusted honestly, give you a range you can defend.

Here is how that looks for a three-bedroom house in a Melbourne suburb. The figures are made up to show the method.

That puts this home at about $930,000 to $955,000. Check it against what is listed nearby and against your first week of buyer interest, and you have an asking price you can explain to any buyer.

Free sources include the sold listings on realestate.com.au and Domain. For a sharper read, Unreserved’s AI property valuation tool scores your home against comparable sales and weights the features buyers in your suburb pay for. Treat any single number as a starting point, then test it against real buyer interest in the first week.

Private sale, auction or fixed-date sale?

Melbourne is the auction capital of Australia, so you will hear that auction is the only way to sell here. A private sale with a clear asking price is the simplest and most transparent option, and it suits a seller without an agent, because there is no one to run the room. An auction or fixed-date sale can work in a hot pocket of Melbourne, but auctions need a licensed auctioneer, buyers get no cooling-off, and from 16 October 2026 an agent-run auction or fixed-date sale must publish the seller’s reserve price at least seven days before the day.

Victoria’s price rules also changed on 1 October 2026. Because your listing is published through a licensed agency, those rules apply to it. The advertised price cannot sit below your asking price. The old Statement of Information has become the Property Price Statement, which compares your home with recent nearby sales and must be shown prominently with the online listing. Once the sale goes unconditional, the statement is updated with the sale price within seven days and stays public for at least 18 months. Your licensed agency publishes it, so check you agree with the comparable sales it uses.

Whichever method you choose, watch the first week closely. Enquiries, inspection bookings and second inspections tell you more than any appraisal. Read them together with what buyers actually say. Plenty of inspections and no offers can mean the price is high, or that buyers are waiting on finance. Several written offers under your number, with the same feedback, means the market has answered, and a small, evidence-based adjustment beats a stale listing.

Preparing your home for sale

Presentation moves the price more than almost anything else you control, and most of it costs little. Buyers judge a listing in seconds, and the photos carry that first impression. Work through the high-return jobs: declutter and depersonalise, deep clean, fix the small things that read as neglect, freshen tired walls with neutral paint, and tidy the garden and entry.

Victoria has a clear selling rhythm. Spring is the busiest season, with the most buyers and the most competing listings. Autumn is often quieter and steadier. In winter, warmth and light matter: run the heating before inspections, open every blind and swap dim globes for bright warm ones. Lead with outdoor space, north light and a good kitchen, because Melbourne buyers pay for all three.

Spend your preparation money where buyers actually look:

• The entrance and street view. The first photo and the first ten seconds of an inspection set the tone. A tidy entry, clean path and fresh front door do a lot of work.
• Kitchen and bathrooms. These rooms move buyers most. You rarely need to renovate. Clean grout, new tapware and fresh paint read as cared for.
• Light and clutter. Take down heavy curtains, use bright globes, and clear benches and shelves so rooms feel bigger.
• Outdoor living. A clean deck, courtyard or balcony with a setting for two makes the home feel larger.

Book professional photography for the week before you list, once the work is finished. The photos decide who clicks, and who clicks decides who inspects.

Advertising your property

Your listing is your shopfront. Strong photos, a clear headline and a description that sells the life in the home decide who clicks and who scrolls past. Write for the buyer’s questions, not for adjectives.

• Weak: “Stunning family home in a sought-after location. Perfect for entertaining. Inspect today, you won’t be disappointed.”
• Useful: “Three-bedroom brick home on 620 sqm, 600 m from the station and in the local primary school zone. North-facing living and deck, gas heating, off-street parking for two. Section 32 available on request.”

How to list on realestate.com.au

A private seller cannot upload to realestate.com.au directly, because the portal only takes listings from licensed agencies. You list through a licensed platform that publishes on your behalf. Unreserved holds the licence, builds your listing and puts it on the major portals while you keep control of price and offers. This is the biggest reach a private seller can buy, because most Victorian buyers start their search on the portals.

Other property advertising options

Go wider than the big two. Domain, Homely and local Facebook groups all carry buyers. A signboard still works, especially on a busy street where locals walk past every day. Share the listing on your own social channels, send it to your network, and ask about a premium listing if your suburb is crowded, because standard listings lose visibility in high-volume Melbourne markets.

Managing buyer enquiries

Enquiries arrive fast once a listing goes live, and the speed of your reply shapes the result. Answer within a few hours, because a buyer who waits a day moves on to the next home. Ask about their timeframe and whether finance is in place, and book inspections while interest is hot. Send the Section 32 to anyone who asks for it. As the owner, you answer questions about the home, the street and the neighbours with a credibility no agent can match.

Keep a simple log so no buyer slips through. A spreadsheet is enough:

On Unreserved Lite these enquiries land in one buyer inbox, with an AI assistant answering common questions around the clock. On Unreserved Plus, your campaign manager handles them and the follow-up for you.

Conducting open homes and inspections

Inspections turn interest into offers. Present the home the way it looked in the photos: clean, light, warm and clear of clutter. Let buyers picture themselves living there.

• Have the due diligence checklist out at every inspection. The law requires it.
• Keep copies of the Section 32 and contract on hand for serious buyers.
• Run inspections in small groups so you can talk to each party.
• Prepare a one-page info sheet: floor plan, council and water rates, owners corporation fees if any, and school zones.
• Lock away valuables, medicines and personal papers before every inspection.
• Note who attends and what they said, add it to your enquiry log, and follow up every party within 24 hours.

Negotiating offers like a professional

This is where sellers most often leave money behind, usually because they negotiate with one buyer and no pressure. The fix is competition. When more than one buyer is interested, tell each there is real interest and invite their best offer. Hold your number. A buyer who has inspected twice and arranged finance is closer to their ceiling than their first offer suggests.

Look past the headline price. A clean offer with finance approved, a 10% deposit and a settlement date that suits you can beat a higher offer loaded with conditions. Here is a typical choice:

Offer 1 is $10,000 higher, but it can still fall over on finance three weeks from now, and you wait twice as long for your money. Many sellers would take Offer 2, or go back to Buyer 1 and ask them to remove the conditions. Talk the terms through with your conveyancer before you sign, and get the accepted offer to them fast so the contract is signed while the buyer is keen. Our guide to negotiating as a private seller goes deeper.

• Ask for offers in writing. A written offer with the buyer’s name, price, deposit, settlement date and conditions is real. A number over the phone is a feeler.
• Never negotiate against yourself. If a buyer asks “what will you take?”, invite their best offer instead. Dropping your price before anyone has offered resets the ceiling lower.
• Use competition honestly. When two buyers are interested, tell each there is interest and set a deadline for best offers. Never invent an offer. Buyers have heard that one from agents for decades.
• Hold your nerve on a single offer. A buyer who has inspected twice and lined up finance has already decided they want it. Patience is worth real money here.

Settlement and handover

Settlement is the finish line. In Victoria it is usually 30 to 90 days after signing, and you agree the date with the buyer. Sixty days is common. The buyer can inspect the property in the week before settlement, so hand it over in the condition it was sold in. Council and water rates are adjusted between you and the buyer at settlement. For most homes sold since 1 January 2024, land tax can no longer be passed on to the buyer.

Settlement runs electronically through PEXA. The conveyancers and banks meet in an online workspace, money and title move at the same moment, and the transfer is lodged with Land Use Victoria. You hand over the keys, and the net proceeds land in your account.

Getting your ATO clearance certificate

This is the step private sellers most often miss. Since 1 January 2025, every property sale in Australia falls under the foreign resident capital gains withholding rules, whatever the price. If you are an Australian resident, you give the buyer an ATO clearance certificate before settlement. Without one, the buyer must hold back 15% of the price and pay it to the ATO. On a $973,000 house, that is $145,950 you wait to get back through your tax return.

The certificate is free. You apply online with the ATO, it can take up to 28 days, and it is valid for 12 months. Every owner on the title needs one. Apply when you decide to sell, and send it to your conveyancer. It is not a tax bill. Whether you owe capital gains tax is a separate question, and your main residence is usually exempt.

From signing to settlement

• Contract signed. The deposit goes into trust and the three-day cooling-off starts on a private sale.
• Conditions met. Finance and building and pest are usually cleared within two to three weeks. The sale is now unconditional.
• Paperwork. Your conveyancer gives the buyer your ATO clearance certificate and works out the rates adjustments.
• Mortgage discharge. Tell your lender you are selling as soon as you sign. Discharge forms take time, and a late one can delay settlement.
• Final inspection. The buyer can inspect in the week before settlement. Leave the home as it was sold.
• Settlement day. Funds and title swap in PEXA, and you hand over the keys. More detail in our settlement day guide.