VICTORIA · 20 MIN READ
Selling a house privately in Victoria.
A complete 2026 guide for Victorian and Melbourne homeowners. The Section 32, valuation, marketing, negotiation, cooling-off and settlement, and how to keep the commission you would have paid an agent.
I have spent 15 years in this industry and called over 2,000 auctions. Victoria is where the auction became a weekend sport, and it is also where I watched commission stay put while the agent’s job got easier. On a median Melbourne house worth around $973,000, an agent charging 2.1% takes about $20,400, plus GST, plus a marketing budget. This guide walks through a private sale in Victoria from the Section 32 to settlement day, with the Victorian rules spelled out, including the changes that started this month and the ones coming in 2027.
Quick answer: Selling a house privately in Victoria is legal and common. Get your Section 32 vendor statement and contract ready first, keep the due diligence checklist at every inspection, use a licensed platform to reach the major portals, and let a conveyancer run the contract and settlement. On a median Melbourne house, that keeps roughly $20,000 or more in your pocket.
Key takeaways
- Selling a house privately in Victoria is completely legal.
- The Section 32 vendor statement is the Victorian document that matters most. Get it done before you list.
- Every seller must make the due diligence checklist available at inspections, with or without an agent.
- From 1 June 2027 at the latest, the Section 32 must be available at least 14 days before the buyer signs.
- realestate.com.au and Domain listings require a licensed agency, which you reach through Unreserved.
- Buyers get three clear business days to cool off on a private sale. There is none at auction.
- Settlement is usually 30 to 90 days, negotiated with the buyer, and runs through PEXA.
- On a median Melbourne house, a private sale saves around $20,000 to $30,000.
Why more Victorian homeowners are selling privately
Three things changed the maths. First, the portals took over. Buyers find homes on realestate.com.au and Domain, not by walking into an agency, so the thing an agent once controlled (access to buyers) is now something a private seller can reach for a few hundred dollars. Second, Victorian commissions are negotiable and there is no set rate, so sellers are looking hard at what they hand over. Third, the tools caught up. AI valuation, online listings, digital contracts and electronic settlement let an organised owner run a campaign that looked impossible ten years ago.
Selling privately means you pay for the parts you need and skip the percentage. If you want the short version of the whole journey first, our guide to selling your home privately is the place to start.
An agent’s fee covers pricing advice, a portal listing, photography, inspections, enquiries and negotiation. On a $973,000 Melbourne sale, 2.1% is about $20,400 before GST, while the listing costs a few hundred dollars, the photos a few hundred more, and the negotiation is a handful of conversations you can have yourself. Agents set the percentage back when they controlled who saw your home, and the portals ended that years ago.
Can you legally sell your own home in Victoria?
Yes. No law in Victoria, or anywhere in Australia, requires you to use a licensed estate agent. Consumer Affairs Victoria sets out what a seller does without one on its selling with or without an agent page: set the price, advertise, negotiate, take the deposit, provide the contract and handle settlement. You make the decisions.
There is one practical limit. You cannot list directly on realestate.com.au or Domain as a private individual. Both portals only accept listings from licensed agencies. To appear where buyers look, you list through a licensed platform that publishes on your behalf. That is what Unreserved does: your home goes on the major portals and you keep control of the sale, without a commission agent. See how it works for the full picture.
Private sale vs real estate agent: what is the difference?
The work is largely the same. What changes is who does it, how much control you keep, and what it costs.
| Factor | Traditional agent | Private sale (Unreserved) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 2.1% commission + GST + marketing (around $22,470 plus marketing on a $973,000 Melbourne house) | One flat fee, typically a few thousand dollars all in |
| Who sets the price | Agent recommends, often quotes low to pull a crowd | You decide, backed by data |
| Buyer contact | Through the agent | Direct, so you answer questions the way only an owner can |
| Portal access | Yes | Yes, through the licensed platform |
| Control | Limited once you sign the agency agreement | You hold every decision |
| Conflict of interest | A faster sale can suit the agent more than you | None: your result is the only result |
An agent earns almost the same whether your home sells for $950,000 or $990,000. The extra $40,000 is worth about $840 to them at 2.1%, and a lot more to you. For the broader numbers, see our guide to real estate agent commission in Australia and the detail on real estate fees in Victoria.
The complete process of selling a house privately in Victoria
The order matters. Get the Section 32 and contract ready, price the home, prepare it, list it, manage enquiries and inspections, negotiate, sign, then settle. The eight steps below cover each stage. One Victorian point up front: the paperwork comes first. You cannot sign a buyer without a Section 32, and from 2027 it has to be available two weeks before they sign.
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.
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 change: 14 days before signing
Victoria passed the Consumer Legislation Amendment Act 2026 in September. Once its Sale of Land changes commence, which will be 1 June 2027 at the latest, the Section 32 must be available at least 14 days before a private-sale buyer signs, or 14 days before an auction or fixed-date sale. You must also give the buyer written notice of any change to it before they sign. The same reforms end the current Section 27 process for releasing the deposit early: you will only get early access if the contract includes an express condition the buyer agrees to. If your Section 32 is ready before you list, the 14-day 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. Weigh land size, bedrooms and bathrooms, condition, parking and aspect. Trust sales that completed near the asking price over ones that sat for two months and sold under, because those tell you the market was not there at that level.
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 goes with the listing and compares your home with recent nearby sales, and the sale price is published once the sale goes unconditional.
Whichever method you choose, watch the first week closely. Enquiries, inspection bookings and second inspections tell you more than any appraisal. Strong interest and no offers usually means the price is high. Plenty of offers under your number 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 either way. The photos decide who clicks, and who clicks decides who inspects.
THE VICTORIAN SELLING GUIDE
Selling privately in Victoria? Get the 24-page guide.
Everything on this page, plus the Section 32 and contract detail, laid out as a guide you can work through offline. Written by an agent who ran 2,000+ auctions before building the alternative.
One email with the PDF attached. No agent will call you.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.
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. Keep a simple log of each enquiry, 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.
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.
- Note who attends, 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. Get the accepted terms to your conveyancer fast so the contract is signed while the buyer is keen.
- 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.
Understanding offers, contracts and cooling-off in Victoria
Victoria has no NSW-style exchange. The sale becomes binding when both you and the buyer have signed the contract of sale, with the Section 32 attached.
The deposit. The buyer usually pays a 10% deposit, which your conveyancer or lawyer holds in trust until settlement. Under the current rules you can ask for early release with a Section 27 statement once conditions are met. When the 2026 reforms commence (1 June 2027 at the latest), that process goes, and early release will only happen if the contract includes a condition the buyer agrees to.
Cooling-off. On a private sale of residential property, the buyer has three clear business days after signing to end the contract by written notice. If they do, you keep $100 or 0.2% of the price, whichever is more, and refund the rest. There is no cooling-off for a sale at a public auction, or within three clear business days before or after one, for farms over 20 hectares, for commercial property, or where the buyer has signed a contract for the same property on substantially the same terms before.
Conditions. Many offers come with conditions, most often finance approval or a building and pest inspection. Once they are met, the deal is firm and the settlement clock runs. Your conveyancer manages the dates from 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. No commission cheque comes off the top.
What does it cost to sell a house privately in Victoria?
The costs are small and fixed, not a percentage. Here are realistic 2026 ranges for a Victorian private sale.
| Cost item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Conveyancing and Section 32 | $900 to $2,000 | Includes title, planning and rates searches |
| Portal listing package | $700 to $1,400 | realestate.com.au and Domain via a licensed platform |
| Professional photography | $400 to $800 | Floor plans, twilight and drone shots cost more |
| Signboard | $150 to $350 | Optional, useful for local interest |
| Owner-builder report and insurance | Varies | Only if you did owner-builder work in the last 6.5 years |
| Building & pest inspection | $300 to $600 | Usually the buyer’s cost; some sellers order one to share |
All in, a private sale in Victoria usually lands between $2,500 and $5,500. For every selling cost and where it sits, see our guide to the cost of selling a house.
See your exact saving
Run your Melbourne or regional Victorian sale price through our commission calculator and see what an agent would charge against a flat fee.
Open the Victorian commission calculatorHow much can you save by selling privately?
This is the number that matters. Compare the fixed cost of a private sale with a 2.1% commission on a median Melbourne house.
| On a $973,000 Melbourne house | Traditional agent | Private sale |
|---|---|---|
| Commission / fee | 2.1% = $20,430 | One flat fee |
| GST on commission | + $2,040 | Included |
| Marketing | $3,000 to $10,000 extra | Listing included in package |
| Total | $25,470 to $32,470 | ~$2,500 to $5,500 |
On a single median Melbourne sale, that is a saving of around $20,000 to $30,000. The typical Melbourne rate is closer to 2.35%, which is about $22,900 in commission alone, so the 2.1% in the table keeps the comparison conservative. The exact figure moves with your price and your agent. For more on how those fees stack up, see our commission guide.
Median house values: Cotality Hedonic Home Value Index, capital cities, April 2026. Typical commission rates: 2025-26 industry surveys. Method and full table: Unreserved Commission Report 2026.
Selling a house privately in Melbourne
Melbourne’s median house sat near $973,000 in 2026. At that price, a 2.1% commission is about $20,400 before GST, and the percentage climbs with the price even though the work does not. In Toorak, Brighton, Kew or Camberwell, where million-dollar-plus sales are normal, the commission you avoid grows with it.
Melbourne is also the city where the auction is a ritual. I called over 2,000 auctions, and I can tell you how the day works. The quoted range draws a crowd. The crowd creates pressure. Then the vendor is taken inside for a quiet chat about the reserve. The whole day pushes for a sale on the day, at whatever price the room gives. A private sale with an honest, evidence-based price is a relief to buyers who have been outbid by six figures at three auctions in a row. They can do their building and pest inspection, sort their finance and make a considered offer. Use that honesty in your listing and your negotiation.
The same approach works across regional Victoria, from Geelong and the Surf Coast to Ballarat, Bendigo and the Mornington Peninsula, with local comparable sales doing the pricing work. If you are in one of the suburbs we cover in detail, our Melbourne page has the local numbers.
Common mistakes Victorian private sellers make
- Marketing before the Section 32 is ready. You lose your keenest buyers in the gap, and from 2027 you cannot sign anyone until it has been available for 14 days.
- A wrong or incomplete Section 32. A missing permit or an undisclosed easement can let the buyer walk away before settlement. Have a professional prepare it.
- No due diligence checklist at inspections. It is required of every seller. Print it, and link it in the listing.
- Forgetting owner-builder work. The defects report and insurance take time. Order them at the start, not when a buyer’s conveyancer asks.
- Overpricing on emotion. Your home is worth what a buyer will pay, not what it means to you. Price to the comparables.
- Accepting the first offer out of relief. Check whether other buyers are still circling before you say yes.
- Slow follow-up. Buyers need several touchpoints. Reply fast and follow up every inspection.
Victorian private sale checklist
Work this list top to bottom and you will not miss a step.
- Engage a conveyancer or lawyer and have the Section 32 and contract of sale prepared.
- Order an owner-builder defects report and insurance if they apply, and check pool or spa registration and barrier compliance.
- Research comparable sales and set a defensible price.
- Prepare and present the home, then book professional photography.
- List on the major portals through a licensed platform, and add a signboard and social posts.
- Print the due diligence checklist for every inspection and link it in the listing.
- Respond to enquiries fast, run small-group inspections and follow up within 24 hours.
- Negotiate on price and terms, then send the accepted offer to your conveyancer.
- Sign the contract, take the 10% deposit into trust, and manage the cooling-off period and conditions.
- Complete settlement through PEXA and hand over the keys.
This guide is general information about selling property in Victoria, not legal, financial or tax advice. Rules and figures current to October 2026, including the Consumer Legislation Amendment Act 2026, whose Sale of Land changes commence by 1 June 2027. Confirm your situation with a Victorian conveyancer or lawyer, and see Consumer Affairs Victoria and the ATO for current requirements. Your main residence is generally exempt from capital gains tax; an investment property may not be.
Frequently asked questions
Can I legally sell my own house in Victoria?
Yes. No Victorian law forces you to use an agent. You can set the price, run the marketing and negotiate yourself. You still need a Section 32 vendor statement and a contract of sale, and you cannot list directly on realestate.com.au or Domain, which is why private sellers use a licensed platform to reach those portals.
What is a Section 32 and who prepares it?
The Section 32 is the vendor statement required by the Sale of Land Act 1962. It sets out the title, mortgages, easements and covenants, zoning, rates and other outgoings, building permits and notices. A conveyancer or lawyer usually prepares it with the contract of sale. You can legally prepare it yourself, but you lose the protection of their professional indemnity insurance if something is wrong.
What is the due diligence checklist?
A free Consumer Affairs Victoria document that every seller, with or without an agent, must make available to buyers at inspections. It points buyers to issues such as owners corporation rules, flood and fire risk, growth area contributions and native vegetation controls.
Is there a cooling-off period when selling a house in Victoria?
Yes, for private sales of residential property. The buyer has three clear business days after signing to end the contract. If they do, you keep $100 or 0.2% of the price, whichever is more. There is no cooling-off at a public auction, or for a sale within three clear business days before or after one.
Do I need a conveyancer to sell privately in Victoria?
It is not compulsory, but almost every private seller uses one. A licensed conveyancer or a lawyer prepares the Section 32 and contract, holds the deposit in trust and runs settlement. Budget around $900 to $2,000 including searches.
How much does it cost to sell a house privately in Victoria?
Usually $2,500 to $5,500 all in: conveyancing and the Section 32, a portal listing package, photography and a signboard. There is no percentage commission.
Can I list my property on realestate.com.au without an agent?
Not directly. The portals only accept listings from licensed agencies. Unreserved holds the licence, builds the listing and publishes it on the major portals on your behalf while you keep control.
How long does settlement take in Victoria?
Usually 30 to 90 days from signing, and you negotiate the date with the buyer. Sixty days is common. Settlement runs electronically through PEXA.
Can I sell my Melbourne property without an agent?
Yes. Melbourne owners sell privately the same way as the rest of Victoria. With a median house near $973,000, a 2.1% commission is about $20,400 before GST and marketing.
Is selling privately cheaper than using an agent in Victoria?
Usually by $20,000 or more on a median Melbourne house. A private sale costs $2,500 to $5,500; an agent at 2.1% charges about $22,470 including GST, before marketing.
The bottom line
Selling a house privately in Victoria is legal, well supported and, on a median Melbourne price, worth $20,000 or more to you. Get the Section 32 and contract ready before you list, keep the due diligence checklist at every inspection, price to current comparables, present the home well, reach buyers through a licensed platform, and negotiate with patience through to signing and settlement. Do that and you keep the commission while running a campaign as professional as any agency’s. For a wider walk-through of the whole journey, see our selling your home guide.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ben Williams
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Ben spent 15+ years as a licensed estate agent and conducted over 2,000 auctions before founding Unreserved. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Property & Valuation) from RMIT and is licensed across VIC, NSW, QLD, SA, and WA.
What a brilliant product
“The process was so straightforward, and having access to direct questions and data from buyers meant we didn’t have to second-guess what an agent was telling us. We’re thrilled with the price we got, and how affordable the support was. I’d definitely sell with Unreserved again.”
Maddie R · Verified seller · Hawthorn VIC
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