How do I sell my property privately in Queensland?

What you save, and what you take on

Agent commission in South East Queensland typically runs between 2% and 3% plus GST, and a marketing package on top. Selling privately removes that, and our fixed conveyancing fee for a sale is $990 including GST whether an agent is involved or not.

In exchange you take on the jobs an agent normally does: setting the price, photographing and listing the property, fielding enquiries, running inspections, qualifying buyers, negotiating the price and conditions, and keeping the process moving once the contract is signed.

• You control the price, the buyers you deal with and the timing
• No commission, but you pay for your own listing and photography
• You must be available for calls and inspections, including weekends
• You have no agent screening out unqualified or non-committal buyers

Step 1 — Price it on evidence, not hope

Overpricing is the main reason private sales stall. Use recent comparable sales in your street and suburb rather than asking prices, and adjust for land size, condition, aspect and any body corporate levies.

You can order an independent valuation, or ask two or three local agents for an appraisal. If a listing sits without offers for four to six weeks, the market is telling you the price, not the marketing, is wrong.

Step 2 — Market it

The major portals do not take listings directly from owners, so private sellers usually list through a for-sale-by-owner service that posts to realestate.com.au and Domain for a flat fee. Add a signboard, good daylight photography and a floor plan.

Be straight in the listing about what is included — the chattels you name in the contract must actually stay, and disputes about a dishwasher or pool robot at settlement are common and avoidable.

Step 3 — Give the seller disclosure statement before the buyer signs

Since 1 August 2025 Queensland sellers of freehold residential property must give the buyer a seller disclosure statement (Form 2) and the prescribed certificates before the buyer signs the contract. This applies to private sales just as it does to agent sales — there is no agent to prepare it for you.

The statement covers title details, encumbrances, rates and water, whether the property is affected by unregistered notices, building or pest orders, and for units the body corporate certificate and community management statement. Get it wrong or give it late and the buyer may be able to terminate the contract at any time before settlement.

• Title search and registered plan
• Body corporate certificate and community management statement, for lots in a scheme
• Any pool safety certificate or notice of no pool safety certificate
• Notices about building work, tree orders, transport or contaminated land where they apply
• Rates and water notices for the current period

Step 4 — Use the right contract, prepared properly

Use the current REIQ Contract for Houses and Residential Land, or the Residential Lots in a Community Titles Scheme contract for units and townhouses. Do not write your own, and do not reuse an old contract you have from a previous sale.

The reference schedule is where private sales go wrong: seller and buyer full legal names, the lot and plan description, price, deposit amount and when it is payable, settlement date, finance date and amount, building and pest date, and the chattels included and excluded. We prepare or check all of this for you before it goes to a buyer.

Step 5 — Hold the deposit correctly

You cannot take the deposit into your own bank account. Without an agent, the deposit is held in your solicitor's trust account as stakeholder until settlement, and the contract must name the deposit holder. A deposit of 5% is standard; 10% is common on higher-value sales.

The deposit is released to you at settlement, not before, and if the buyer lawfully terminates during cooling-off you must refund it less the 0.25% penalty the Act allows.

Step 6 — Cooling-off, conditions and settlement

The buyer has a five business day cooling-off period from receiving a copy of the signed contract, and can terminate in that time for any reason, forfeiting 0.25% of the price. Cooling-off does not apply to auction purchases.

After that the contract runs to its dates: finance approval, building and pest, then settlement — usually 30 days from contract, though 21, 42 and 60 days are all common. We diarise every date, deal with the buyer's solicitor, prepare the settlement statement and adjustments, coordinate your bank's release of the mortgage and attend electronic settlement through PEXA.

When selling privately is a bad idea

Private sale suits a seller with time, a straightforward property and a realistic price — and it works especially well where you already have a buyer, such as a family member, neighbour, tenant or business partner. In that situation there is nothing for an agent to do and the commission is pure cost.

• You are selling as executor and need a demonstrably arm's-length price for the beneficiaries
• The property is unusual, rural or hard to value and needs an agent's buyer database
• You are selling under pressure — divorce, mortgagee action or a deadline
• You cannot be contactable for enquiries and inspections

How we help private sellers

We act on the same $990 including GST fixed fee as any other sale. We prepare the seller disclosure statement and the contract, hold the deposit in trust, advise you on any offer or counter-offer before you sign, manage every contract date, and settle the matter electronically. You handle the marketing and the buyer; we handle the law.

Private property sale questions