Often the answer comes from your own life rather than the market: whether the home still fits, and whether you're ready to move. Start with your equity, which is what the home is worth less what you owe on it. If you owe more than it's worth, selling could leave you worse off.

Then pin down two things: the date you need to have sold by, and whether you need the money from this sale to buy your next home.

There's no single best month to sell. If home loan figures for owner-occupiers are a guide, spring is when you'll find the most buyers nationally, and January is the quietest month for buyers in every state except Victoria, where February is slightly quieter. But spring also brings the most homes for sale, according to property data company Cotality.

If you're buying as well

Selling first means you know what you have to spend, but you may need to rent for a while or agree a longer settlement with your buyer.

Buying first may mean bridging finance. Moneysmart describes it as short-term finance that covers the period between buying a new property and selling your existing one. Lenders such as NAB say a slower sale can stretch that overlap and add to the interest.

A third option is to make your purchase subject to the sale of your home, though the seller you're buying from can turn it down.

If you buy before you sell, the ATO lets you treat both homes as your main residence for up to six months, on three conditions.

You must have lived in the old home for at least three months in a row in the year before you sell it, and not earned income from it in that year while it wasn't your home. The new one must also become your home.

The rule covers the time you own both homes, up to six months. If you own both for longer, only the last six months before the old home's sale settles are covered for both, so it's worth asking your accountant or the ATO how that applies to you.

Do this now: write down the date you need to have sold by, and whether your next purchase depends on this sale. Our guide to the best time to sell a house goes through the seasons and how to plan back from a move date.

What you take home is the sale price, less what you owe on your home loan, the costs of selling and any tax. Working out your home's value and your costs early tells you whether the move adds up.

There are three main ways to estimate your home's value: a free online estimate, an appraisal from a local agent, or a professional valuation. An online estimate can't see inside your home, and an agent's appraisal isn't a formal valuation. Use appraisals to set a price, and a valuation when you need a figure for formal purposes, such as tax.

Your agent's commission is usually the biggest cost of selling. You'll also pay for marketing and a conveyancer or solicitor to handle the legal side, and for paying off your home loan, your lender's discharge fee and a land registry fee. If your loan is on a fixed rate, ask your lender whether you'll pay a break fee.

Capital gains tax is tax on the profit when you sell. You generally won't pay it on your home if it's been your main residence for the whole time you've owned it, you're an Australian resident, and the land is 2 hectares or less. If you've rented it out or used it to earn income, some tax may apply.

If you're an Australian resident for tax purposes, apply early for a free clearance certificate from the ATO, which can take up to 28 days.

Without one, the buyer must hold back 15 per cent of the price, or of your share if you own the home with someone else, and pay it to the ATO. You can only claim it back in your tax return.

Do this now: ask your lender roughly how much it would cost to pay off your loan, and get a free estimate of your home's value. Our guide to the cost of selling a house has the figures, with a guide for each state.

You can sell your own home without an agent anywhere in Australia. You save the commission, less the costs you take on. The trade-off is your time, the paperwork and possibly a lower price.

You'll usually still need help with the legal side. No state makes you hire a conveyancer, but in NSW and Victoria the sale has to be lodged electronically by a conveyancer or lawyer, so in practice you can't complete an ordinary sale without one.

realestate.com.au takes sale listings for established homes only from licensed agents. To appear there, private sellers buy a flat-fee listing package from a for-sale-by-owner provider.

There are options in between, such as negotiating a lower commission or an open listing, where you pay only the agent who finds the buyer.

Do this now: work out what you'd save, and be honest about the time you can give to inspections and negotiating. Our guide to the pros and cons of selling your home yourself works through the numbers.

It's strongly recommended that you talk to at least three agents. Ask each one the same questions and for an appraisal of your home, so you can compare their answers side by side. Include how they'd sell your home and what marketing they'd recommend (steps 5 and 7).

Compare the evidence behind each appraisal, the recent sales the agent used and why, rather than the size of the number. Consumer Affairs Victoria advises against choosing an agent just because they give you the highest estimate.

Commission is negotiable in every state and territory. Ask each agent to give it in dollars at a few realistic sale prices, and to say whether it includes GST. Then ask for a written, itemised marketing plan with its costs.

Before you sign the agency agreement, your contract with the agent, check what kind it is, how long it runs, how you can end it, and whether you'd still owe commission if you found the buyer yourself. The main kinds are open listing, sole agency and exclusive agency, and the names mean different things in different states.

In NSW, the agency law gives you a cooling-off period on the agreement itself, time to change your mind. It runs until 5pm on the next business day or Saturday, whichever comes first, unless you've signed a valid waiver. No other state or territory's agency law gives you one.

If an agent approached you uninvited and you signed as a result, national rules may give you 10 business days to cancel.

If you change agents, end the first agreement in writing before you sign the second, or both may be able to charge you commission.

Do this now: shortlist three agents for interviews. Our list of questions to ask a real estate agent says what a good answer sounds like.

OpenAgent can also help you compare agents in your area. It's free for you: if you sell with an agent we introduce, the agent pays us a referral fee.

Private sale is the more common choice nationally. At auction, the buyer signs on the day, usually with no conditions and no cooling-off period. In a private sale, the buyer can ask for conditions, such as getting finance, and in most states gets a cooling-off period.

If you're hoping an auction will get you a higher price, the evidence suggests there's little in it. A 2026 study of NSW and Victorian sales, summarised by UNSW, found the average gain from choosing auction was small once failed auctions were counted, though an average can't tell you how your own home will do. An auction can also cost more, with an auctioneer and extra advertising.

Some agents also run an expression of interest or a tender, where buyers make offers by a closing date. Selling off-market, without public advertising, is another option, though fewer buyers see the home. Your agent still needs your written agreement and, in most states, must pass on every offer.

In Victoria, since 16 October 2026, your agent must publish your reserve price, the lowest price you'd accept, at least 7 days before an auction. If you change it once it's published, the 7 days start again. Consumer Affairs Victoria says asking for offers by a set date and time could count as a fixed-date sale, which would bring in the same rule.

Do this now: ask your agent which method they'd recommend for your home, and why. Our guide to choosing auction or a private sale sets out each state's rules.

Before you spend anything, ask your agent which jobs would matter to buyers of a home like yours. There's no Australian study, but US estimates suggest most renovations recover less than they cost when you sell. A renovation pays only if it lifts your sale price by more than it costs you, including the commission on the higher price.

Do the jobs in order: clear out and fix first, then paint and tidy the garden, and leave cleaning and styling for the last week. Electrical, gas and almost all plumbing work must be done by a licensed tradesperson.

Some states set rules that take time to meet, such as smoke alarms and a pool safety certificate (or, without one, a Form 36 notice) in Queensland, pool documents in NSW, and building and pest reports in the ACT. If you know of a problem, tell your agent and conveyancer: misleading a buyer about the home's condition can be illegal.

This is also the time to line up a conveyancer or solicitor. Some states set deadlines for the paperwork:

• NSW: your contract, before the home goes on the market.
• Victoria: a due diligence checklist from when the home is offered, and a section 32 vendor statement before a buyer signs.
• Queensland: a seller disclosure statement before a buyer signs.
• SA: a Form 1 vendor's statement, at least 10 clear days before settlement, or before the auction if you're selling that way.
• ACT: the required documents, whenever an offer can be made.

Do this now: book a conveyancer, and ask which documents your state needs before you list. Our list of ways to get your house ready to sell puts the jobs in order, with the must-dos in Queensland, NSW and the ACT.

You agree the marketing when you sign the agency agreement, either on top of the commission or inside it, so compare the two together. In Victoria and WA, the regulators say you pay the agreed marketing even if the home doesn't sell, unless you negotiate a "no sale, no fee" arrangement. Elsewhere, it depends on your agreement.

If you're offered a "pay later" deal by a finance company, it's a loan, repayable even if the home hasn't sold.

Do this now: check that your agreement lists every marketing item, its cost, the total and when it's due. Our guide to how much to spend on marketing covers who pays, what to put in writing and your state's rules.

Before each open home or private inspection, tidy and air the home, put away valuables, medicines and personal papers, and plan to be out while buyers walk through. Afterwards, ask your agent how many people came and what they said. In Victoria, the agent must display the Property Price Statement at every public inspection.

If the home is rented out, the tenants' rights shape the inspections.

In NSW, Victoria, Queensland, SA and the ACT, you must tell the tenant in writing that you're selling before buyers come through, and in NSW and Victoria at least 14 days before the first inspection. In SA, you can't advertise or hold inspections until 14 days after the tenant gets the notice.

You then give notice before each inspection, 48 hours in most states, and NSW, Victoria, SA and the ACT limit inspections to two a week unless the tenant agrees. In Queensland, an open home needs the tenant's written consent, and in Tasmania, their written approval beforehand.

Do this now: agree inspection times with your agent, and ask for feedback after each one. Our guide to how your agent should run open homes covers what to expect, and if you have tenants, our guide to selling a property while it's tenanted has each state's rules.

Whether your agent must pass every offer on to you depends on your state. In NSW, Victoria, SA, WA and the ACT, they must. In NSW, Victoria and the ACT, you can tell them in writing not to.

In Tasmania, they must tell you each time an offer is made and who made it, but can decide not to present the offer itself. In the NT, the government lists passing on offers among an agent's usual duties. Queensland has no specific rule, so agree it with your agent in writing.

Until a contract binds you, you can keep taking offers. Price isn't the only thing to negotiate: the deposit, the settlement date and any conditions can all be part of the deal.

Outside Victoria, you usually give your reserve to the auctioneer in writing before bidding starts. Buyers usually aren't told it, and in Queensland the agent and auctioneer aren't allowed to reveal it.

The winning bidder usually signs the contract and pays a deposit straight after the auction. It's commonly 10 per cent, set by the contract or auction conditions rather than by law. If bidding stops short of your reserve, the home is passed in, and you can negotiate; in Victoria and the ACT, the highest bidder gets the first chance.

Do this now: decide your lowest acceptable price with your agent before the first offer arrives. Our guide to setting a reserve price explains how to choose your reserve and what happens if it isn't met. For the day itself, see our guide to how a property auction works.

When the contract becomes binding depends on your state, and only the buyer can get a cooling-off period, a few days to change their mind. Sellers don't get one in any state.

There are exceptions. NSW gives 10 business days on an off-the-plan sale.

In several states there's no cooling-off for a contract signed at auction, or soon after the home is passed in; in most of them, only if the buyer was a bidder. In Victoria, there's none for a contract signed within 3 clear business days before or after an auction.

The buyer usually pays a deposit, held in trust until settlement. In SA, the Form 1 vendor's statement from step 6 must reach the buyer at least 10 clear days before settlement.

If required documents are missing or wrong, the buyer may be able to get out of the contract, which is why the paperwork in step 6 matters. A buyer who withdraws during cooling-off usually pays a small amount, set by law or, in the NT, by the contract. In some states, the buyer can waive or shorten the period.

Do this now: have your conveyancer check the contract before you sign or exchange. Our guide to what your conveyancer does at each stage has the details for your state, and our guide to the legal steps to selling a house walks through the contract stage.

Settlement is the day ownership passes to the buyer, and you're paid the rest of the price. The date is set in the contract, and you can negotiate it. It's often 30 to 90 days after the sale, with about six weeks common in NSW and four to six weeks in Queensland.

Before then, your conveyancer arranges to pay off your mortgage, works out adjustments such as council rates up to settlement day, and gives the buyer your ATO clearance certificate. In NSW, they also give the buyer a land tax clearance certificate at least 14 days before settlement.

Have your ID ready: since 1 July 2026, lawyers and conveyancers generally have to verify who you are. Most states now settle online through a platform such as PEXA, though in the NT sale transfers are still lodged on paper.

Do this now: the buyer takes possession at settlement unless you've agreed otherwise, so book removalists as soon as the date is set. Our guide to understanding settlement covers choosing the date. Our guide to how much moving costs has the prices and what to check about insurance.