Queensland Selling Timeline at a Glance
From decision to settlement, in one reference
Download PDF · 4 pagesSelling a home in Queensland is a sequence of overlapping windows, not a single event. The earliest decisions (when to list, who to engage, what to disclose) shape what is possible later. This reference lays the windows out in order so you can see where you are, what is coming next, and what is yours to action versus your agent or solicitor. Timings are typical for a Brisbane inner east private treaty or auction sale. Auction settlements run on the same post-contract clock, only without finance and building and pest conditions.
Months minus three to minus two: Decide and plan
The decision window. Most of the room to influence price and timing sits here, before any agent is engaged or any photo is taken.
- Confirm the reason for selling and the rough timing. Write down the earliest sensible settlement date and the latest acceptable one.
- Get a written market appraisal from two or three local agents. Compare their evidence, not just their numbers.
- Decide on auction or private treaty in principle. The choice affects styling budget, photography brief, and campaign length.
- Sketch a budget for preparation: small repairs, garden, paint, styling, marketing. Allocate without committing yet.
- If you are buying as well, talk to a broker about borrowing capacity and bridging options. The buy and sell sequence is its own decision.
- Vendor action: pick the target listing window. A campaign launched in late February reaches a different buyer pool than one launched in late November.
Month minus one: Build the team and gather documents
The month before the property is on market. Paperwork lead times are longer than most vendors expect, particularly under the new seller disclosure regime in force from 1 August 2025.
- Engage a conveyancer or solicitor. They will prepare the Form 2 Seller Disclosure Statement and the contract of sale.
- Order the searches and certificates required for the Form 2. Body corporate disclosure (for units) and pool safety certificates often take the longest.
- Sign the agency agreement with your chosen agent. This is when the marketing schedule, fee, and method (auction or treaty) are locked in.
- Confirm the photography date, the copywriting brief, and the campaign launch date with your agent.
- Vendor action: assemble the documents your conveyancer asks for promptly. Form 2 must be given to the buyer before they sign the contract, so any delay here delays the entire campaign.
- Vendor action: notify any tenants in writing of inspections and access. Queensland minimum notice periods apply.
Weeks minus three to zero: Prepare, photograph, sign off
The three weeks before launch are physical preparation. Every dollar spent here is judged against the lift it produces in the result, not the cost.
- Complete repairs, paint, garden, and any agreed styling. Most styling contracts run for six weeks from delivery.
- Final clean before photography. Photos shot on a clear day with the home presented at its best are reused for the entire campaign.
- Approve the photography, floor plan, copy, signboard, and online listing. Errors caught here are easy. Errors caught after launch cost time and trust.
- Confirm the campaign launch date. For auction, lock in the auction date (typically four weeks after launch).
- Vendor action: review the contract of sale and Form 2 with your conveyancer. Sign and return so the agent can issue contracts to interested buyers from day one.
- Vendor action: prepare a routine for keeping the home inspection-ready. Open homes start on day one of the campaign.
Week 0: Campaign launch
The property goes live. The first week is the most important week of the campaign because it sets the price expectation in the market.
- Listing goes live on realestate.com.au and Domain. Signboard up. Social and direct buyer database alerts go out.
- First open home is typically the Saturday of week one. Mid-week opens may also run.
- Your agent records every inspection, every contract requested, and every piece of buyer feedback.
- Pre-auction or early offers may come in. Your agent should bring any genuine offer to you in writing within 24 hours.
- Vendor action: keep the home inspection-ready. Be available for short-notice second inspections and contract walk-throughs.
- Vendor action: receive a written week-one summary from your agent. Numbers of groups through, contracts requested, building and pest inspections booked.
Weeks 1 to 4: Campaign weeks
The bulk of buyer activity. For auction campaigns this is the four-week run to auction day. For private treaty this is when most offers and contracts come in.
- Open homes each Saturday, often a mid-week inspection, and private inspections by appointment.
- Buyer pool builds, then narrows. By week three your agent should know who the serious bidders or buyers are.
- Contract requests, building and pest bookings, and finance approvals are all signals to track.
- For private treaty: offers are presented in writing. Negotiation runs through the agent.
- For auction: registered bidder numbers, pre-auction offers, and reserve discussion happen in the final week.
- Vendor action: weekly written update from your agent. Numbers, feedback themes, recommendation on price guide or reserve.
Weeks 4 to 6: Offer and under contract
The window where price, terms, and conditions are negotiated and a contract is signed. From the moment a contract is dated, a series of statutory and contractual clocks start running.
- Contract signed and dated. The contract date is day zero for every condition that follows.
- Buyer cooling-off period: five clear business days from when the buyer (or their solicitor) receives the signed contract. Applies to private treaty contracts, not contracts signed at or within two business days of an auction. The buyer can terminate during this window and forfeits 0.25 percent of the purchase price.
- Building and pest inspection: typically seven to fourteen days from the contract date in the standard REIQ contract. The buyer must notify the seller by the due date if they wish to proceed.
- Finance approval: typically fourteen to twenty-one days from the contract date in the standard REIQ contract. Approval, not funding, is what is required by the date.
- Deposit paid in line with the contract terms, commonly five to ten percent.
- Vendor action: do not commit to a moving date or buy elsewhere unconditionally until the contract goes unconditional (all conditions satisfied or waived).
Weeks 6 to 12: Pre-settlement
The contract is unconditional. Settlement is the next event. Settlement timing is whatever was specified in the contract, most commonly thirty, sixty, or ninety days from contract date.
- Your conveyancer prepares the settlement statement, transfer documents, and bank discharge.
- Notify your bank to start discharge of the existing mortgage. Banks often need three to four weeks to prepare.
- Buyer arranges their pre-settlement inspection in the final week before settlement.
- Confirm settlement date and time with your conveyancer. Either party can elect to extend settlement by up to five business days under the current REIQ contract, capped at five business days total.
- Vendor action: book removalists, redirect mail, transfer or close utilities effective from settlement day.
- Vendor action: keep the property in the same condition as at contract date. Damage discovered at the pre-settlement inspection is the seller’s problem.
Settlement day
Settlement is the legal transfer of the property and the payment of the balance of the price. In Queensland, almost all settlements are now electronic via PEXA.
- Settlement typically occurs in the early afternoon. Your conveyancer manages the workspace and confirms when funds clear.
- On settlement, the balance of the purchase price is paid, the title transfers, and your existing mortgage is discharged.
- Keys are released to the buyer once your conveyancer confirms settlement has effected.
- The agent will arrange key handover. Some sellers leave keys with the agent the day before, others on the morning.
- Vendor action: vacate the property by the time agreed in the contract (commonly settlement day or earlier).
- Vendor action: confirm with your conveyancer that settlement has effected before you switch off contact.
Post-settlement: Week plus one
A small list of housekeeping tasks in the days after settlement. Most are administrative, but skipping them creates risk.
- Confirm the discharge of mortgage has been registered. Your bank or conveyancer should advise.
- Cancel building insurance on the property, effective from settlement day. Do not cancel earlier.
- Final reads and closures of utilities (electricity, gas, water if not council-billed).
- Update your address with the ATO, employer, super fund, Medicare, electoral roll, and any subscriptions.
- Keep the contract, Form 2, settlement statement, and final agent invoice in one folder. You may need them for tax (capital gains) purposes for years.
- Vendor action: review the result with your agent. A short debrief, even on a successful sale, is the cheapest market research you will ever buy.
Sources for legal timeframes cited above: cooling-off period of five business days under the Property Occupations Act 2014 (Qld) (qld.gov.au/law); seller disclosure obligations under the Property Law Act 2023 (Qld), in force from 1 August 2025 (REIQ, Hamilton Locke); standard REIQ contract terms for building and pest, finance, and settlement extension (REIQ, Clayton Utz). Custom timeframes (campaign length, settlement length) reflect typical Brisbane inner east practice and are not legally fixed.
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