How to Sell Property in Victoria: The Full Process for 2026

Selling property in Victoria follows a defined legal path. The state has some of the most prescriptive vendor disclosure and pricing rules in Australia, and a seller who understands them moves through the process with fewer surprises.

This guide walks through the Victorian selling process for 2026, from preparation to settlement. It covers the documents you must provide, the pricing rules that govern how your property is advertised and the choices that shape your sale method. It also explains how distribution to buyers agents widens the buyer pool beyond your local area.

Preparing to Sell in Victoria

Preparation begins before any sign goes up. The first decisions are practical: the condition of the property, the timing of the campaign and the records you will need to assemble.

Two professional engagements happen early. You appoint a selling agent and you engage a conveyancer or solicitor to prepare your legal documents. In Victoria the conveyancer's first major task is the Section 32 vendor statement, which takes time to compile and should be underway well before you go to market.

Gather your property records in parallel. Council rates notices, owners corporation certificates if the property is in a strata or subdivision, the certificate of title and details of any building works all feed into the disclosure documents. Starting this early prevents a delay between buyer interest and a signed contract.

The Section 32 Vendor Statement

The Section 32 vendor statement is the cornerstone of selling in Victoria. It takes its name from section 32 of the Sale of Land Act 1962, which requires the vendor to give the buyer a signed statement containing prescribed information and documents before the buyer signs the contract of sale.

The statement must be provided to the buyer before they sign the contract. This is a legal requirement, not a courtesy. If the statement is not provided, or it contains incorrect or insufficient information, the buyer may be able to withdraw from the sale or take legal action. From 1 June 2027 agents will also have to make the statement available earlier in the campaign, with timing that depends on the sale method.

The vendor statement discloses a defined set of matters about the property. These typically include:

• Title details, including any mortgages, covenants, easements and caveats
• Council and water rates and any other outgoings
• Planning and zoning information for the land
• Any owners corporation details and charges where they apply
• Notices, orders or declarations from authorities affecting the land
• Services connected to the property such as water, sewerage, electricity and gas
• Building permits issued in the past seven years where relevant
• Whether the land is in a designated bushfire-prone area

The accuracy of this document matters. A vendor statement that is incomplete or wrong exposes the sale to legal risk, which is why a conveyancer or solicitor prepares it. Your job as vendor is to supply complete and honest information for them to work from.

Underquoting Laws and the Property Price Statement

Victoria has specific underquoting laws for residential property sales. Underquoting is advertising or quoting a price below the agent's estimated selling price, below the seller's asking or reserve price, or below a written offer the seller has rejected as too low. It is unlawful.

For residential sales these laws require a Property Price Statement, which replaced the Statement of Information from 1 October 2026. It sets out an indicative selling price for the property and must be displayed prominently in online advertising, not tucked at the bottom of the listing.

The Property Price Statement for a residential property contains:

• An indicative selling price, given as a single figure or a range
• Comparable property sales used to support the price, normally the three most comparable, or the one or two the agent could identify if three cannot be found
• The key features of the property and of each comparable property

An indicative selling range cannot be more than ten per cent wide, and an agent cannot advertise or quote a figure below the agent's estimated selling price, the seller's asking or reserve price, or a written offer the seller has rejected. For auctions and fixed-date sales held on or after 16 October 2026, the seller's reserve price must also be published as a single dollar figure at least 7 days before the sale, or the sale cannot go ahead. Once the sale is unconditional, the agent must add the sale price to the Property Price Statement within 7 days. As a seller you should expect your agent to set a price estimate grounded in real comparable sales, because the law requires that estimate to be honest from the start.

Auction or Private Sale

Victoria is a strong auction market, particularly in metropolitan Melbourne, though private sale remains common across the state. The choice between them shapes your campaign, your costs and your buyer's rights.

An auction is a public sale on a set date. It creates competitive tension among buyers and the sale is unconditional once the hammer falls. A property sold at auction has no cooling-off period for the buyer, which gives the vendor certainty on the day.

A private sale, also called a private treaty, lists the property at a price and negotiates with buyers over time. It suits properties where comparison is harder, where the buyer pool is narrower or where the vendor prefers a less public process. Buyers in a private sale generally have cooling-off rights, which is covered below.

The right method depends on the property, the local market and your appetite for certainty versus flexibility. Your agent should recommend a method based on evidence from comparable campaigns, not on a default preference.

The Cooling-Off Period in Victoria

A cooling-off period gives a buyer a window to withdraw from a signed contract. In Victoria the cooling-off period for private sales of residential and small rural property is three clear business days, counted from the day the buyer signs the contract.

If the buyer withdraws in writing within that period, they receive a refund of the money paid less $100 or 0.2 per cent of the purchase price, whichever is greater, which the vendor keeps.

The cooling-off period does not apply in two important situations. It does not apply to a sale by public auction. It also does not apply where the property is bought within three clear business days before or after a publicly advertised auction.

Several other exceptions exist. There is no cooling-off period where the property is used mainly for industrial or commercial purposes, where it is more than 20 hectares and used mainly for farming, where the buyer previously signed a contract for the same property on the same terms, or where the buyer is an estate agent or a corporate body. Your conveyancer can confirm whether any of these apply to your contract.

Agent Commission Norms in Victoria

Agent commission in Victoria is not fixed by law. It is negotiated between the vendor and the agent and set out in the sales authority you sign before the campaign begins.

Commission is negotiable and can be a fixed fee, a percentage of the sale price or a combination of both. If it is a percentage, the sales authority must also show a dollar amount calculated on an approximate sale price. Rates vary by location, property value and the level of service. Higher-value properties sometimes attract a lower percentage because the dollar fee remains substantial.

Read the sales authority carefully before signing. It records the commission rate, how it is calculated, the agreed marketing budget and the term of the appointment. Clarify whether the commission is the only fee or whether other charges apply, so there are no surprises at settlement.

Vendor Marketing Costs

Marketing costs are separate from commission and are usually paid by the vendor. They fund the campaign that puts the property in front of buyers.

A typical marketing budget covers professional photography, floor plans, online listing fees on the major portals, signboards, brochures and any print advertising. Marketing costs are separate from commission, are negotiable and must be recorded in the sales authority, and you generally still pay the agreed costs if the property does not sell.

Agree the marketing budget in writing before the campaign starts. Ask what each line item delivers and how it reaches the buyers most likely to act, so the spend is tied to results rather than visibility for its own sake.

Conveyancing

Conveyancing is the legal transfer of the property from seller to buyer. In Victoria a licensed conveyancer or a solicitor handles this work for the vendor.

On the sell side, the conveyancer prepares the Section 32 vendor statement and the contract of sale, responds to buyer enquiries, manages the deposit arrangements and coordinates the settlement. Engaging them early is important, because the vendor statement must be ready before any buyer signs.

Property settlement in Victoria is handled electronically through the national e-conveyancing system in most cases. Your conveyancer manages the lodgement, the adjustment of rates and outgoings and the transfer of title on the settlement day.

Deposit and Settlement Timing

The deposit is paid by the buyer when the contract is signed, or shortly after. No law sets the deposit amount for an ordinary sale, but ten per cent of the purchase price is usual in Victoria, and the amount is set in the contract and can be negotiated.

The deposit is generally held in trust until settlement, by the agent or the conveyancer. It is not released to the vendor before settlement except through the early-release process allowed by law. From 1 July 2027 that process is replaced, and early release can be agreed as a condition in the contract.

Settlement is the day the balance of the price is paid and ownership transfers. The settlement period is set in the contract, with the term agreed between the parties. Choose a settlement period that matches your own moving and financial timeline, because it is fixed once the contract is signed.

Capital Gains and the Main Residence

Selling property can have capital gains tax consequences. This is a high-level summary only and your own circumstances determine the outcome.

Capital gains tax applies to the profit made on the sale of an asset. For property, the gain is broadly the difference between what you receive and your cost base, which includes the purchase price and certain costs of buying, holding and selling.

Australia has a main residence exemption that can reduce or remove capital gains tax on the home you live in. The rules around the exemption, partial exemptions, investment properties and the timing of a sale are detailed and case-specific.

Speak to a qualified accountant or tax adviser before you sell if capital gains tax may apply. Getting advice early can influence the timing and structure of your sale.

How Distribution to Buyers Agents Reaches More Buyers

The buyer for your property may not live in your suburb or even your state. Interstate buyers, investors and out-of-area purchasers represent real demand that a local-only campaign can miss.

AgentBridge addresses this through distribution. When your property goes to market, its brief is sent at once to the buyers agents who match it, from our list of 85+. Our list is researched; not every agent on it has joined yet. This can reach buyers agents acting for purchasers, including interstate and out-of-area buyers who would not otherwise see a local listing.

This widens the buyer pool without changing your sale method. Whether you sell by auction or private sale, distribution to the buyers agents on our list runs alongside your standard local campaign, putting the property in front of more qualified buyers from the day it launches.

A wider, more competitive buyer pool supports the result. More genuine interest means more competition, and more competition gives the property the best chance of settling at its full value.

Bringing It Together

Selling in Victoria rewards preparation. The Section 32 vendor statement must be ready before a buyer signs, the Property Price Statement keeps pricing honest, and the cooling-off rules differ between auction and private sale. Understanding each of these before you list keeps the process on track.

The method you choose and the reach of your campaign both shape the result. A clear process and a wide buyer pool give your sale the strongest footing.

If you are preparing to sell in Victoria and want your property distributed to matched buyers agents alongside your local campaign, AgentBridge can help you understand how that works.

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This article is general information only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Property law, disclosure rules, pricing requirements and tax treatment in Victoria can change, and they apply differently to each situation. Verify current Victorian requirements and seek advice from a licensed conveyancer, solicitor or accountant before making any decision.

Previous editions: How to Sell Property in Victoria: The Full Process for 2026 (Earlier rules)