A lot of homeowners hesitate over a private sale because the process feels mysterious. It is not. A private sale follows almost the same path as any other sale in New Zealand, with the same legal steps, the same role for your lawyer, and the same expectations on the buyer side. The only meaningful difference is who runs the marketing and who fields the calls. Once you can see the steps written out, the path becomes obvious and the process feels reassuringly familiar.

The full path from list to settlement

You start by deciding on a price, getting the home photographed, and signing off your listing on Trade Me Property and Realestate.co.nz. From there, buyers see the listing, they enquire, they come through to the open home or a private viewing, and they decide whether to put forward an offer. Offers are made in writing, almost always on the standard REINZ ADLS sale and purchase agreement that all New Zealand lawyers know. You review, accept, counter or decline. Your lawyer handles everything from there.

Once an offer is accepted, the buyer typically goes through a due diligence period, where they confirm finance, look at the LIM, and order any building or pest reports they want. If everything stacks up, the contract goes unconditional, and from there it heads to settlement on the agreed date. On settlement day, money moves from the buyer’s bank to your bank through your lawyers, and the keys are handed over. The whole sequence is the same regardless of whether you sell privately or otherwise.

Where Market My Place sits in the sequence

Market My Place sits at the start of the process and runs along beside you the whole way. We build the listing, capture the photos, organise the signage and push the property out to where the buyers actually are. You handle the conversations, the open homes and the offers, with our support if you want a sounding board. The sequence is clear, the path is well worn, and you keep the upside that traditionally would have left in the commission line.