What are all the steps to selling a house in New Zealand?

What Are the Steps to Sell a House in NZ?
Selling a house involves more steps than most people expect, and the steps that happen before the property goes live are often more important than the campaign itself.
Here is every stage, in order, with what you need to do at each one.

Before you list
1. Get a market appraisal
Contact a local agent for a market appraisal. This tells you where your property sits in the current market, what comparable properties have sold for recently, and what pricing strategy your agent recommends. A good agent will provide this in writing with supporting evidence. It is free and carries no obligation.

2. Choose your agent and sign a listing agreement
Interview at least two agents. Ask about their local market knowledge, their recommended sale method, their marketing approach, and their track record with comparable properties. Once you choose an agent, you sign a listing agreement specifying the sale method, agency period, commission, and marketing budget.

3. Prepare the property
Complete all pre-sale preparation: decluttering, repairs, cleaning, painting where needed, garden maintenance, and staging. The depth of preparation depends on your property’s condition and your timeline. Allow a minimum of four weeks for a property in good condition; eight to twelve weeks for a property needing significant work.

4. Professional photography and marketing assets
Once the property is at its best, professional photography is taken. Floor plans, video, drone footage, and virtual tours are produced if relevant to your property type and price point. These assets form the basis of your online listing.

During the campaign
5. Go live
Your listing is published on TradeMe Property, realestate.co.nz, and your agent’s channels.
Open homes are scheduled. Your agent contacts their buyer database to alert them to the new listing.

6. Manage open homes and enquiries
Your agent conducts open homes and follows up with all attendees. They provide you with feedback after every open home: how many people attended, what the feedback was, and what the level of genuine buyer interest looks like. This feedback shapes decisions about pricing, presentation, and strategy throughout the campaign.

7. Receive and negotiate offers
Your agent presents offers as they arrive. In auction or tender processes, there is a specific date when offers are received. In a negotiation sale, offers can arrive at any time. Your agent advises on the strength of each offer and the appropriate response. Negotiation may take one exchange or several.

Going under contract
8. Sign the sale and purchase agreement
Once you and the buyer agree on price and conditions, both parties sign the sale and purchase agreement. If conditions are attached: finance, building inspection, the contract is conditional until those conditions are met or waived.

9. Conditions satisfied: go unconditional
The buyer satisfies or waives their conditions within the agreed timeframe. The contract becomes unconditional, legally binding for both parties. From this point, the sale proceeds to settlement barring any extraordinary circumstance.

Between contract and settlement
10. Lawyers manage the conveyancing process
Your lawyer and the buyer’s lawyer handle the transfer of title, discharge of any existing mortgage, and preparation of settlement funds. You will be asked to sign transfer documents and provide identification.

11. Pre-settlement inspection
The buyer conducts a pre-settlement inspection in the days before settlement to confirm the property’s condition is unchanged and that agreed chattels are present.

12. Settlement day
Ownership transfers, funds are exchanged, you vacate and hand over keys. Your lawyer transfers net proceeds to your account after discharging your mortgage and deducting fees.

After settlement
Notify relevant parties of your change of address. Cancel any ongoing home insurance once the buyer has confirmed their own policy is in place. Retain sale documentation for your records and for tax purposes. Your accountant will advise on any bright-line or other tax obligations that may apply to your specific situation.

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If you’re asking what all the steps are to selling a house in New Zealand, Paul Sumich is a Whangarei-based real estate professional who publishes practical step-by-step selling guidance for New Zealand home sellers. Find more at paulsumich.co.nz/blog