Steve Lowe
Director · Licensed agent
A builder's eye for every home. Steve came to real estate from the building trade, so he knows how to prepare a home for sale and can answer buyers' questions about how it is built.
Seller guide · Offer accepted
Your buyerhas an offer in
Congratulations. Here is what happens between now and settlement, what we handle, and the few things only you can do.
01Offer accepted
02Buyer's finance, contract and deposit all at once
03Exchange means sold
04Settlement pays you
9Steps from accepted offer to settlement
<10Days we aim to take getting you to exchange
5%Deposit, held by Agency Settlements, not by us or the buyer
Important
An accepted offer is not a sale
Until contracts are exchanged, your property is still on the market and we keep marketing it. That is deliberate. It protects you if this buyer falls over, and it keeps a second buyer warm.
A deposit landing does not mean sold either. Please do not make an unconditional offer on your next home, book removalists, or give notice anywhere until we confirm exchange has happened.
Tap any step
The 9 steps
Most of this happens without you. Open any step for the detail.
01Sales advice issuedWe start the clock with both solicitors and the buyer's brokerDay 1
We send the sales advice to your solicitor and to the buyer's broker. This is what formally starts everything.
Check the details we send you are right, particularly your name, the price and the settlement period.
Who: Agent Team02Your solicitor issues the contractNothing else can start until this goes outDays 1–2
Your solicitor adds the sale price and the buyer's details to the front page of the contract and issues it to the buyer's solicitor.
Answer your solicitor the same day they contact you. A contract sitting unissued while everyone waits on you is the most avoidable delay there is.
Who: You · Your solicitor03Buyer's finance and bank valuationTheir broker takes over, and a valuer needs accessDays 1–8
Their broker starts formal loan approval, which usually includes a bank valuation.
The valuer contacts us, not you, and we arrange access. Keep the home presentable for a few more days, as the valuation is a real assessment of what the bank will lend against.
Who: Buyer's broker · Agent Team04Buyer reviews the contractExpect a request or two to come back to youDays 3–6
Their solicitor goes through the contract with them and may come back with requests, usually on the settlement date, inclusions or a minor amendment.
If anything comes back to you, decide quickly. We will tell you which requests are normal and which are worth pushing back on.
Who: You · Both solicitors05Buyer pays the 5% depositA good signal, but not a saleDays 1–4
We send the buyer instructions to pay the deposit to Agency Settlements, an independent deposit holder. It can take a few days to clear, so we push them to start early.
We will tell you the moment it is paid and again when it clears. It is a strong signal of commitment, but remember it is fully refundable to them if the sale does not exchange.
Who: Buyer · Agency Settlements06Pre-exchange inspectionThe last look before they commitDays 5–8
We walk the buyer through the home to confirm everything is working as it should.
This is where a dead oven element or a leaking tap turns into a last-minute negotiation. If something has stopped working since they first inspected, tell us now rather than letting them find it. Small things fixed early cost far less than they do at this point.
Who: Buyer · Agent Team07Buyer instructs their solicitorFinance approved, contract agreedDays 8–9
With formal approval through and the contract agreed, the buyer instructs their solicitor to exchange unconditionally.
Who: Buyer · Their solicitorStep 8 · Exchange
SoldThe solicitors swap contracts, usually by email, and your home is sold unconditionally.
Marketing stops, the property comes off the market, and the buyer can no longer walk away. This is the moment you can commit to your next move with confidence.
Congratulations. Now we count down to settlement.
Who: Both solicitors09SettlementYou get paid, the buyer gets the keysAs agreed
Settlement is the agreed period, usually a set number of days, from exchange to the day the property changes hands and your funds are released.
Settlements happen on or before the agreed date, so they can be brought forward if everyone is ready, but not pushed back without penalty. As an example only, an agreed 60 days can settle at 29 if all parties can.
Before then: keep the property insured until settlement, leave everything listed as an inclusion, remove everything that is not, and hand your keys to us. The buyer is entitled to a final inspection before settlement, and the home should be in the same condition it was when they bought it.
Who: You · Both solicitorsFilled numbers are the steps that need something from you.
Your part
What we need from you
Your buyer has a long list of things to do in a short window. You have a handful, and every one of them is about not being the reason this slows down.
- 1Answer your solicitor todayNot tomorrow. The contract cannot be issued until you do.
- 2Keep the home accessibleValuer and pre-exchange inspection both need to get in this week.
- 3Fix or flag anything brokenBetter we deal with it now than at the pre-exchange inspection.
- 4Hold off on your next moveNo unconditional offers, notices or removalists until we confirm exchange.
- 5Talk to us, not around usIf the buyer or their agent contacts you directly, send them to us.
- 6Keep insurance runningUntil settlement, the property is still yours to insure.
Avoidable delays
What slows things down
Every day between accepted offer and exchange is a day another buyer can still take your sale. These are the delays we see most.
- 1Unanswered solicitor emailsThe contract cannot go out until you confirm the details. This is the single most common seller-side delay.
- 2Access problemsA valuer who cannot get in this week is a loan approval that lands next week.
- 3Something broken at the final lookFaults found at the pre-exchange inspection become price conversations at the worst possible moment.
- 4Renegotiating lateChanging terms after the contract is issued restarts work on both sides and gives a nervous buyer a reason to pause.
Roles
Who does what
You
Confirm details to your solicitor, allow access, deal with any faults, keep the property insured and stay off the market for your next home until exchange.
Your solicitor
Issues the contract, negotiates amendments and exchanges on your instruction.
The buyer's team
Their broker gets formal approval, their solicitor reviews and exchanges, and they pay the deposit.
Agent Team
Issues the sales advice, chases the buyer's broker and solicitor daily, arranges access and inspections, and keeps you updated at every step.
Seller guide · Auction
Sellingby auction
How an auction campaign works from your side, what a pre-auction offer really means, and how to decide whether to take one.
01Contract ready
02Campaign runs
03Offer, or auction day
04Exchange means sold
0Cooling off. Auction contracts are unconditional
24hrsA pre-auction sale can be done in a day
10%Deposit, sometimes 5% is accepted
Important
Auction conditions cut both ways
Whether the property sells before auction day or on it, the buyer signs an unconditional contract with no cooling off and no finance clause. That certainty is the single biggest advantage of selling this way.
It also means a pre-auction offer is a real decision, not a conversation. Once you accept and contracts are exchanged, the auction is over and the sale is done.
Tap any step
The steps
Steps 1 and 2 are the campaign. Everything from step 3 happens fast, so decide in advance what number would make you say yes.
01Contract ready before we launchAuction contracts have to be complete from day oneBefore launch
Your solicitor prepares the contract with everything an ACT sale requires attached to it, before the property goes live.
This matters more at auction than anywhere else. A buyer cannot bid, or make a pre-auction offer, on a contract that is not finished.
Who: You · Your solicitor02The campaign runsOpen homes, private inspections, weekly reportingCampaign
We market the property, run inspections and report to you every week on buyer numbers, contract requests and where the interest is sitting.
Contract requests are the number to watch. They are the buyers capable of acting before auction day.
Who: Agent Team03A pre-auction offer arrivesIn writing, on auction conditionsAny time
A buyer submits an offer in writing before auction day. To be worth considering it should be unconditional, with the deposit ready and a section 17 certificate available.
We present every offer to you with our honest read on what auction day is likely to deliver instead.
Who: Buyer · Agent Team04We test it against the marketEvery other interested buyer gets one chanceSame day
Before you accept anything, we go back to every buyer who has shown interest and tell them there is an offer on the table.
That does two things. It protects you from selling under value, and it often produces a second or third offer. A pre-auction offer should only ever be accepted after the market has had its chance to beat it.
Who: Agent Team05You decideCertainty now, or the competition of auction dayYour call
Accept and it is sold, usually within a day. Decline and the campaign continues to auction. Both are legitimate, and we will give you a straight recommendation either way.
The question is simple: is this offer at or above what auction day is realistically going to produce? If it is, taking it removes weeks of uncertainty. If it is not, the auction is exactly the tool for finding out what the property is worth.
Who: You · Agent Team06Section 17 certificate and depositHow the buyer proves they are seriousIf you accept
The buyer's solicitor signs a section 17 certificate, which waives their 5 day cooling off period, and the deposit is paid, usually 10% and sometimes 5%.
Without the certificate the buyer could still walk away during cooling off, so it is the piece that makes a pre-auction sale real. Have your solicitor on standby to move the same day.
Who: Buyer · Both solicitorsStep 7 · Exchange
SoldContracts are signed, in our office or electronically, and exchanged. Your home is sold unconditionally, before auction day.
The auction comes off the calendar and marketing stops. There is no cooling off, so from this moment it is simply a countdown to settlement.
Congratulations. Sold before auction.
Who: Both solicitors08Or: auction dayIf you did not accept beforehandIf you go to auction
The property is offered to the market and, if it sells, contracts are exchanged there and then, unconditionally, with the deposit paid on the day and no cooling off period.
If it does not reach your reserve and is passed in, we negotiate immediately with the highest bidder, who has first right to buy at your reserve.
Either way you find out exactly what the market thinks the property is worth, which is the whole point of running an auction campaign.
Who: You · Agent Team09SettlementYou get paid, the buyer gets the keysAs agreed
Settlement runs the same as on any sale. It is the agreed number of days from exchange to the day the property changes hands and your funds are released.
Settlements happen on or before the agreed date, so they can be brought forward if everyone is ready, but generally cannot be extended without penalty.
Keep the property insured until settlement, leave everything listed as an inclusion, and hand your keys to us.
Who: You · Both solicitorsFilled numbers are the steps that need something from you.
The decision
Taking an offer, or taking your chances
There is no wrong answer here, only a trade. This is how we frame it with every seller.
| Topic | Go to auction | Accept before |
|---|---|---|
| Certainty | Unknown until the day. A great campaign can still meet a quiet Saturday. | Sold and unconditional, usually within 24 hours, with no cooling off. |
| Price | Competition between bidders is what pushes a price past expectations. | Only worth it at or above what auction day would realistically deliver. |
| Cost and effort | More weeks of open homes, and the auction itself to get through. | It all stops. No more inspections, no auction day. |
Your part
What we need from you
Pre-auction offers arrive with no warning and die if they sit. If you are contactable and decisive, you will always have the option. If you are not, the buyer moves on.
- 1Have your solicitor on standbyFrom the day we launch, not from the day an offer arrives.
- 2Know your number in advanceDecide what you would accept before an offer lands, so you are not deciding under pressure.
- 3Be reachable during the campaignEspecially in the last 2 weeks, when pre-auction offers are most likely.
- 4Let us test every offerGoing back to the other buyers costs a few hours and regularly improves the price.
- 5Keep the home inspection readyRight up until it is sold. Buyers who cannot get in cannot bid.
- 6Hold off on your next moveNothing is binding until contracts are exchanged.
Roles
Who does what
You
Get the contract prepared early, stay reachable, decide quickly on offers and keep the property inspection ready.
Your solicitor
Prepares the auction contract before launch and exchanges on your instruction, often at short notice.
The buyer
Does all their due diligence before offering, provides a section 17 certificate and pays the deposit.
Agent Team
Runs the campaign, presents and tests every offer, advises you on the trade, and drives the exchange.
Glossary
The words you will hear
Sales advice
The document we send that tells both solicitors and the buyer's broker the sale has been agreed. It starts the clock.
Exchange
The solicitors swap signed contracts, usually by email. This is the moment the property is sold and off the market.
Unconditional
No get-out clauses left. The buyer's finance is approved and they are committed, which is why exchange comes after approval.
Settlement
The agreed number of days after exchange when the money changes hands, the title transfers and the buyer collects the keys.
Deposit holder
Agency Settlements, an independent company that holds the buyer's deposit. It is not held by us, by you or by the buyer.
ID check
A quick identity check every buyer completes by law. The buyer's deposit holder and their solicitor each run one.
The A Team
Meet the A Team
Deal with whoever you're most comfortable with, backed by all of us. Book a time to talk through an offer, your campaign or your next move.
Tiff Mills
Sales and project coordinator
Keeps every campaign moving, from launch to settlement. Tiff knows West Belconnen inside out and makes sure nothing slips between inspection, offer and keys.
Victoria McLaughlin
Sales
Clear advice and quick replies, every step of the way. Vic works with Canberra owners and buyers on their next move, backed by the same systems, research and negotiation support as the rest of the team.
No preference? Book a time with the team.
Book the teamQuestions?
Just ask us
Message us in your WhatsApp group or give us a call. We're here for every step, right through to settlement.