Buying a home involves a sequence of well-defined steps. Understanding the timeline helps you plan finance, inspections and legal work so nothing important is left until the last week.
From offer to exchange
Once your offer is accepted, the contract is signed and the deposit is usually paid on exchange. In most states a cooling-off period of two to five business days applies to private sales, but not to auctions, so confirm which rules cover your purchase.
Conditions and checks
Common conditions include finance approval, building and pest inspections and a valuation. Each has a deadline, so order inspections early and keep your lender and conveyancer informed so the conditions are satisfied in time.
The final weeks
After conditions are met, the conveyancer finalises title checks, rate adjustments and settlement documents. On settlement day the balance of funds is transferred, ownership is registered and you collect the keys.