Selling a home in New Zealand
The seller's side of a property transaction is where most of the structural asymmetry sits. You are usually a one-time participant in a market the agent navigates daily. The financial stakes are large. The documents are long. The pressure to keep moving is constant.
This section of the site does not tell you that selling a house is exciting or straightforward. It tells you what the agent is trained to do, what the contract you are about to sign actually permits, where the money in the system flows, and what you can ask for in writing at every step. Every claim is linked to the New Zealand statute or standard behind it, so you can check the source yourself.
By journey stage
Before you list
Choosing an agent, understanding commission, picking a method of sale. The decisions that set everything else.
The agency agreement
What you are actually signing. Sole vs general agency. Pre-approval clauses. What you can negotiate and what is standard.
Marketing and disclosure
The documents the agent produces on your behalf. Disclosure statements. Building and Healthy Homes reports. Provider fees.
Running the sale
Open homes. Buyer feedback. Offers you see and offers you do not. When to hold and when to reduce.
Problem behaviours
Patterns to recognise. The scripts that sound reasonable. The responses that hold.
If things go wrong
REA complaints. Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act. Privacy Act. Getting released from the agency agreement.
This section is general information, not advice
The content on these pages describes New Zealand law, regulation, industry practice, and the peer-reviewed research behind our analysis. It is not financial advice under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013, and it is not legal advice. For your specific transaction, consult a licensed professional.
If you are mid-transaction and need an independent read on a document, the Advisor can work through it with you against the rule pages below.