1. Speak with your financier or your Finance Consultant to arrange the best loan to suit your needs.

2. Prepare a short list of preferred suburbs that suit your lifestyle, bearing in mind affordability and accommodation requirements.

3. Research sales in those preferred suburbs. Inspect every property in your preferred suburb so you have a feel for the prices. Attend all open homes in the area.

4. Develop a relationship with one of our professional team who specialise in your preferred area. Your Dowling Real Estate Mayfield Sales Consultant will be able to advise you of any additional information you may need and also inform you how you can register on our website to automatically receive notification of any new listings that hit the market.

5. When you find a property that suits your requirements, ask your agent to send a copy of the sale contract to your solicitor or conveyancer.

6. If you are considering making an offer, we recommend that you contact your Dowling Real Estate Mayfield Sales Consultant promptly who can guide you if you are in any way unsure of the process.

7. Your solicitor can arrange a building inspection to make sure you are aware of any possible major defects.

8. Following your solicitors or conveyancer's advice on the sale contract and taking into consideration the building reports, you are now able to make an informed decision to proceed with the purchase of the property.

9. Once negotiations have been finalised, you will be required to sign the sale contract and pay a 10% deposit. Your deposit will be held in a trust account until settlement. At settlement, contracts will then be unconditionally exchanged.

10. On settlement day it is advisable that you do a final inspection before settlement takes place. This is to ensure that the property is in the same condition as when you last inspected it, and that all inclusions are as per the contract you signed.

The preparation you put into getting your property ready for sale can be the difference between getting a standard price and a great price.

The best part is, it's not hard, time consuming or expensive.

Whatever your motive for selling, the process can either be stress free or tense and disappointing. The good news is that you have the ability to choose.

There are three factors that will influence the outcome of any sale.

• Timing
• Presentation
• Method Of Sale

Buyers for a property can be found all year round however it's not often that a purchaser for your home is out there, just waiting for you to put your home on the market. Timing, presentation and advertising are all required to bring buyers and sellers together for the best result.

Spring is often considered to be the best time to sell. It's a time of optimism and with the weather clearing, more potential buyers will be out and about. It is also a time when more sellers will put their homes on the market so there will be more competition.

Winter usually presents fewer buyers, but the buyers are usually more focussed on purchasing and traditionally there will be fewer homes on the market to choose from.

Prior to placing your home on the market, allow an additional two weeks to prepare both the property and the marketing material.

A tidy home says "Welcome". Your home should be kept neat and tidy during the period of inspections. It should not necessarily be a "show place" but appear a comfortable home in which to live. Fresh flowers or indoor plants always brighten up a home.

While you're cleaning, think about each room and what furniture really needs to be in it. Rooms look smaller when they are crowded. Clear out anything that's not needed to create a feeling of spaciousness. Make sure that all minor repairs are completed. Sticking doors and windows, loose door knobs, faulty plumbing, or peeling paint may affect your sale. Let plenty of light into your home.

Nothing improves atmosphere more than brightness. And on a dull day switch on some lights prior to arrival of prospective purchasers. A warm comfortable heated home on cold days adds a feeling of cosiness; on a hot day don't forget to turn on any air conditioning or fans (or simply let the breeze flow through).

If you submit your property for Auction this means that prospective purchasers will bid against one another at a date and time suitable to you. You can set a reserve price, which is the minimum you will accept, and once bidding has passed that level you know you have a sale, as it will be unconditional and a predetermined deposit must be paid on the day.

Sale by Private Treaty means that you set a price at which your property is to be marketed to the public through the marketing plan agreed to by you and the agent.