Name: What Happens if My Property Doesn't Sell? (Real Estate Tips)
Uploaded: 2026-07-16
Description: What happens if your property doesn't sell once we put it out there? If we've done the presentation right, and if we've done the trifecta of marketing to expose the property really well, it then comes down to listening to the market and finding out what price it's willing to pay.

Question 1

How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in Perth? (Agent Fees)

Accepted Answer

So, how much does it cost to sell your property in Perth? Well, it's going to vary depending on the price point of your property. But I typically find the difference between the cheapest agent and the most expensive agent in any area is usually around 1%. One of the biggest mistakes sellers can make is choosing an agent based on their fee alone. You want to be looking deeper at the strategy because the right agent can make you as much as 5% to 10% extra. The wrong agent might save you a percent, but cost you a lot more in the final selling price.

Question 2

Cost of Selling Property in Perth: Fees & Expenses Breakdown

Accepted Answer

So, what does it cost to sell a house in Perth? That's going to vary depending on your price point. But let's say we're looking to sell a property valued at about $900,000. Your sales agent is probably going to be one of the bigger costs, which will vary between 1.5% at the real low end and probably 3% at the upper end. Typically, you'll see a 1% difference between the lowest cost and the highest cost agent. You obviously need to look at what you're getting for that money. A great agent can make you an extra 5% to 10% on the final sale price. To begin with, I'd calculate based on about 2% to 2.5%, depending on your price point. Next, you need to look at what your settlement agent is going to cost, which is typically around $1,200. You can get some specific quotes for that later, but that's what I would allow for now. You've then got a marketing cost to pay to the sales agent. You need to look at where they are spending this money. Is it resulting in extra exposure and reaching real buyers, or is it focused on marketing the agent in the suburb to get themselves more business? I typically expect to spend about $2,000 for marketing. That gets you pretty decent exposure with professional photos, a walkthrough video, a highlight listing on the major websites, and social media ads. One of the things we do is use AI to drive our ads and make sure we're getting more bang for our buck, which can significantly reduce the cost. Most of the other major transaction costs are going to fall on the buyer, as they will pay for the building and pest inspection. You're just going to have to allow extra room in your budget for any necessary maintenance or styling staging that you get done. Staging usually varies between $2,500 and $4,500, depending on the size of your property. And that's pretty much all of the costs involved.

Question 3

Why Choose Investors Edge to Sell Your Perth Property

Accepted Answer

So why should you use Investors Edge to sell your property here in Perth? Well, I'd be looking first of all at the strategy, and whether it sets price records in suburbs—which is what we are best known for doing. I would then be going deeper. If your property is tenanted, I'd be looking at someone who is used to handling an investment property. Even if you're going to vacate the tenant, you really want to make sure that all of that is done smoothly. Next, I would be looking deeper at the track record. Do they sell a decent number of properties per year? Typically, 70 plus ensures that they are going to be doing this not just as a part-time thing, and that they aren't a rookie. You need someone who is handling transactions every week, really knows what they're doing, and has that reputation for getting great results. Finally, I like to look at one last thing: what are the guarantees? We have an "absolutely delighted guarantee"—if you're not left feeling that way, you can choose to pay us nothing for selling your property. We've also got a no-lock-in contract, so if we're not meeting our promises, you can cancel at any time prior to the sale. I've never seen any other real estate agent offer those, and it's a real way that ensures we care for every client. We are focused on getting results for them, we take no one for granted, and we want to leave people with the best possible experience.

Question 4

How Long Will It Take to Sell My Property in Perth?

Accepted Answer

So in Perth, we're coming off a crazy time in the market where it's been very quick to sell a property, but buyers are starting to be more selective and price sensitive. We really want to be looking to sell in the first one to two weeks, regardless of everything that is happening in the market, because that's when demand is going to be at its strongest. That is when the views are highest online, the foot traffic should be the highest through, and when we have the best chance of creating competition. What we don't want to be doing is making a price adjustment too late, where the marketplace doesn't even see it and it doesn't even matter at that point. That makes it so much harder to get people along and interested in the property. So, I try to come out of the blocks right.

Question 5

Can You Help With Coordinating Property Improvements?

Accepted Answer

One of the things we do at Investors Edge when we sell a property is help with coordinating improvements. Our property managers will get quotes and get everything lined up for when the tenant is moving out—or, if we can, while the tenant is still there. That is going to be key to getting these things done in a timely and cost-effective fashion, ensuring you do not have an extended vacancy for any period of time. If it is your own home, we can also suggest contacts. We have a great depth of trades that we use on our property management side. Again, that is going to save you money and ensure that we are ready for sale.

Question 6

Is House Styling/Staging Worth It Before Selling?

Accepted Answer

So, is styling and staging worth it before selling? Well, in Perth, using staging is one of the greatest returns on money that you can spend to prepare your property for sale. It is going to sell the lifestyle. It's going to sell people on exactly how it might be for them to live there, even if they could never have such lovely furniture. Both investors and home buyers buy with emotion. They will really be attracted to something that is staged. Because of that, you typically see a 5 to 10 times return on the staging costs you pay.

Question 7

Should I Sell My Tenanted Property Vacant or Occupied?

Accepted Answer

So, should you sell your tenanted property vacant or occupied? We really need to look deeper at how the tenant is presenting, and make sure that it is not going to impact our sale price. A lot of my clients decide to vacate the tenant and use staging to present the property at its best. We generally don't ever look to sell a property completely vacant and empty, because buyers can then come through and see every single imperfection. They also struggle to have the imagination as to how the space could be set out. Really, the choice comes down to this: if the tenant is presenting well, we would sell no more than two months out from the lease end date so we are not restricting home buyers. If the tenants are not presenting well, we vacate them and stage the property. If you can't afford the cost of physical staging, but the tenants are just not presenting well at all, then we use digital furnishing to still ensure a great online presence. However, when people come through, we really need the condition, maintenance, and presentation to still be dialled in because buyers are going to be highly scrutinising of a vacant property—as that is all they will see.

Question 8

What if My Investment Property Has Tenants in Place?

Accepted Answer

So, if your property has tenants in place, you really need to think about how this is going to impact your sale. How far out the lease is is the first consideration. We don't want to ever sell more than two months out, because that's going to limit our market mainly to investors. We want to have as many people competing as possible, and we definitely want to have home buyers able to buy it. Then we want to look deeper at how the tenants are presenting. If the tenants aren't presenting well, it can cost us tens of thousands—perhaps even $100,000. So, we've got to weigh that up. If the lease is a long time away, we can also look to compensate and incentivise the tenants to move out early to bring forward your plans. That's what we're doing with a lot of clients at the moment, because we really can't sell with them there. We really can't sell with a long lease in place, and we want to present the property properly, stage it, and really get buyers super emotional about what they're looking to buy.

Question 9

Do I Need to Renovate Before Selling My House?

Accepted Answer

So, a key part of our strategy is looking at the improvements to make before selling. We want to focus on the things that are going to add the biggest bang for the buck spent. These are things like landscaping, street appeal, presentation, flooring, and painting. These usually add the most value, typically two to four dollars for every dollar spent. Another huge improvement that adds the biggest return—typically a five to ten times return—is using staging. If the property is vacant, people can see every imperfection; they can see everything that's not right. With staging, we can sell the lifestyle. Presentation is one of our six points of strategy to make sure that we're going to get buyers super emotional about your property. That works regardless of the type of buyer. Whether they're an investor or a homebuyer, we are all driven by our emotions, and having a great presentation is going to get people into that fear of missing out.

Question 10

When is the Best Time to Sell Property in Perth?

Accepted Answer

So, when is the best time to sell in Perth? It is when there is very limited supply of similar properties to yours. On one hand, it makes it harder to determine the price, but on the other hand, you can be sure to have all of that demand focused entirely on your property. So, the best timing is not necessarily based on the season; it is more based on the market conditions at that time. What typically happens in spring is that people think it is a great time to sell. However, if you go on the market in late spring, there is going to be lots of competition, and a lot of the buyer demand has already been soaked up and bought in early spring. It is not necessarily the ideal time to list. Counter to that, if you actually list your property over Christmas, a lot of people think that is a bad time to sell. But in reality, there might be no other similar properties on the market at all, and buyers are still around. The most genuine, serious buyers will still come through and look to buy a property over the holiday period. Ultimately, look to the supply. That is going to be the key factor in getting a great result and capturing as much of the active demand as possible.

Question 11

Can I Sell My House Without a Real Estate Agent in WA?

Accepted Answer

So, can you sell without a real estate agent in WA in Perth?Well, yes, you can. The online portals make it possible for you to access these things. But if you've only sold one or two properties in your life, and even if you've used an agent before, there's a lot that goes into a good strategy for getting you the best price possible. You might save two to three percent in fees, but cost yourself five to ten percent on the final selling price. What you really want to be looking at is: do you have the time to put into this? Do you have the strategy that's going to ensure the best price? Look at it like a job, and ask yourself: are you the best person for that job? Would you hire yourself to sell this property? If you're not the best, then find the best person to do it.

Question 12

Do I Need a Settlement Agent or Conveyancer in WA?

Accepted Answer

So, do you need a settlement agent or conveyancer in Perth when you are buying or selling property?The short answer is yes—if you do not want a complete mess on your hands. There is a lot more involved in a settlement than people appreciate. You have to coordinate with the bank, and you have to coordinate with the seller, the buyer, and their respective representatives. There are also the conditions of the contract and ensuring they are met. I would really only look at doing it yourself if you were a settlement agent in a past life and you have the experience to do so. Your time is worth money, too. You want to be able to sleep at night throughout the overall process and make sure that you are going to be ready to settle come settlement day. Otherwise, penalties still apply if you are not ready. You do not want to save a few dollars only to cost yourself far more in the long run. How to Handle Property Settlements in WA is a helpful video where we interview a local conveyancing expert on the common pitfalls of settlements and how to ensure everything goes smoothly when buying or selling property in Western Australia.

Question 13

Is There a Cooling-Off Period in Western Australia Property Sales?

Accepted Answer

So in Western Australia, there is no cooling-off period for sales contracts. You really need to be sure when you're making an offer because if it's accepted, you've usually got seven days to pay your deposit. Once your deposit is paid, you're usually subject to finance unless you're making a cash offer, and then subject to building and pest inspections. There are usually limited opportunities to get out of a contract if you change your mind. There are different ways to do that depending on whether it's a problem with your finance, a problem with your purchase decision, or a problem with the property itself. You really need to know the ins and outs of your sale contract. Lean on your buyer's agent to help you with making your decisions, and also speak to your settlement agent. You may possibly involve a lawyer or solicitor, depending on the complexity of the advice that you need.

Question 14

What Do I Have to Disclose When Selling Property in WA?

Accepted Answer

So, what do you have to disclose when selling in Western Australia? The overarching principle is that you need to disclose any material facts that might influence a buyer's decision on what price to pay. There is going to be the obvious stuff that people can see, but it's more about thinking through the non-obvious factors that materially impact the price. We want to make sure we disclose those types of things. Typically, I would warrant that all electrical, plumbing, and gas items are in working order. If something isn't, I would put it upfront to the buyer if we don't intend on fixing it. That way, we aren't stuck paying later for something we didn't want to fix in the first place. Buyers usually also have the protection of a building and pest annexure. Most agents use the REIWA annexures, which cover active termites or damage from termites that you would need to treat and deal with. You are much better off sorting those things out before you go to sale just to remove any concerns later, because they are going to be found. If you know about them, deal with them early. When it comes to the building inspection and annexure, that usually covers structural soundness and major structural defects. Again, it is better to fix them before we go to market rather than letting them become an issue later. When it comes to general maintenance, you don't have to be selling a perfect property. No established property is perfect, but we really want to ensure that buyers are getting what they pay for so that they're willing to pay as much as possible.

Question 15

What Happens After You Accept an Offer on a House in WA?

Accepted Answer

After you accept an offer in WA, what happens? Well, the buyer has seven days to pay their deposit. They then need to go and get finance, making an application with their finance broker to do that. They usually have two to four weeks to secure finance approval. Next, they will get their building and pest inspections done to make sure that the property stacks up. Usually, there is a warranty on electrical, plumbing, and gas items being in working order, so you want to be looking out for those. A week out from settlement, you do your final inspection where you check those items. Your building inspector has already been through, so you will double-check any of those things as well if something was cited in the inspection reports. You want to make sure that all of those things are addressed before you come to settlement. Along the way, you've got your loan documents to sign and your settlement agent's paperwork to sign so that you're going to be ready for the big day. You should also look to organize your moving truck and the connection of your utilities and services so that you have power and gas on your first day of moving in. There is nothing like a cold shower after a hard move! If you do all those things, you're going to be ready for a smooth overall settlement.

Question 16

What Happens if My Property Doesn't Sell? (Real Estate Tips)

Accepted Answer

What happens if your property doesn't sell once we put it out there? If we've done the presentation right, and if we've done the trifecta of marketing to expose the property really well, it then comes down to listening to the market and finding out what price it's willing to pay. Sometimes the demand isn't what we want. We need to look at how many views we're getting online in the first week. We really want to be getting at least 800 views. That flows through to at least 12 buyers at the home open, and from 12 buyers, we ideally want to have one in every six make an offer—meaning two offers. Having competing offers is ideal for pushing the price up. If it doesn't go according to plan, we sit down and troubleshoot where it's not working. We get feedback from the buyers to find out what they think the property is worth. We make adjustments, and very often, once we find the market, we find demand and competition. Through my negotiation, I can push the price up to being more than what we were last asking. So, it's important to make changes quickly if it's not going as expected.

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