The Sell-or-Wait Worksheet

Ten questions to answer before you call any agent, including me.

Most people decide to sell first and do the numbers later. This one-page worksheet flips that. Fill it in over a cup of coffee and you’ll know whether you’re ready to sell, need to wait, or should stay put. It’s the same set of questions I work through in a free property consultation.

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Part 1: Why

1. Why do I want to move? Write the real reason in one sentence.

2. Is that reason about this house, or about my life? (A house problem can sometimes be fixed for less than the cost of moving.)

3. What happens if I wait 12 months?

Part 2: The money

4. What do I still owe on my bond? (Ask your bank for a settlement figure.)

5. What have similar homes in my street or suburb sold for in the last six months? (Not asking prices. Registered sales.)

6. What will selling cost me? List commission, bond cancellation, compliance certificates and any early-settlement penalty. (How to work out your net proceeds)

7. Price minus bond minus costs = what I walk away with. Is that enough for my next step?

Part 3: The next home

8. Where am I going, and what will that cost, including transfer duty and bond fees if I’m buying? (The complete cost of buying)

9. Do I need to sell before I can buy, or can I buy first?

10. If the answers to 7 and 8 don’t work, what would have to change, and when?

Andre van Niekerk – Ask Andre · Full status, non-principal property practitioner at Trust Property · Registered with the PPRA · FFC No. 1267613. General information only, not financial, legal or tax advice.

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