Make an offer with a clear plan

Start with the price your household can comfortably carry, including purchase costs and the work or repairs you already know about. Keep that figure separate from your borrowing capacity and from the asking price. A lender’s pre-approval is not a direction to spend the full amount.

Use recent comparable sales and the condition of the home to choose an opening offer and a firm ceiling. Before increasing the price, ask your broker to show the extra cash contribution and repayments it would require. Keep your moving costs and repair reserve outside the deposit you offer. If the higher price consumes that reserve, reconsider the offer rather than assuming you can rebuild it after settlement.

Ask your solicitor or conveyancer to review the proposed contract and seller disclosure documents before you sign. Queensland’s contract guidance recommends taking the contract away for legal advice. From 1 August 2025, the Queensland seller disclosure scheme requires disclosure documents before signing where the scheme applies, but disclosure is not a substitute for your own searches and advice.

Investigate the title, property condition and relevant body corporate records. Arrange inspections early where possible. If an inspection will happen after signing, ask your solicitor to draft a condition that reflects the report, deadline and action you need.

A Queensland contract may include conditions for finance, building and pest inspection or the sale of an existing property. The exact wording matters. Confirm with your solicitor what must happen, who must be notified and by when. Confirm with your broker or lender that the finance period gives them a realistic chance to assess this property.

Pre-approval is conditional. The lender still needs to assess the full application and the particular property, which can include a valuation. ASIC Moneysmart says to contact the lender and apply to finalise the loan once you have found a property. Do not describe finance as “sorted” until the lender has issued the approval needed for your contract.

Our preference is to negotiate a settlement date or another term you can comfortably meet before giving up finance protection. Ask the agent which terms matter to the seller, then check them with your broker and solicitor. A shorter finance period is only useful if the lender can meet it; a deadline that expires before approval shifts the problem back to you.

Ask the seller’s agent how offers are being presented. In Queensland, an offer may begin verbally, on an offer form or in a contract supplied by the agent. Ask your solicitor to confirm when acceptance is effective and the contract becomes binding. Treat every document as consequential and have your solicitor check it before you sign.

State the price, deposit arrangements, settlement date and agreed conditions together. Keep a dated copy of each version. A partial deposit paid with an offer does not guarantee acceptance.

The seller’s agent works for the seller. Use your own advisers for legal, finance and property advice.

The seller may accept, reject or counter. A counter-offer changes the proposal, so reread the full document and ask your solicitor about any amended term before signing. Do not assume only the price has changed.

Set a time for your response rather than negotiating in a rush. Ask what the seller wants changed. You can improve a term, hold your position or walk away. Urgency does not change what you can safely complete.

An accepted offer begins a deadline-driven process. Keep your broker, solicitor and inspector working from the same contract. The detailed guides below unpack negotiation, counter-offers, inspection findings and walking away.