Selling off market means your home is offered to buyers without a portal campaign, a sign out the front or an open home. You write your terms, buyers respond to them, and nothing binds anyone until a contract is signed. This guide walks through each step as it works on OFFE, from the terms you set to the fee at settlement.
Set your six terms before anyone sees the listing
The starting point of an off market sale is deciding what you actually want, not what an agent's standard agreement allows. On OFFE, every listing is built around six things the owner controls: when they will sell, how long they need to settle, the price they expect, who walks through and when, whether the listing ever touches a public portal, and any special conditions like a rent back or a staged move. Writing those down takes around four minutes. Once they are set, buyers can see the listing and respond to your terms directly. Nothing about your listing changes unless you change it.
Who can see your listing, and how buyers make contact
Off market does not mean invisible. Buyers browse OFFE free, without an account, and can see the basic details of every listing. When a buyer is ready to see the full address or make an offer, they register. Every listing also shows whether it came from an owner or an agent, so buyers know exactly who they are dealing with from the start. Buyers can either make an offer directly through the platform or request a chat with the owner first. Nothing binds either side until a contract is signed. That is a meaningful distinction: an offer on OFFE is an expression of interest, not a commitment, and the owner is equally free to wait.
Do you need a licensed agent to sell off market?
No, you do not need an agent to list or to receive offers. You do choose a settlement agent when you list, because you would need one for any sale: they handle the paperwork and the money. Some parts of a sale need a licence, namely the contract and representing you in a negotiation, and for those you can bring in a registered agent. OFFE offers three paths on the same listing. You can do it yourself and pay only the $500 + GST settlement fee. You can bring in a registered agent for the contract and negotiation only, for a fixed $2,000 + GST, with no agency agreement over your home. Or you can hand the whole sale to an agent you choose from a flat list, at their own rate, and the $500 + GST still applies at settlement if your buyer came from OFFE.
What does it actually cost to sell off market this way?
Listing is free. Browsing is free. No upfront fees, no subscription, no advertising spend. The one fee is $500 + GST, paid from the proceeds at settlement, and only if the home sells to a buyer found through OFFE. If the sale does not proceed for any reason, there is nothing to pay and nothing to refund. The fee comes out of the proceeds on settlement day, handled by your settlement agent alongside everything else being paid at that point. For full detail on every fee, including what agents and settlement agents pay, see what OFFE costs.
Why do sellers go off market before a formal campaign?
A portal campaign is largely a one way door. Once the listing is live, the street knows, the days on market clock starts and pulling it looks like something went wrong. Many homeowners would like to know what a buyer would genuinely offer before they take that step, but the traditional process makes that impossible without signing an agency agreement first. Listing off market lets an owner post real terms and see real responses, without any of that commitment. If a buyer comes through at the right price and on the right terms, the owner never needed the campaign. If not, they have lost nothing and learned something useful about where the market actually sits on their home.
How settlement works when you sell without an agent
Settlement is the legal transfer of the property and the funds, and it works the same way regardless of how the sale was found. You would need a settlement agent for any sale, and they handle the paperwork and the money. OFFE provides a list of settlement agents for owners to choose from when they list, so that choice is made early rather than in a rush after an offer arrives. On OFFE, settlement length is one of the six terms the owner sets before any buyer makes contact, whether that is 30 days or 300. Rules differ between states, so check the details of your own sale with your settlement agent.
What about privacy and who sees your address?
One of the reasons homeowners try an off market approach is privacy. They may not want neighbours, colleagues or family to know the home is for sale. On OFFE, the full address is only visible to registered buyers. The public facing listing shows enough detail to attract a genuine buyer without publishing the street address openly. The owner also controls whether the listing ever moves to a public portal. That is a term they set at the start, and it stays their decision throughout. No open homes happen unless the owner arranges them, with whomever they choose to invite.
Frequently asked questions
Is selling off market legal in Australia?
Yes, selling off market is completely legal across Australia. An owner is free to sell their home privately without a portal listing, a sign or a public advertising campaign. You still need a settlement agent to handle the paperwork and the money, as you would on any sale, and it is worth seeking independent advice on your own circumstances.
Do I have to sign an agency agreement to use OFFE?
No. OFFE is a marketplace, not an agency. Listing on OFFE does not create an agency agreement. If you bring in a registered agent for the contract and negotiation, you engage them directly, and there is still no agency agreement over your home.
What if my home does not sell through OFFE?
You pay nothing. The $500 + GST fee only applies if your home settles with a buyer found through OFFE. If no suitable offer arrives, or if you decide not to proceed, there is no fee and nothing to recover. You can still go to a full portal campaign afterwards with nothing owed.
Can a buyer's agent or broker help a buyer purchase through OFFE?
Yes. Buyer's agents, brokers and settlement agents all work alongside buyers and owners on OFFE. Partners appear on a flat list with no paid ranking, so the owner chooses who to work with based on their own judgement rather than who paid for prominence.
How long does it take to list a home on OFFE?
About four minutes and a photo from your phone. You write your six terms, add a photo, and the listing goes live off the portals. You are not committing to a sale by listing, and nothing binds until you sign a contract with a buyer.
Sources
This article draws on the following pages.