If you've been browsing listings or picturing life in a different home, you're probably wondering whether it's time to sell. Often the answer comes from your own life rather than the market: the equity you've built, whether your home still fits your household, and whether you're ready for the move.

Here are ten signs it could be time. If your question is really about the market, our guide to whether to sell now or wait is the place to start, and the best time of year to sell covers the calendar.

1. You've built positive equity in your house

If you've owned your home for a while, you may have built up a tidy sum of equity: what your home is worth, less what you still owe on it. It grows as you pay down the loan and as prices rise, and shrinks if prices fall.

To get a good idea of this figure, ask a local agent for an appraisal, their estimate of what your home would sell for. As a rough guide, you'd walk away with the sale price, less what you still owe and the costs of selling. Our guide to home equity shows how to work out your equity.

Ideally, when you sell your home, what you get back will be enough to cover the costs of the deposit on a new property, the associated costs of moving, and settling a sale. If you have negative equity, meaning you owe more than the home is worth, selling could leave you worse off than before.

2. You're financially ready to move

Not only have you got equity on your side, but you also have extra savings up your sleeve. The costs of selling a house stack up quickly, so it helps not to rely on your equity alone.

When asking yourself, "Should I sell my house?", consider the costs of moving, minor (or large) repairs that need to be done before you list your house on the market, and whether your new mortgage will be heftier.

Your lender will want to know that your financials are rock solid.

If you'll need a new loan, expect your lender to look at your income, living expenses, other debts, savings and credit report to check you can afford the repayments. Any debts you already have can cut how much you can borrow, or lead a lender to say no.

For your own peace of mind, the government's Moneysmart website suggests keeping an emergency fund for anything life throws at you: about three months of expenses, or a bit more if you're thinking long term.

3. Your neighbours sold for a good price

Your neighbours just sold for a great price, and it's got you wondering what yours is worth. Strong local sales can point to a seller's market, where there are more buyers than homes for sale. One sale doesn't make a market, but it's a good prompt to check where you stand.

Test the market, and find out the estimated value of your home. Get in touch with a real estate agent in your area to get a feel for how much your home is worth and whether selling might be a good outcome for you.

4. Market conditions show positive signs for selling

If your local market is soaring, chances are you’ll secure a tidy price. That's great news for the next step in your property journey.

Unsure of how your market is performing? Check out our guide to the market signals worth watching. It always depends on your suburb and property type, but here are a few clear signs your house is likely to sell well:

• Sale prices in your suburb are trending upward.
• Nearby auctions are drawing plenty of registered bidders or strong clearance rates.
• Buyer enquiries and open-home attendance are solid for similar properties.
• The median days on market is falling or sits below the suburb’s long-term average.
• Few comparable homes are listed, so competition is low.
• Vendor discounting (the gap between asking and sale price) is tightening.
• Local rental demand is strong, keeping yields healthy for investors.
• The broader local economy and employment outlook are positive.

That said, timing the market is hard, and if you're buying in the same area, rising prices lift the cost of your next home too. For more on the market right now, see our guide to whether to sell now or wait.

5. You're emotionally ready to move

Are you ready to cut the ties? A sign it could be time to sell is that you're actively perusing the latest real estate listings and daydreaming about a new place.

Selling a home can be an emotional and stressful process, and emotions can cloud judgment at the best of times. You need to prepare the house for sale and be ready for honest feedback from agents, stagers and buyers.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't sell. Give yourself time to mentally prepare for all the steps it will take.

6. You've outgrown your home

Did you buy your home at a different stage in your life? Before you started a family? Have you outgrown your home and need more bedrooms and storage space?

Whether you're expanding your family, are finding the kids want their own rooms, or have ageing parents to care for, it might be time to investigate the market.

7. You're ready to downsize

On the flip side, some homeowners sell once their children have grown up and moved out of the large, once bustling family home. Perhaps yours now has more space than you use, or more upkeep than you want.

Downsizing can leave you with a nice nest egg, depending on the gap between what you sell for and what you buy, and on anything you still owe on your loan. Agent fees, legal fees, moving costs and, usually, stamp duty on your next home come out of it first.

If you get the Age Pension, any money left over can affect your pension too, so it's worth doing the sums. Our guide to downsizing and selling the family home covers the rest.

8. Your location no longer suits your needs

If your home no longer suits your lifestyle needs and you don't find the location desirable anymore, it may be the right time to sell your house.

From considering which schools to send the kids to and where the best job opportunities are, to having good options for healthcare, shops, parks, public transport and more, you will want to live in an area where you spend a lot of time, and that will benefit the entire household.

9. Renovations won't add much value

Considering renovating your home in order to capitalise on your resale? Will a renovation actually add value to your property or will you lose money in the long run?

If you spend too much and budgets blow out, you may overcapitalise. Be sure to carefully plan out what your aims are, how much it is going to cost and how much value it will add to your resale.

A new kitchen or bathroom may add value, but often less than it costs. If the work your home needs isn't worth it, selling as it is could suit you better. Our guide to renovating before you sell walks through the trade-offs.

It's always a good idea to have a chat with your real estate agent to see if they believe your upgrades will be worth it, or not.

10. You've got some agents in mind

You've checked off a bunch of concerns on your list, and you're ready to talk with real estate agents. If you're serious about selling, you've probably started doing your research.

A good real estate agent will listen to you and be able to advise you of the best outcome you can achieve. They will be able to help you put together a plan for selling and outline all the steps you need to take to get your house listed.

A good place to start is asking two or three local agents for an appraisal and comparing how they reached their price, not just the number. Our questions to ask a real estate agent help you weigh them up.

How many of these signs apply to you?

If several of these signs ring true, selling could suit you and your family. From here, the next steps are getting an estimate of your home's value, working out your selling costs and what you'd walk away with, and lining up two or three local agents for an appraisal.

Check out our hub with all the resources you need to sell your property.