Settlement Agent Applecross

Your settlement, handled from offer to keys

Part of Perth’s southern suburbs, Applecross sits about 7 km south of the Perth CBD. Once an offer on a Applecross property is accepted, the transaction moves from the real estate agent to a settlement agent, and that is where we come in.

Our office is in Myaree, about 4 km from Applecross, and we can come to you to sign documents, including on weekends.

Buying or selling a house is a lengthy and complex process and obtaining professional advice will help ensure your smooth and successful property settlement in Applecross. The main job of a settlement agent is to transfer the ownership of the property and depending on whether you are buying or selling has various different components.

The local detail behind your settlement

The property mix around Applecross is varied, and the difference between a green title, a survey-strata lot and a built-strata apartment changes the settlement process quite noticeably.

In practice that means a Applecross settlement can involve a strata company, a body of by-laws and levy adjustments that a green-title transfer never touches. Buyers of apartments and villas here also need to understand what is actually being bought, since a strata lot and the common property around it are not the same thing.

Settlements we regularly handle around here include:

• investment properties sold with tenants in place
• strata company information, certificates and by-laws
• adjusting strata levies and identifying any special levy
• off-the-plan and staged-completion apartment purchases
• survey-strata rear lots and shared driveway arrangements

Practically, that means we do not sit on anything. The documents that come from third parties are requested the day we receive the contract, because they are the ones we cannot speed up later.

We handle settlements in the adjoining suburbs too, including conveyancing in Ardross, Mount Pleasant, Alfred Cove, Booragoon and Myaree.

What we handle once the contract is signed

Conveyancing is the work of transferring ownership properly, and most of it is invisible to the parties. We check the title and anything registered on it, deal with the council, Water Corporation and any strata company, complete the verification of identity requirements, prepare and lodge the transfer, arrange transfer duty through State Revenue Online, produce the settlement statement, settle, and notify the authorities of the change of ownership.

If settlement is going to be late, the contract usually has something to say about it, including interest. Telling us early gives us room to sort it out; telling us on the day does not.

You will not need to attend settlement. It is completed electronically, which is now the standard process in Western Australia, and we confirm the outcome with you straight away.

Settlement services we provide

For your property, we can help with:

• Lodgement at Landgate – Preparation and lodgement of documents for registration.
• Strata settlements – Apartments, villas and survey-strata lots, including strata information and levy adjustments.
• Home settlements – Transfers of established houses, duplexes, townhouses and villa strata, for buyers and for sellers.
• Buying – Everything from the accepted offer through to registration of your name on the title.
• Selling – Private homes, commercial property and deceased estates, with documents signed at a time that suits you.
• Green title and strata title subdivision – Settlements on newly created lots, including subdivision work.
• Title searches – Shelley can search a title and explain what is registered against it before you commit.

Every one of these is quoted before we start, so you know the cost before you commit to anything.

Appointments to suit you

We come to Applecross clients rather than expecting them to come to us. From our Myaree office, about 4 km away, we can meet you at home, including on weekends, to go through the documents and complete the verification of identity check required of sellers.

Prefer to keep it simple and do it all by phone and email? That is entirely workable. Settlement itself is completed electronically in WA, so nobody has to attend in person. Call Shelley on 0428 336 878 to sort out a time.

We offer cost-effective and stress-free settlement

We are licensed in all aspects of conveyancing in Western Australia. Other services that we offer:

Your questions answered

Are strata levies adjusted at settlement?

Yes. Levies, along with council rates and water, are apportioned to the settlement date, so each party pays for the period they own the property. It appears on the settlement statement and we go through it with you.

Can I use a settlement agent if there is no real estate agent involved?

Yes. Private sales are common and we handle them regularly. Without an agent in the middle, having the contract and the paperwork done properly matters more, not less.

Who tells the council and Water Corporation about the change of ownership?

We do, as part of the settlement. You do not need to contact them yourself, although you will want to arrange your own connections for power, gas and internet.

Don’t have time to get to an office?

Our services include Applecross home appointments, including weekends to sign confusing documentation and to conduct a verification of identity check for sellers to avoid going to Australia post. However, we are also able to work remotely to do all this over the phone or in person.