Settlement Agents for Attadale Buyers and Sellers

The settlement side of buying or selling

Part of Perth’s southern suburbs, Attadale sits about 10 km south-west of the Perth CBD. When a property goes under offer, someone has to search the title, deal with the rates and water, arrange duty and get the transfer registered. That is our job.

Our office sits about 2 km to the south-east, so meeting at your place, including on a weekend, is easy to arrange.

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 Attadale. 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.

Why these settlements are not all the same

Attadale is an established Perth suburb, and its settlement work reflects that: mostly straightforward transfers of established homes, with subdivision and rear-lot activity in the pockets where blocks allow it.

Typical local settlements look like this:

• survey-strata rear lots and shared driveway arrangements
• villa and townhouse strata settlements, including levy adjustments
• rates, water and levy adjustments calculated to the settlement date
• older titles carrying notifications or encumbrances worth explaining before settlement
• subdivided lots being sold individually

In practice, most Attadale settlements come down to doing the routine work well: searching the title, checking for anything registered against it, obtaining the rates, water and any strata figures, arranging duty and having everything ready before settlement day rather than on it.

None of this is complicated, but all of it is time sensitive. Most settlements that run late do so because something was requested a fortnight later than it should have been, not because the transaction was difficult.

Neighbouring areas we work in include Melville settlements, Bicton, Alfred Cove, Myaree and Palmyra.

What we handle once the contract is signed

Once a contract is signed, a series of searches, enquiries and payments have to happen in the right order. That means searching the title and any restrictions on it, arranging for anything that should not remain on the title to be removed, obtaining rates, water and strata figures, preparing the settlement statement and transfer documents, arranging duty, completing settlement and notifying 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.

Our conveyancing services

Not every transaction is a straightforward house sale, so we cover the rest of it too:

• Buying – Everything from the accepted offer through to registration of your name on the title.
• Title searches – Shelley can search a title and explain what is registered against it before you commit.
• Transfer duty through State Revenue Online – We arrange stamping, so duty does not need to be paid before settlement.
• Application by survivorship – Transferring a property into the surviving owner’s name.
• Court order transfers – Transfers arising from a separation or family court order.
• Home settlements – Transfers of established houses, duplexes, townhouses and villa strata, for buyers and for sellers.

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

Meeting and signing, made simple

We come to Attadale clients rather than expecting them to come to us. From our Myaree office, about 2 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:

Settlement questions, answered

Can you tell me what is registered against a property before I make an offer?

Yes. A title search is inexpensive and quick, and it will show ownership, encumbrances and any notifications. It is a sensible first step if anything about the property is unclear.

Do I pay transfer duty before settlement?

Not with us. We arrange stamping through State Revenue Online, so duty is dealt with as part of the settlement rather than needing to be paid beforehand.

Can you act for me if I am selling and buying at the same time?

Yes, and it is common. Where a sale and a purchase are linked, the two settlements need to be coordinated carefully, which is easier when one agent is running both.

Don’t have time to get to an office?

Our services include Attadale 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.