Settlement Agent Crawley

Buying or selling in Crawley? Here is what settlement involves

Crawley sits about 5 km south-west of the Perth CBD, in Perth’s western suburbs. Once an offer on a Crawley 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 7 km from Crawley, 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 Crawley. 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

Close to the city, the housing mix in and around Crawley runs well beyond the standalone house, and a good share of transactions here involve apartments, villas or survey-strata lots.

The difference matters. A strata settlement means obtaining information from the strata company, checking levies and any special levies, understanding what the by-laws allow and adjusting the levies at settlement. Those documents come from a third party and they are the single most common reason an otherwise simple settlement runs late, so we request them as soon as the contract is signed.

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

So the order of work matters. Strata information is requested immediately, the title search goes out at the same time, and the rates, water and levy figures are chased rather than waited on. Adjustments are then calculated to the day and set out clearly in your settlement statement.

We handle settlements in the adjoining suburbs too, including Daglish settlements, Shenton Park, Subiaco and Jolimont.

What a settlement agent actually does

Most of what a settlement agent does happens quietly in the background, which is exactly how it should feel. The list is long: title searches, enquiries to the council and Water Corporation, strata information where relevant, verification of identity, preparation of the transfer, duty assessment, settlement figures, settlement itself, then notification to the authorities and registration at Landgate.

Rates, water and strata levies are adjusted at settlement, so a buyer reimburses the seller for the portion of the year already paid. It surprises people, so we set it out clearly in the settlement statement rather than leaving it as a line item.

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:

• 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.
• Transfer duty through State Revenue Online – We arrange stamping, so duty does not need to be paid before settlement.
• Court order transfers – Transfers arising from a separation or family court order.
• Lodgement at Landgate – Preparation and lodgement of documents for registration.

If what you need is not on that list, ask anyway. Most property questions have a straightforward answer, and it costs nothing to find out.

No time to get to an office?

Not everyone can get to an office between nine and five, and you should not have to. Our office is in Myaree, about 7 km from Crawley, and we offer home appointments, including weekends, to sign documentation and to complete the verification of identity check sellers need, so there is no trip to Australia Post.

If it is easier to do everything remotely, that works too. Settlements in Western Australia are completed electronically, so you will not need to attend settlement itself. Call Shelley on 0428 336 878 to arrange a time that suits you.

We offer cost-effective and stress-free settlement

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

Quick answers before you call

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.

Do I have to attend settlement?

No. Settlements in Western Australia are completed electronically, so neither buyers nor sellers attend in person. We complete it online and confirm it with you as soon as it is done.

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 Crawley 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.