Property Settlements in Darling Downs

Settlement for homes, land and strata

Part of Perth’s south-eastern suburbs, Darling Downs sits roughly 30 km south-east of the Perth CBD. Every settlement runs to a date in the contract, and everything between signing and that date has to be organised by someone.

Our Myaree office is roughly 24 km to the north-west. A home appointment is usually possible, and the whole settlement can just as easily be done remotely.

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 Darling Downs. 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 kind of settlements we handle here

Around Darling Downs, contracts frequently involve new lots, recently created titles or land where the deposited plan is still working its way through, and that changes how settlement dates behave.

The practical consequence for a Darling Downs buyer is that the important dates are often not the ones you would expect. Finance approval has to stay valid while titles are pending, and the timing of duty, first-home concessions and any grant depends on what is actually being bought and when it settles.

So the work here is as much about tracking and communication as it is about paperwork. Titles issue when they issue, and the value of having someone on it is that you find out early rather than on the day.

Locally, that translates into work like:

• first home buyer duty concessions and grant timing, confirmed with RevenueWA
• developer covenants and design guidelines noted against the land
• keeping finance approval valid while titles are pending
• vacant land purchases where the title has not yet issued
• house-and-land contracts and the timing between land settlement and build start

We also act for buyers and sellers nearby in conveyancing in Wungong, Brookdale, Mount Richon, Hilbert and Armadale.

What we handle once the contract is signed

There is a reason people do not do their own conveyancing, and it is not the difficulty of any single step. 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.

One practical tip for buyers: do not book removalists for first thing on settlement day. Settlement happens when the funds and documents are exchanged, and until it does, the keys are not yours to collect.

Settlement in WA is now conducted electronically, which means no one drives across town with bank cheques. We complete it online and let you know the moment it is through.

How we can help with your property

Licensed for all aspects of conveyancing in WA, the work we take on includes:

• Vacant land settlements – Land purchases and sales, including contracts that are conditional on the title issuing.
• 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.
• Transfer duty through State Revenue Online – We arrange stamping, so duty does not need to be paid before settlement.
• Strata settlements – Apartments, villas and survey-strata lots, including strata information and levy adjustments.

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

Settling Darling Downs property without the drive

From our Myaree office it is about roughly 24 km to Darling Downs, so a home appointment is usually straightforward to arrange, weekends included. That covers signing the documentation and the verification of identity check required of sellers.

If it is easier, the entire settlement can be handled remotely instead, by phone, email and electronic signing, with nothing for you to attend on settlement day. Call Shelley on 0428 336 878 to talk through which works better for 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:

Settlement questions, answered

Am I eligible for first home buyer concessions?

That depends on the property, the price and your circumstances, and the rules are set by RevenueWA rather than by us. Tell us what you are buying and we will point you to the current position rather than quoting figures that change.

How long does settlement take?

The settlement date is set in the contract rather than by us, and in Western Australia it is commonly somewhere between 30 and 60 days from an accepted offer. We work backwards from that date, and we will tell you early if anything threatens it.

When do I need to appoint a settlement agent?

As soon as your offer is accepted, and ideally before. The earlier we have the contract, the sooner we can order searches and raise enquiries, which is where the time goes.

Don’t have time to get to an office?

Our services include Darling Downs 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.