Settlement Agents for Gooseberry Hill Buyers and Sellers

The settlement side of buying or selling

Gooseberry Hill sits roughly 20 km east of the Perth CBD, in the Perth Hills. 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.

We are in Myaree, roughly 24 km to the south-west. Call us to arrange a home appointment, or we can run the settlement by phone and email start to finish.

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 Gooseberry Hill. 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.

Property in Gooseberry Hill: what it means for your settlement

Hills property is different to the coastal plain, and the differences show up on the title. Blocks in and around Gooseberry Hill are typically larger and treed, often with sheds, workshops, water tanks or other structures added over the years.

Typical local settlements look like this:

• easements, encumbrances and notifications registered against hills titles
• checking that sheds, workshops and other structures line up with the approvals held
• shire rates and emergency services levy adjustments at settlement
• properties on onsite wastewater rather than a scheme sewer connection
• transfers where the land is bush-adjacent and the title carries bushfire-related notifications

That means the title search on a Gooseberry Hill property earns its keep. Easements, rights of carriageway, bushfire-related notifications and encumbrances are all more common on hills titles than on a standard suburban block, and every one of them needs to be identified and explained before settlement rather than discovered afterwards.

Practically, that means we order the title search early, read what is registered against the land rather than skimming it, put the questions to the shire in writing, and tell you in plain terms what each item means for you. Where something needs attention, you will hear about it while there is still time to do something about it.

We also act for buyers and sellers nearby in Maida Vale settlements, Piesse Brook, Kalamunda, High Wycombe and Forrestfield.

What a settlement agent actually does

Settlement is a process with a fixed date and a lot of moving parts. 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.

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.

The one thing we ask is that you come back to us quickly when we need something. Everything else, including settlement itself, is handled at our end.

Conveyancing services, start to finish

For your property, we can help with:

• Buying – Everything from the accepted offer through to registration of your name on the title.
• Application by survivorship – Transferring a property into the surviving owner’s name.
• Court order transfers – Transfers arising from a separation or family court order.
• Transfer duty through State Revenue Online – We arrange stamping, so duty does not need to be paid before settlement.
• Lodgement at Landgate – Preparation and lodgement of documents for registration.
• Home settlements – Transfers of established houses, duplexes, townhouses and villa strata, for buyers and for sellers.

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.

The distance does not change the service

Gooseberry Hill is roughly 24 km from our Myaree office, which is comfortably within reach for a home appointment. We can come to you, including on weekends, to sign documentation and complete the verification of identity check that sellers need.

Just as often, clients here prefer to do the whole thing by phone and email, and that works perfectly well. Documents can be sent, explained over the phone and signed electronically, and settlement itself is completed online, so there is nothing to attend. Whichever suits you better, call Shelley on 0428 336 878 and we will set it up.

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

The property has sheds and outbuildings. Does that affect settlement?

It can. Structures added over the years do not always have approvals recorded for them, and it is far better to establish that during the contract period than after settlement. We raise the enquiries as part of the process.

What does a settlement agent cost for a Gooseberry Hill property?

Our fee depends on the property and what the transaction involves, so we quote before you commit. Ask for a quote and you will get a clear figure rather than an estimate that moves later.

What happens if the other side is not ready on settlement day?

It happens, and the contract usually deals with it, including interest for the delay. The important thing is that you tell us as soon as you know, because a problem raised early can normally be worked around.

Don’t have time to get to an office?

Our services include Gooseberry Hill 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.