Settlement Agents for Merriwa Buyers and Sellers

Settlement agents for buyers and sellers

Part of Perth’s northern suburbs, Merriwa sits roughly 35 km north-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 is roughly 43 km to the south, so we run these settlements by phone and email rather than in person. Give us a call and we will explain how it works.

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 Merriwa. 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 Merriwa, 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.

Typical local settlements look like this:

• developer covenants and design guidelines noted against the land
• keeping finance approval valid while titles are pending
• coastal strata schemes with higher levies for building maintenance
• vacant land purchases where the title has not yet issued
• house-and-land contracts and the timing between land settlement and build start

The practical consequence for a Merriwa 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.

Neighbouring areas we work in include conveyancing in Ridgewood, Quinns Rocks, Clarkson, Mindarie and Jindalee.

The work behind a settlement that runs on time

Conveyancing is the work of transferring ownership properly, and most of it is invisible to the parties. 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.

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.

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.

Conveyancing services, start to finish

Whatever the property is, the settlement work is covered:

• Strata settlements – Apartments, villas and survey-strata lots, including strata information and levy adjustments.
• Selling – Private homes, commercial property and deceased estates, with documents signed at a time that suits you.
• Title searches – Shelley can search a title and explain what is registered against it before you commit.
• Private sales – Where there is no agent involved, we handle the transaction between the parties.
• Lodgement at Landgate – Preparation and lodgement of documents for registration.
• Vacant land settlements – Land purchases and sales, including contracts that are conditional on the title issuing.

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.

Settling a property from anywhere in WA

Being roughly 43 km from our Myaree office does not put a Merriwa settlement out of reach. We handle these transactions by phone, email and electronic signing: the documents come to you, we explain them on a call, and you sign without needing to drive anywhere.

Because settlements in Western Australia are completed electronically, there is nothing for you to attend on the day either. We will confirm it with you as soon as it is done. Call Shelley on 0428 336 878 to discuss the timing and what your property needs.

We offer cost-effective and stress-free settlement

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

Common questions from clients

I am buying land in Merriwa and the title has not issued yet. What happens?

Settlement is triggered by the title issuing rather than by a fixed date, so the timing is driven by when the plan is registered. We monitor it, keep your lender in the loop and give you as much notice as we can once a date firms up.

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.

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 Merriwa 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.