Settlement Agents for Sorrento Buyers and Sellers

The settlement side of buying or selling

Sorrento sits roughly 15 km north-west of the Perth CBD, in Perth’s northern suburbs. 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.

From Myaree it is roughly 24 km to Sorrento, so we can either come to you or handle the signing by phone, email and electronic signature.

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 Sorrento. 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

Sorrento 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:

• coastal strata schemes with higher levies for building maintenance
• established green-title transfers
• 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

That mix is why we do not treat any two Sorrento settlements as identical. An original green-title home, a rear survey-strata lot and a villa in a small group all settle differently, and the checks that matter change with each.

Practically, that means the title search goes out immediately, enquiries to the council and Water Corporation follow, strata figures are requested where there is a strata company, and the adjustments are calculated to the day so nobody pays for a period they did not own.

We settle property across this pocket of Perth, including Hillarys settlements, Padbury, Duncraig, Kallaroo and Craigie.

What a settlement agent actually does

A settlement agent takes over once the offer is accepted and carries the transaction through to registration. We search the certificate of title and check what is registered against it, raise enquiries with the local shire or council, Water Corporation and any strata company, prepare and lodge the transfer documents, attend to transfer duty through State Revenue Online, calculate the adjustments so rates, water and levies are shared fairly to the day, and complete settlement electronically.

The dates that catch people out are usually not the settlement date. Finance and building inspection conditions have their own deadlines earlier in the contract, and missing one of those causes far more trouble than anything that happens in the final week.

Because settlements are completed electronically in WA, where you live in relation to our office makes no difference to how your settlement is handled.

Conveyancing services, start to finish

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

• Strata settlements – Apartments, villas and survey-strata lots, including strata information and levy adjustments.
• Green title and strata title subdivision – Settlements on newly created lots, including subdivision work.
• Selling – Private homes, commercial property and deceased estates, with documents signed at a time that suits you.
• 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.

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

Sorrento 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:

Common questions from clients

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.

What does a settlement agent cost for a Sorrento 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.

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 Sorrento 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.