Southern River Settlement Agent

Your settlement, handled from offer to keys

Southern River is part of Perth’s south-eastern suburbs, roughly 20 km south-east of the Perth CBD. An accepted offer in Southern River is the start of the settlement process, not the end of it, and the weeks that follow are where the detail matters.

We are based in Myaree, roughly 15 km to the north-west, and home appointments are part of the service.

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 Southern River. 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.

What we see settling property in Southern River

The housing around Southern River is largely established rather than new, which means most transactions are transfers of existing homes, and a portion involve lots created out of larger original blocks.

In practice, most Southern River settlements come down to doing the routine work well: searching the title, checking for anything registered against it, obtaining the rates, water and any strata figures, arranging duty and having everything ready before settlement day rather than on it.

None of this is complicated, but all of it is time sensitive. Most settlements that run late do so because something was requested a fortnight later than it should have been, not because the transaction was difficult.

The work that comes across our desk most often here:

• 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
• older titles carrying notifications or encumbrances worth explaining before settlement

We also act for buyers and sellers nearby in settlement agent Huntingdale, Gosnells, Thornlie, Langford and Maddington.

The checks we run before settlement

Between the accepted offer and settlement day sits several weeks of unglamorous, deadline-driven work. 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.

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.

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.

What else we do

The services we are asked for most, in and beyond the standard transfer:

• 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.
• Application by survivorship – Transferring a property into the surviving owner’s name.

Shelley handles these personally rather than passing them down a chain, which is why clients tend to deal with the same voice from start to finish.

We can come to you in Southern River

We come to Southern River clients rather than expecting them to come to us. From our Myaree office, roughly 15 km away, we can meet you at home, including on weekends, to go through the documents and complete the verification of identity check required of sellers.

Prefer to keep it simple and do it all by phone and email? That is entirely workable. Settlement itself is completed electronically in WA, so nobody has to attend in person. Call Shelley on 0428 336 878 to sort out a time.

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 for buyers and sellers

The property is a rear survey-strata lot. Is that different to a normal transfer?

Slightly. A survey-strata lot has its own title, and there are often shared arrangements from the subdivision, such as a common driveway or shared services. We identify those and explain them before settlement.

Do I pay transfer duty before settlement?

Not with us. We arrange stamping through State Revenue Online, so duty is dealt with as part of the settlement rather than needing to be paid beforehand.

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 Southern River 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.