The settlement agent prepares the legal documentation and completes the financial transaction between the seller and buyer to change the ownership of the property. If you don’t have a settlement agent, then you don’t have someone who is fully qualified and experienced in protecting your best interests.
The job of a settlement agent is complex, and you have to have the contacts, qualifications and skill to get the job done properly. As a very general run down, as your settlement agent, we review the contract, including all the conditions that are required to be met, we prepare all legal documentation to effect the change of ownership, we liaise with not only you as our client, but the bank, the broker, the real estate agent, various government authorities and anyone else who is involved in the dealing to ensure that your settlement transaction is completed efficiently and successfully.
How are settlement fees calculated?
People often wonder why the price of settlement fees are varied. Settlement fees were originally devised by the Settlement Agents Supervisory Board and are now governed by the Department of Commerce and Australian Institute of Conveyancers. The settlement fees are allocated based on the price of the property and are also dependant on whether you are a seller or buyer, whether the property is strata titled and the cost associated with professional indemnity insurance. The higher the purchase price, the higher the risk to the agent, therefore, the higher the settlement fee. The fees vary for sellers and buyers also because of the level of work required for each party. Each settlement agent can discount at their own discretion. At the end of the day, its about achieving value for money, there is no point in paying a highly discounted settlement fee when the conveyancer is not licensed, is inexperienced, or they cannot assist you with your queries on the spot. With Oceanfront Conveyancing, we are competitive with our fees and we are more than happy to negotiate a discounted settlement fee, but the most important aspect is you have a skilled Licensed Settlement Agent undertaking your transaction through the entire process.
What do I do once I have selected a settlement agent?
Simply contact your real estate agent and inform them of your selection if you have not already stated this on the reverse of the contract of sale. Please feel free to contact us with your real estate agents details and we will make arrangements with them for your contract to be issued to us urgently.
What are our services?
Oceanfront Conveyancing has a wide variety of services available to you, and it is our guarantee to provide these services at the optimum level we are renowned for.
Residential and Vacant land Property Settlement
Whether you sell or buy a real estate property, you need to authorise an Independent settlement agent to represent you in your settlement transaction. A settlement agent will get you from contract to settlement by preparing all the legal documentation and monetary transfer required to effect settlement successfully.
Commercial Property Settlement
Along with residential properties, we also handle commercial properties to help you achieve your business goals.
Property Investors
With a number of loyal investors already under our portfolio, we make it our duty to be perfectly attuned to your specific requirements, therefore you can rest assured that we do everything in our power to get you were you want to go. For you convenience, we are more than happy to agree on set settlement fees upfront.
Private Sale Transactions
We understand that it is important to save costs where possible, so if you are selling or buying property privately, allow us to not only complete the settlement transaction, but we can also assist you in preparing the contract of sale.
First Home Buyer Settlement
There is nothing better than owning your own piece of Western Australian land. It is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make in your lifetime. The prospect of buying your first property is incredibly exciting, but at the same time, we understand that the process can be daunting as well. This is one of our most gratifying settlements to undertake, we could think of nothing better than giving you a guided hand and helping you achieve your dream of owning your own home. There are many government benefits such as the First Home Owners Grant, Stamp Duty rebates and the Homebuyers Assistance fund that are available for your benefit provided you meet the desired terms and conditions set by the government.
Sub Divisions
Once you have made the decision to subdivide your land, we will work with your surveyors to have the necessary documentation lodged so that you can receive separate certificate of titles for each individual lot.
Change of Name / Change of Address / change of tenancy
We can prepare the necessary documentation to effect the changes you require on your Certificate of title. For example, you may have recently got married, changed addresses or maybe you want to change the tenancy on your title, we can attend to this for you.
Property Family Transfers / Related Party transactions
If you have decided to transfer a part share or maybe the entire ownership of a property to a related person due to personal or tax reasons, i.e. you transfer a property from a mother to her son, or a husband to his wife, we can assist you in preparing the contract and the documentation required to change the ownership.
Title, plan and encumbrance Searches
A number of searches are undertaken by our office, the main one being the Certificate of Title search which is completed by our office via the Landgate remote online system for every settlement transaction that we receive. This is so that we can gain a sound knowledge of not only the property we are transferring, but the owners, banks and encumbrances that have an interest in the land.
Strata Title Property Settlement
When purchasing a strata title property, there is additional matters to be dealt with by the settlement agent to ensure that the appropriate investigations are undertaken such as a Section 43 Certificate from the Strata Company to find out what body corporate fees are payable.
Survivorship Application (After the death of one of the Registered Proprietors.)
When a loved one passes away, and the ownership is via Joint Tenancy, we can prepare the Application by Survivorship to transfer the ownership over to the surviving tenant.
Application by Personal Representative (required for a person who is an executor of a will.)
If you are allocated as an executor under a will, there are various matters that you need to attend to. Firstly, a Probate is required to be granted and prepared by your preferred lawyer. Secondly, if you are selling property as the executor, an Application by Personal Representative is required to transfer your name as executor onto the Certificate of Title.