Selling you house is a big decision. You need to be sure that the agreement is right and that the purchaser is bound to any agreement. The agreement has a lot of fine print so you need to be sure you understand what you are signing.
Once the agreement is signed there is not much that a lawyer can do to “get you out of it”. Before you sign any Agreement we suggest you contact us so that we can:
- Check the form and content of the Agreement to ensure that it correctly records your intentions and meets your requirements as to dates and payments. There are a number of clauses we can make to the agreement to protect you e.g.you may wish to add further conditions (e.g. an escape clause allowing you to cancel the Agreement should you receive a better offer.
- Explain to you the effect of the conditions of the Agreement so you fully understand your rights and obligations under the Agreement eg. the standard agreement has a clause in it where the vendor warrants that any work done on the property has a permit from the local Council and that a Code Compliance certificate has issued for this work.
We strongly urge you not to sign any Agreement until you have spoken to us first.
If you have dealt with a Real Estate Firm, they will forward a copy of the signed Agreement directly to us after it is signed. We will then contact you to discuss any matters which need to be dealt with. If you have any queries about the transaction we will be happy to clarify them for you.
We will then attend to the conveyancing steps required to complete the sale on your behalf. This includes searching the Certificate of Title to identify all interests registered against the property that need to be discharged (e.g. mortgages, caveats, and other charges). Sorting out any conditions that need to be satisfied.
We also prepare a statement of the amount the Purchaser is to pay to us on your behalf on settlement, which includes rates apportionments to the possession date.
What you need to do prior to possession date:
- Sign the Authority and Instruction Form for electronic conveyancing and the tax statement.
- Help us to organise the handover of keys
- Leave the property in the same condition as it was when the purchaser signed the Agreement.