It's best to reach out to your legal representative as early as possible. If you're selling your home, you'll need your contract prepared before your agent can market the property. If you're buying, contacting your Solicitor before you start house hunting will help you understand the buying process and include legal costs in your budget. The more informed you are, the more confident and efficient you'll be in securing your new property.

Preparing a typical contract for sale usually takes about 5 business days. The standard settlement period is 6 weeks after the exchange of contracts. "Settlement" refers to the day when the property is legally transferred, and you receive the keys. Settlement terms can be negotiated before signing the contract.

Contact us to get started!When listing your property for sale, our Solicitors can assist with the initial step—drafting a Contract for the Sale of Land. We will need to gather full sale instructions from you to prepare the contract, which will include necessary searches and certificates required by law. Once we have all the required documents, we will send a copy of the contract to your Real Estate Agent (if you’re using one) so they can begin marketing your property. The contract is essential for legally listing your property for sale.

The cooling-off period allows a buyer to cancel the agreement within 5 business days, providing some protection if they need to finalise financial arrangements or conduct title searches. If the buyer decides to cancel, they will incur a fee of 0.25% of the total purchase price.Note that the cooling-off period does not apply in all situations (e.g., at auction) and can be waived if a qualified solicitor provides a 66W certificate, advising the client of the implications of waiving this period.

This is where an Estate Agent or development company offers the property for sale that is yet to be completed or has not yet commenced construction.

Choosing the right ownership structure is crucial as it impacts taxation and estate planning. Changing it later can be complex and have tax implications.

Personal Ownership: The property is owned in your own name. If the property is an investment, you can claim any losses against your personal income through negative gearing laws.

Joint Tenants: This structure means you and another person jointly own the property, sharing ownership and tax claims equally. If one owner dies, the property automatically transfers to the surviving owner without the need for a title transfer.

Tenants in Common: This arrangement allows you to buy property with another person, specifying fixed ownership shares (e.g., 50:50, 1:99). Each party can handle their share as they choose, and their share will be distributed according to their Will upon their death.

Company and Trust Ownership: These structures are often used by high-income or high-net-worth individuals to protect assets and achieve tax advantages.