Buying.
A pre-purchase contract review will protect you and help you negotiate a better deal. We will empower you to confidently buy a property. And our first contract review is free.
You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or their spouse and you are buying together. Based overseas? No problem. Already signed the contract? We can still help with the conveyancing (subject to the limitations below).
How does it work?
Find a property that you would like to buy.
Please inspect the property first, but please don't sign any contract yet, just in case the contract should be changed to protect you.
Click on the Get Started button above and send us the contract + vendor statement / section 32.
Please include your email address and mobile phone number where we can reach you on WhatsApp - and please let us know if anyone referred you to us (so we can thank them!). We are unable to assist unless you use WhatsApp.
We'll review the documents you sent us within 3 full business days.
Or within 6 business hours, if you submit an urgent review request.Our first standard review is free, with one free review per couple / group buying together. We'll send you a detailed voice message on WhatsApp. You can listen (and re-listen!) to our review message whenever you like and it's a clear record for future reference. We don't provide written reports, but we will email you the text for any suggested changes to the contract. And if anything is missing from the contract that we need to see, we'll let you know. You are welcome to ask any questions (via WhatsApp or email please, as it's very difficult for us to talk on the phone, due to the high number of settlements and reviews we assist people with every day).
If you buy the property, we'll email you a questionnaire, requesting more details and then we’ll invoice you for half of our professional fee.
Half our professional free is $697.50 + GST (see How much does it cost? below). Our second invoice (for the second half of our professional fee, which is another $697.50 + GST) will be issued about a week before the settlement date, and will be paid at settlement out of the funds available on the day. Our second invoice will also include an itemised list of any out-of-pocket disbursement costs we incurred on your behalf, so you can reimburse us for these third-party expenses (see How much does it cost? below). Our entire professional fee is payable regardless of whether you have already paid for a review.
If you don’t buy the property, you are welcome to send us another review request.
All review requests must be initiated via the Get Started button above. If you have already used up your free standard review, subsequent standard reviews will cost $165 + GST. We can only review one contract per review request payment.
How much does it cost?
$1,395 + GST plus disbursement costs
This is our professional fee for conveyancing. It's payable regardless of whether you have already paid for a contract review. Half is charged upfront; the balance is payable on settlement day.
If you buy with a partner / relative / group and more than one person received a free contract review before advising us you were buying together, or if after 1 January 2024 you use multiple email addresses and we later discover you have received more than one free review, then we reserve the right, in our absolute discretion, to include a $165 + GST surcharge on our first invoice.
If you and the vendor sign a contract we have reviewed, but you later terminate the contract (because you cool off, or can’t obtain finance, or because it failed a building and pest inspection), then we reserve the right, in our absolute discretion, to invoice you $697.50 (half of our professional fee) + GST.
What are the disbursement costs?
Out-of-pocket disbursement costs include purchaser caveats fees and new property search certificates (because we often need to order a new title search, water certificate, Council rates notice, Owners Corporation certificate and land tax certificate to prepare the pro rata apportioned outgoings for settlement - the certificates included in the contract can expire and the contract often requires new certificates to be ordered and provided to the vendor). If we can avoid you incurring these costs (such as by ordering a free update online), we certainly will! We may also need to order a company search if any party is a company. These fees are payable regardless of whether you have already paid for an urgent review.
Vacant land, free standing houses and units / townhouses with no active Owners Corporation (body corporate): $200 - $400 + GST (at the higher end if we are lodging a purchaser caveat to secure your interest). Units and apartments with up to two titles and two active Owners Corporations (body corporates): $400 - $700 + GST (at the higher end if we are lodging a purchaser caveat; if there are more than two active Owners Corporations, or more than two titles, we'll confirm what the cost will be before starting work).
Anything else we should let you know?
We can't assist with off-the-plan contracts, retirement villages, stratum / company share titles and commercial properties; we don't review loan / guarantor documents or building contracts; and we don't witness you signing any documents or issue solicitor certificates. But we can recommend trusted experts who can help with the things we don't do - please ask us for a referral if you need help with something we can't assist with.
If you are based overseas and won't be in Australia prior to settlement, you'll need to get your identity documents verified, and a particular form witnessed, at the local Australian Embassy / High Commission / Consulate. Their document certification / witnessing fees will apply.
Default notices, licence / lease agreements and licence / lease assignment agreements each incur additional professional fees, usually $310 + GST. This will be added to our second invoice.
We carry full professional indemnity insurance and operate an audited solicitor trust account.
