QUESTION
How often do we get to purchase a block of land to build our first home or to build the dream home that we’ve been planning for a decade; or to purchase the doer upper we’ve had our eye on 5 streets down; or our first investment property ‘off the plan’? Let the Brisbane conveyancing lawyer talk you though the process.
Most of us will be lucky enough to go through this process once or twice in our lifetimes and when we do the process usually goes like this – you visit a finance broker to establish your borrowing capacity and then the fun begins, you spend all your leisure time viewing properties online and every weekend visiting open homes, then you find that property in your price range that’s perfect for you and a real estate agent hands you a 14 page REIQ Contract – you now need legal representation but how do you pick the right firm for the job?
FINDING THE RIGHT BRISBANE CONVEYANCING LAWYER
Here are a few tips to finding the right conveyancing lawyer and to making your home purchase or (if you’re a Land Law nerd like me) your acquisition of proprietary interest in fee simple a pleasant experience:
Tip 1: Find a firm that has lawyers working on conveyancing files. Dealings with land have since the beginning of the civilised world been the domain of those trained in law and ethics. Lawyers, aside from years of study and six months of practical legal training are also scrutinized by the law society before being recommended to the Supreme Court as a suitable candidate to become a lawyer. The Supreme Court then deems that person to be a fit and proper person capable of, among other things taking on the responsibility of transferring land on a client’s behalf. Lawyers therefore take their responsibilities very seriously and you will be able to rest assured that your purchase will be handled with the care and professionalism that it deserves. The alternative is a paralegal which is a position that can range in skills and experience.
Tip 2: Find a firm that offers fixed professional fees but don’t be persuaded by low fixed fees – higher fixed fees means you’ll get better service from your legal representative, they will take the time to understand your matter and will be available to answer your questions. As a guide, a reasonable fixed fee would be anywhere between $900.00 and $1,500.00. Anything lower than this means that the legal representative has to process so many of files that they won’t have the time to give your matter the time that it requires and deserves.
Tip 3: Ask your finance broker or bank manager for a recommendation, these services go hand in hand and they will usually know (through their pervious dealings) lawyers who are responsive, approachable and friendly. Maybe even ask your real estate agent to recommend a good law firm (as opposed to a cheap law firm), agents usually know a few property lawyers as Contracts that they draw are inevitably given to law firms.
Tip 4: Find a firm close to home in case you need to drop in and sign documents. This will save you having to factor travel time into your day when you have an appointment.
Tip 5: Call your local law firms and ask if you can speak to a conveyancing solicitor. You’ll know once you’ve had a chat with the solicitor whether you’ll be comfortable speaking to them once your matter has commenced.
Of course, the road is not always smooth, but choosing the right Brisbane conveyancing lawyer will help to make the journey as smooth as possible. Bringing together your building and pest inspection, you finance and the expectations of both the vendor and the purchaser requires a skilled and experienced guide.
By choosing a legal firm that use fully qualified solicitors to undertake their conveyancing work you can ensure that if, for whatever reason you need a solution to a problem which is not listed in the firms’ conveyancing manual, your conveyancer will be there to guide you and assist you.
Becker Watt Lawyers wish’s you all the best in your journey up the property ladder.
Contact Becker Watt Lawyers on 07 3269 4888.
