Property Conveyancing Services – Buying

Our property conveyancing services for Melbourne buyers are designed to cover all your legal requirements – from the moment you find the ideal property right through to when you collect the keys.


Section 32 Vendor’s Statement

When you’re buying a property, the agent will give you a Section 32 Vendor’s Statement to sign. This document declares to a potential purchaser detailed information on the property being sold, including the title search, zoning details, rate and utility details, building permit details (if applicable), and the owner corporation certificate (if the property is a unit or strata title property).

Before signing the Section 32 Vendor’s Statement and Contract of Sale, you should ensure that:

  • A building and/or pest inspection has been done subject to your satisfaction.
  • The property complies with all local building regulations.
  • All appliances, taps, light fittings and fixtures are in working order.
  • You have measured the property dimensions and compared them to the dimensions on the Title Search attached to the Section 32 statement.

If you wish, you can contact our property conveyancing lawyers in Melbourne with your queries before you sign the contract and Section 32 statement.


Offer and Acceptance Re: Contract of Sale

Once you make an offer on the property by signing a Contract of Sale, signing a Section 32 Vendor’s Statement, and paying an agreed amount of deposit, the agent will show these documents to the vendor. If accepted by the vendor, the contract they sign will become the final contract between the parties for the purchase. If your offer is rejected, then you can either make a further higher offer or drop out of the contract. If you drop out, any deposit monies paid will be refunded.

Our conveyancer will assist you by liaising with the vendor (or the vendor’s solicitor or conveyancer), your bank/broker, and the agent whenever necessary. We will also give your bank/broker copies of all legal documents as required and obtain any necessary certificates and searches.


Settlement

Our Melbourne conveyancer will determine the net funds your bank has available for settlement. If there is a shortfall, we will obtain bank cheques from you 1 to 3 days prior to settlement to hand over for you at settlement. You do not need to go to the settlement.

We will assist you with the application of the First Home Owners Grant.

We will prepare a Statement of Adjustments to calculate monies owed on the property in regard to rates, water, and owner’s corporate fees (if applicable). We will withhold any outstanding monies owed by the seller out of the seller’s funds and forward these rates cheques on to the relevant authorities after settlement.

Our conveyancers can also arrange for legal advice with respect to any Contract of Sale or Section 32 Vendor’s Statement applicable, at an additional charge.

We utilise the legal conveyancing services of the solicitors at Fogarty, Bayard & Oliver in St Kilda, Melbourne. They have practiced for the last 31 years, specialising in conveyancing, probate and commercial matters.

We note settlement is usually in the city at the vendor’s bank or agent premises.

At settlement, all cheques are exchanged for all relevant documents, titles, and Discharge of Mortgages/Withdrawal of Caveats, until all parties are satisfied with all documents and monies.

Your property conveyancing lawyer will contact you to advise that settlement has occurred. You can then visit the agent to pick up the keys or arrange for a new tenant to go in the property if you are not moving in yourself.


After Settlement

Your conveyancing lawyer will inform the local council, water authority and owner’s corporation manager of your purchase after settlement by forwarding Notices of Acquisition with all relevant details attached.

For more information or a quote on our conveyancing services, please don’t hesitate to contact our Melbourne office on (03) 9534 6492. While we are based in St Kilda, our service area covers Prahran, Windsor, Elwood, Caulfield, and locations across Victoria.