Conveyancing Costs NSW

I'm about to purchase 2 units right next to each other in a country city in NSW. A conveyancer has quoted $1500 per unit. Does this seem reasonable?

thanks
 
You could get a little cheaper, but you generally pay for what you get. My conveyancers did a pretty good job for me and cost around $1200. I don't think he was on the cheap end, but mid tier.
 
I'm about to purchase 2 units right next to each other in a country city in NSW. A conveyancer has quoted $1500 per unit. Does this seem reasonable?

thanks

Seems quite expensive - particularly if you're purchasing two.

Have you asked if a discount is available due to multiple purchases? I can't imagine it would be too difficult for them taking on two rather than one when the same buyer/seller are involved.

Cheers

Jamie
 
^ $1100 for one and discount on other sounds good. My 'solicitor' charges that amount. So, I think if it's just cobveyancer, the price is still expensive at 1100.
 
Why, when there's apparently no cost saving, would anybody consider using a conveyancer rather than solicitor? :confused:
 
They cannot give legal advice on associated areas such as estate planning, asset protection, bankrupptcy, succession and family law.
How far does their ability to give legal advice go with respect to property law?

Can they draft special conditions? Give advice on the effect of various special conditions? Give legal advice on resolving matters, such as vendor trying to withdraw, or entitlement to remedy for delay / title issue, etc?
 
(2) Without limiting subsection (1),
"conveyancing work" includes:

(a) legal work involved in preparing any document (such as an agreement, conveyance, transfer, lease or mortgage) that is necessary to give effect to any such transaction, and

(b) legal work (such as the giving of advice or the preparation, perusal, exchange or registration of documents) that is consequential or ancillary to any such transaction, and

(c) any other legal work that is prescribed by the regulations as constituting conveyancing work for the purposes of this Act.

(3) However,
"conveyancing work" does not include the carrying out of any work for the purpose of:

(a) a mortgage on non-residential property where the amount secured by the mortgage exceeds 7 million dollars (with non-residential property being any property that is not residential property for the purposes of Division 8 of Part 4 of the Conveyancing Act 1919 ), or

(b) commencing or maintaining legal proceedings, or

(c) establishing a corporation or varying the memorandum or articles of association of a corporation, or

(d) creating, varying or extinguishing a trust, or

(e) preparing a testamentary instrument, or

(f) giving investment or financial advice, or

(g) investing money otherwise than as provided for by Division 2 of Part 5,

and does not include any work that is prescribed by the regulations as not constituting conveyancing work for the purposes of this Act.

(4) In this section:

"legal work" means work that, if done for fee or reward by a person who is not an Australian legal practitioner, would give rise to an offence under Part 2.2 of the Legal Profession Act 2004 .

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/cla2003236/s4.html
 
Thanks, Terry. So not really any advantage to using a solicitor over a conveyancer (unless it involves estate planning or any of those other aspects)?
 
Thanks, Terry. So not really any advantage to using a solicitor over a conveyancer (unless it involves estate planning or any of those other aspects)?

No, there are a multitute of advantages.
solicitors are legally trained in all areas of law, conveyancers are trained just in property, conveyancing and contracts. But their training in contracts would not be in depth. They don't study equity for example so they would not know about the way equity impacts on contracts - estoppel, undue influence, usconscionability for example.

they would not know about litigation. If a settlement didn't occur what are the potential remedies.

Corporations act - company title issues. disputes between owners could lead to the Supreme Court as the only jurisdiction, a strata property may be a lower court. Significant cost differences here which would be good to know upfront.

Joint tenants or tenants in common - which they would not have an indepth understanding of. A JT may not form part of the will but go to the surivivor, but what if both die in a crash. What if one dies just before the other goes bankrupt. What if one's ex will surely challenge the will. they couldn't advise and wouldn't know.

What if the purchaser is a trust, or a company - trust law, corporations act and maybe SIS act issues...

Apologies to the conveyancers out there
 
Nope. The CONVEYANCERS LICENSING ACT 2003 allows conveyancers to carry out conveyancing work such as attend to transfer of title of property
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/cla2003236/s4.html

They cannot give legal advice on associated areas such as estate planning, asset protection, bankrupptcy, succession and family law.

Right thanks for that, I must have been confused about the legal advice side. I have a solicitor do all my purchases for that reason.

Terry, I left you a message as I have a NSW client that has purchased 1000 acres and will need a quality conveyancer.

The other conveyancer that my clients have used is Suzi Sharp from http://www.cuttingedgeconveyancing.net.au/ SMSFs are a little different and my clients have been happy with her she is $920 inc GST plus disbursements.

Cheers, Ivan
 
Blimey Charlie, that's a bit below the belt.

A list of mandatory subjects studied is as follows:-

Australian Legal Systems
Legal Entities
Legal Dispute Resolution
Contract Law
Business Law i
Business Law ii
Law of Administration of Estates
Finance and Securities Law
Real Property Law
Law of Vendor and Purchaser
Professional Behaviour and Ethics
Family Law
Revenue Law
Company and Incorporated Assoc. Law
Title Investigation and analysis
Conveyancing Practice
Legal Drafting

Sure we cannot run litigation however we have been trained to identify potential risks and issues.

To say we don't have an in depth understanding of Joint tenants or tenants in common is a bit over the top. And yes we do draft special conditions and give advice on the effect of same. That is what we do - advise clients on terms and conditions of a contract and also draft special conditions when selling.

A licenced conveyance must complete specified professional development and further education for the duration of their licence.

Albeit this being a relatively new profession I do appreciate the apprehension.

Fleur
 
No, there are a multitute of advantages.
solicitors are legally trained in all areas of law, conveyancers are trained just in property, conveyancing and contracts. But their training in contracts would not be in depth. They don't study equity for example so they would not know about the way equity impacts on contracts - estoppel, undue influence, usconscionability for example....(snip)
Apologies to the conveyancers out there

IMO its like approaching a dental hygienist when you have a mouth full of bad teeth. You know that they know a lot about teeth but aren't actually qualified to fix the problem. They can clean them and make you feel better but the underlying problems aren't fixed. But they are a little cheaper.

There is a equally foolish option for property transactions. Using a solicitor that doesn't do conveyancing regularly ! Unfortunately the term "solicitor" doesn't describe the capacity and experience of the individual. I recently encountered a client with that problem. The solicitor now admits they hadn't done a deceased estate before and made a mess of it. And the tax person they relied on led the solicitor astray. The NSW Law Society rules seem make it a easy fix. The solicitor has a interest in fixing what is now a serious legal issue. Whereas a conveyance cant as they aren't a solicitor. I'm not so sure a conveyance has that same easy fix...The affected client needs to succeed with a PI claim which their insurer may defend. I would be interested in both parties views on this issue.

The problem with the conveyance v solicitor approach can be taken both ways.
 
Blimey Charlie, that's a bit below the belt.

A list of mandatory subjects studied is as follows:-

Australian Legal Systems
Legal Entities
Legal Dispute Resolution
Contract Law
Business Law i
Business Law ii
Law of Administration of Estates
Finance and Securities Law
Real Property Law
Law of Vendor and Purchaser
Professional Behaviour and Ethics
Family Law
Revenue Law
Company and Incorporated Assoc. Law
Title Investigation and analysis
Conveyancing Practice
Legal Drafting

Sure we cannot run litigation however we have been trained to identify potential risks and issues.

To say we don't have an in depth understanding of Joint tenants or tenants in common is a bit over the top. And yes we do draft special conditions and give advice on the effect of same. That is what we do - advise clients on terms and conditions of a contract and also draft special conditions when selling.

A licenced conveyance must complete specified professional development and further education for the duration of their licence.

Albeit this being a relatively new profession I do appreciate the apprehension.

Fleur

But at what level do you do those?
Diploma level is not exactly equivalent to a degree.
We have to do a post graduate diploma on top of the degree to get admission to the roll of solicitors.

I am a fan of the QLD model where conveyancers can not act at all. It is far too complex an area of law when things go bad. If someone wants to be a conveyancing specialist fine but do so from a broad base as a solicitor.
 
IMO its like approaching a dental hygienist when you have a mouth full of bad teeth. You know that they know a lot about teeth but aren't actually qualified to fix the problem. They can clean them and make you feel better but the underlying problems aren't fixed. But they are a little cheaper.

There is a equally foolish option for property transactions. Using a solicitor that doesn't do conveyancing regularly ! Unfortunately the term "solicitor" doesn't describe the capacity and experience of the individual. I recently encountered a client with that problem. The solicitor now admits they hadn't done a deceased estate before and made a mess of it. And the tax person they relied on led the solicitor astray. The NSW Law Society rules seem make it a easy fix. The solicitor has a interest in fixing what is now a serious legal issue. Whereas a conveyance cant as they aren't a solicitor. I'm not so sure a conveyance has that same easy fix...The affected client needs to succeed with a PI claim which their insurer may defend. I would be interested in both parties views on this issue.

The problem with the conveyance v solicitor approach can be taken both ways.

Sounds like a stuff up rather than a conveyancer v solicitor problem. What exactly happened? A conveyancer cannot do probate related issues other than transfer of title
 
For our triplex 2 years ago we paid $2,400 and we use the same conveyancer for the majority of our NSW property purchasers and sales for the past 15 years.
 
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