A settlement agent is required if you are not able to manage all the legal tasks and paperwork associated with buying (or selling) property. A quick internet search, via your favourite search engine, will produce a rather long list of settlement agents in and around your local area. So how do you choose the right one?
It's important to choose a settlement agent with experience with your type of property (residential, commercial, strata, etc.). It's also a good idea to check how many actual conveyance agents there are at the agency. This ensures that should your agent be away from the office for any reason (including holiday or sick) during your settlement period, there will be other agents available to handle your case. Settlement agents need to have a good reputation, and you need to feel that you can maintain a good relationship with them for the duration of the settlement (anything from a couple of weeks to months!).
We searched the internet to find our settlement agent. We made a wrong decision to begin with, choosing an agent whose website was very informative (and included a settlement calculator). The problem was, after a few days, the agent still had not returned our calls or emails. We searched again, finding another good website with lots of information and a convenient calculator that included all settlement costs, including stamp duty.
Advantage Settlements were excellent. We used them for the both the purchase of the house in the hills, and the sale of our previous home. So confident are we in their capabilities and services, that we are resolute to use their services again in the future.
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