The Contract
Once you’ve made the decision to sell your property, the first task is to have the Section 32 Vendor’s Statement prepared. The Section 32 is a document provided by the seller of real estate (vendor) to an intending purchaser, and contains certain information to the purchaser as is required by Section 32 of the Sale of Land Act.
Once the intending purchaser has decided to buy the property, the Contract of Sale is prepared. The contract will include not only the legal terms and conditions of sale, but will also specify what items are included or excluded from the sale, and any other special requirements you might have like a longer or shorter settlement than usual, or perhaps that the contract be conditional upon another contract for you to buy your next property. There are a lot of ways that a contract can be varied, so it’s important to discuss your situation in detail with your lawyer/conveyancer.
The Deposit
Once a purchaser has been found and the contract has been signed and is legally binding, then a deposit is usually paid by the purchaser and is usually held in the trust account of the selling agent.
Settlement
Settlement (the day that the money is exchanged for the property and keys handed over) is scheduled in accordance with the contract, and is usually 6 weeks after signing contracts. During the wait for settlement your lawyer/conveyancer will liaise with your bank in relation to releasing any mortgage held on the property. In this time you should arrange disconnection of electricity and other services.
Before settlement the purchase price will be adjusted to reflect the council rates, water rates and strata fees that need to be shared between the parties. There may be other adjustments, based on the Contract for Sale.
Once settlement takes place, the real estate agent will be be authorised to release the deposit to you, less their fees.
Contact us to discuss the sale of your specific property with an experienced property lawyer in Lilydale.