Six Key Steps to Choose the Best Conveyancer for First-Time Buyers

In our newest episode of the First Home Podcast, we are decoding the puzzle of how to choose the best conveyancer for a very smooth property transaction.

Choosing the best conveyancer is incredibly important because buying and selling a property is very complex. Property transaction is an intricate process, filled with lots of legal nuances and paperwork. To navigate that labyrinth successfully, one indispensable player in the real estate game is the conveyancer.

Who is a Conveyancer?   

A conveyancer is a licensed professional who is trained, qualified and responsible for handling all the legal aspects of a property transaction to ensure a smooth transfer of property from one person to another.

As a first-home buyer, you are interested in ensuring that the transfer of the property from the seller to you is smooth. A good conveyancer ensures the process happens properly. Choosing the right conveyancer is paramount to a successful, hassle-free experience.

There are six key factors to consider when you’re selecting the best conveyancer for your property journey.

1: Qualifications and Credentials

The first consideration is qualifications and credentials. It’s pivotal that your chosen conveyancer is qualified and licensed to do the job. You don’t want to be speaking to someone who’s from an offshore country or an office without the necessary qualifications or doesn’t work with conveyancers who are qualified and licensed to assist you.   

Conveyancers should be licensed. They should be associated with different legal bodies like the Law Institute of Victoria, especially if they’re a solicitor conveyancer. Also, they should be members of the Australian Institute of Conveyances. You want to make sure that they’re also registered with the Legal Services Board.

You should check if a principal of the firm has a practising certificate and if the conveyancers that are assisting them are necessarily licensed. Accreditations guarantee that the professional adheres to a very strict ethical and professional standard.

2: Experience 

The second thing you need to consider is experience. As a first-time home buyer, purchasing a property is going to be the biggest financial decision that you’re ever making in your life. A conveyancer’s experience is an absolute key factor in the legal field.  

An experienced conveyancer is more likely to be able to handle potential issues, especially complex cases, with great expertise and efficiency. An inexperienced conveyancer, if something curly pops up, may not be able to deal with it, let alone know when to outsource.  

You need to consider the number of years that the conveyancer has been in the field and inquire about their specific experience with transactions that are like yours. Find out if they have dealt with purchases only or if they are only used to sales affairs.  

If your situation is unique, you should check if they’ve already dealt with similar ones. Ask them to explain how they’ve dealt with that. You don’t have to go into super depth, but you want to get enough of a feel.

3: Transparency with Fees 

The third consideration conveyancers need to be absolutely transparent with is their fees. We are very transparent, always telling clients upfront the packaged fee for everything we must do all the way through to settlement. Before committing to hiring, you must understand their fee structure. Be aware that a lot of conveyances will price their fee by saying, this is a professional fee, and this is our disbursement.  

A lot of people turn around and go, asking themself what a disbursement is. They don’t know what that means. 

A disbursement is an out-of-pocket expense that the conveyance incurs to represent you, like ordering information from different authorities when checking if there is a debt on the land and similar data.  

Many property conveyances may not include disbursements as part of their fixed fee, or they put it in the fine print, and then you get bill shock later. That is why you must understand their fee structure and really read the quote that comes through to you to properly understand what you are being priced for.  

We’ll provide a transparent breakdown of all the costs involved in your transaction. Professional fees, disbursement costs, search fees, GST (goods and services tax), and anything in terms of a cost that’s associated with the transaction to do with conveyancing will be disclosed to you.

Be Wary of Hidden Charges 

Be wary when you are getting quotes of any hidden charges and ask for a comprehensive fee upfront to avoid any unpleasant surprises later in the process. Unfortunately, that happens in the industry because conveyances are not transparent enough with their prices.  

And the reason why they’re not transparent enough is because they want to lure you with their cheap fees. When you’re a first-time buyer, you should be engaging someone with excellent expertise, irrespective of price. The price should be reasonable, but you shouldn’t necessarily go for the absolute cheapest quote or a quote that has hidden charges.

4: Accessibility and Communication 

The fourth consideration is accessibility and communication. This is the cornerstone of what makes a good, smooth conveyancing experience for you. Effective, meaningful, clear, and simple communication is the cornerstone of a successful property transaction.  

Choose a conveyancer who is easily accessible and responsive to your queries. If you’re calling a conveyancing company and they haven’t gotten back to you on the same day to address your inquiry, it is a red flag. Even if you call them to ask for a quote, and no one gets back to you for days, be aware of them.   

An unresponsive conveyance is going to be very problematic for you in the long run because if there’s something urgent that comes across your plate later on, that a conveyancer needs to be dealing with and advising you about, you want to make sure you can get them over the phone.

When you are choosing the best conveyancer, inquire about: 

• what are their preferred communication methods,  
• what communication methods do they have available to you, and  
• if they provide regular updates on the progress of your transaction.  

Make that expectation clear upfront so they understand your needs and expectations.   

A proactive and communicative conveyancer helps alleviate stress and uncertainty that is always present in the conveyancing process. Especially knowing that, as the first home buyer, you are facing a foreign process, and that is already stressful enough. 

5: Local Knowledge 

The fifth factor when choosing a conveyancer is local knowledge. Opting for a conveyancer with local expertise can be advantageous to you. It doesn’t necessarily have to be specific to your locality, but choose the conveyancer based in your state and understand how to do conveyancing in your state. Local knowledge is very important for navigating regional specifics such as: 

• Regulations particular to regional properties versus suburban properties 
• Issues affecting the locality that the conveyancer might know about 
• Local nuances that might arise during the transaction.  

You want a conveyancer that: 

• has the local knowledge of your state 
• is familiar with it  
• can provide a lot of valuable insights 
• help you make informed decisions along the way. 

6: Recommendations and Reviews 

The sixth consideration to take into account when choosing conveyance is recommendations and reviews. You might think someone sounds good over the phone, and then you look at the Google reviews. There might be lots of one-stars against those conveyancers because they’re not doing a great job. They’re all talk and no action. Word of mouth is of the utmost importance.  

Word of mouth is a powerful indicator of a conveyancer’s reliability. Check Google reviews, ask around, and seek recommendations from friends, family, and colleagues who’ve recently engaged in property transactions. Trustpilot and Facebook are also places where you should check for reviews.  

One thing that we do on our website is we put testimonials up for people to see. I’m talking video testimonials as proof in the pudding from clients firsthand on how well we deliver our service, how we got them from A to B, and how we made them feel after using our service.  

Make sure you’re checking testimonials to gauge the satisfaction of previous clients. A positive track record for a conveyancer is a very strong indicator of trustworthiness.

Listen now and avoid possible pitfalls on your property journey.

Conclusion 

To summarize, the key considerations when choosing the right conveyancer are: 

1. qualifications 

2. experience 

3. transparency about fees 

4. accessibility and responsiveness 

5. knowledge in your state 

6. reputation and reviews.  

If you explore all six considerations, you’ll make a truly informed choice that paves the way for a seamless and stress-free property journey.  

Take the time to research and select a conveyancer that aligns with who you are and that you feel they understand you and your needs. 

You’re welcome to contact us at any time. Our number is 0388328032. Give us a buzz if you’ve got any questions about buying a property.