While it is not required by law that you engage the services of a solicitor/conveyancer when purchasing a house, doing so is generally advisable, as they are trained professionals who can assist you with conveyancing, and alert you to any possible pitfalls in the sale process.
Conveyancing covers all the legal aspects of buying your home and transferring the property out of the vendor’s name and into your own. It also involves checking off any outstanding land taxes, helping uncover unresolved property disputes or illegal building work, and ensuring the property title is correctly changed according to your state’s current land title laws.
A few things that your solicitor/conveyancer can potentially do for you when purchasing a house including
- Reviewing, preparing and lodging all legal documents, such as the Contract of Sale;
- Advising you of any risks that may be associated with the property purchase;
- Assisting you in understanding such things as land taxes, mortgage insurance and any other liabilities that may arise;
- Liaising with the seller or their solicitor in order to address any issues that may arise before settlement;
- Carrying out due diligence such as land contamination searches, which are not part of a standard building and pest inspection;
- Carrying out searches to find out about any major infrastructure or developments planned for your area;
- Requesting extensions to due dates in the contract, such as for conditions including building and pest reports and any finance clauses.
- Dealing with your lender to coordinate payments at settlement