Wol

It rather looks as if, after 15 month, we *might* have found property. I was staggered by the quotes from several solicitors for the conveyancing - around $4500 + GST - as opposed to the conveyancing firms at about a quarter of that or less.

Has anyone any opinions on the use of conveyancing offices?

steve-n-jo

Yes, we used a conveyancy instead of a solicitor. We paid around $600 and you can used the same convayancing office as the seller to save money.
Well you can in Adelaide as that is where we are.

I wouldn' use a solicitor. Our Real Estate agent recommended the Building Report bloke as well that was $200. We bought our house in 3 weeks from offer to moving in. So simple.

Jo

Budgie

Don't use a solicitor! The most expensive option! But even so, $4500? That's outrageous! Did that include stamp duty or something like that, as it seems rather excessive!

I use conveyancing-only companies, like Conveyancing Works http://www.conveyancingworks.com.au/ - they are Queensland based but they might do NSW if that's where you are buying. $380 for the service + $395 for the search fees. They're pretty basic i.e. don't rely on them to ring you with updates, but they're always there if you need to contact them - and conveyancing is pretty simple, really anyway.

If they don't do NSW, there are bound to be similar companies that do.

You can even decrease the cost of the search fees by doing some of them yourself - just go to the local council planning offices and ask, and they do a lot of the searches on the spot.

Budgie

Pomster

we used a conveyancing company and they have been great.
They spotted a poor clause in our contract which might have had huge repercussions had it been allowed through.
As far as I can see, conveyancers are solicitors who only look after property transactions (although I could also be completley wrong)

Del Boy

The company you used are solicitors ( though obviously the girl who handled the day to day stuff wasnt qualified.

There are no conveyancers per se in Qld

ABCDiamond

I've always used Conveyancers in Australia, never a normal Solicitor.

Here in QLD I have used Redland Conveyancing Services 3 times, and have been very happy, at under $1,000 per purchase.

Wol

Thanks everyone - it confirms what I thought!

>>Don't use a solicitor! The most expensive option! But even so, $4500? That's outrageous! Did that include stamp duty or something like that, as it seems rather excessive!<<

No: that was quoted by two solicitors for the transaction, disbursements extra as of course is the Stamp duty.

We've also been quoted $800 + GST by one solicitor: he says that the scale fees were abolished in the nineties and it's illegal to use them now. How you are supposed to prove that you're being quoted scale fees I don't know, but the fact that two came in identically must mean something!

moneypenny20

We paid our solicitor $900 for everything relating to the sale. They were very good and bearing in mind we didn't have a clue, suggested a couple of clauses which have proved invaluable.

Seemed pretty reasonable to me. Saw the house on the 7th December. Moved in on the 19th December.