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The Finance Approval Minefield
02 October 08 11:33 AM | Peter Mericka | 2 Comments   

by Shannyn Hunter Conveyancer shannyn@lawyersconveyancing.com.au Lawyers Conveyancing Anyone who has dealt with the banks for a home loan will tell you about their battle scars with pride. Simply securing finance approval can be a frustrating and baffling Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Purchase, Finance, mortgage, contract note, approval, loan, home loan, pre-approval, property

Beware of Agents' Pet Building Inspectors!
09 September 08 08:54 AM | Peter Mericka | 10 Comments   

OPINION by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au When will governments put in place stronger legislative measures to protect real estate consumers not only from self-serving real estate agents, but also from Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Estate agent, Contract, real estate, pest inspection, building inspection, termites, major structural defect, inspector

Latest "Clayton's" Finanace Approval Letter
16 June 08 06:13 AM | Peter Mericka | 3 Comments   

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au This latest "Clayton's" finance approval letter is hot off my fax machine. Last year I reported on an upbeat broker’s keenness to show me that my clients’ finance had Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Finance, mortgage, conditional approval, approved, mortgagee, approval, bank, broker, loan, home loan

Victoria's Section 32 Statements - Tread Warily In This Conveyancing Minefield
20 May 08 05:41 AM | Peter Mericka | 5 Comments   

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Victoria’s solicitors have been informed by their Legal Practitioners’ Liability Committee (“LPLC”) that their mishandling of property conveyancing is one of the most Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Conveyancer, vendor statement, sale of land act, section 32, disclosure statement

How I Became An Estate Agent's Hero
23 April 08 03:34 PM | Peter Mericka | 4 Comments   

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Brisbane conveyancing solicitor Chris Bridge became concerned when he noticed that his buyer client’s contract included a special condition authorising the pre-settlement Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Estate agent, Section 27, Deposit, Commission, real estate, realtor, pamda, deposit release

Preventing Estate Agents From Preparing Contracts
13 March 08 05:21 AM | Peter Mericka | 11 Comments   

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au After firing more than a few verbal bullets over recent months at Queensland’s Attorney-General (and Fair Trading Minister) Kerry Shine in The Courier Mail and Gold Coast Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Estate agent, Agent, Contract, ethics, queensland, kerry shine, conflict of interests, contract of sale, contract note

Walk Away To Bid Another Day
19 February 08 09:08 AM | Peter Mericka | 1 Comments   

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Walk away to bid another day - but not before the auction is over. Picture yourself as a duly registered, cashed-up bidder at the auction of a seaside mansion. Bidding Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Deception, Auction, Agent, Auctioneer, Bid

Real Estate Agents Preying On Battlers
28 January 08 06:42 PM | Peter Mericka | 3 Comments   

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd " Real Estate Agents Preying On Battlers " is the title of an article appearing on the ABC news website. I invite visitors to Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Estate agent, Conveyancer, Lawyer, Contract, Consumer Affairs, conflict of interests

The "Oh", "Really?" and "I Wish I Had Known That!" of Making an Offer and Organising Finance
24 January 08 09:55 AM | Shannyn Hunter | 7 Comments   

by Shannyn Hunter Conveyancer shannyn@lawyersconveyancing.com.au Lawyers Conveyancing On Monday morning purchasers can experience a real estate hangover. After a weekend of elation at finding their dream house and pressure from the agent to make an offer, Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Estate agent, Deposit, Conveyancer, Purchase, Lawyer, Deception, Finance, Sale, Agent, Residential, Valuation, Contract, finance condition, real estate, special condition, solicitor, legal advice

Fair Trading Nabs False Solicitor
11 January 08 11:12 AM | Peter Mericka | 1 Comments   

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Gold Coast conveyancing clerk Anne Mullins and her company Simply Conveyancing Australia Pty Ltd have pleaded guilty to Office of Fair Trading charges that they falsely Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Consumer Affairs, ethics, solicitor

Who Will Pay The (Legal) Ferrymen?
29 November 07 06:28 AM | Peter Mericka | 2 Comments   

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Below are comments I have received independently from a couple of legal colleagues. They are clearly quite concerned about the ‘costs consequences’ of conveyancing solicitors’, Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Lawyer, Commission, Agent, Contract, ethics

Great Rate, With A Terrible Headache
28 November 07 02:43 PM | Shannyn Hunter | 2 Comments   

by Shannyn Hunter Conveyancer shannyn@lawyersconveyancing.com.au Lawyers Conveyancing Imagine my client’s glee when he received pre-approval for a loan to buy his first home. The broker had found him a low rate - he hadn’t been able to borrow enough from Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Deposit, Purchase, Finance

Ho-Hum Bodies Corporate Up For An Overhaul
05 November 07 12:07 PM | Shannyn Hunter | 1 Comments   

by Shannyn Hunter Conveyancer shannyn@lawyersconveyancing.com.au Lawyers Conveyancing The mundane life of large body corporates will be shaken up at the start of next year when the Owners Corporations Act 2006 takes effect. As reported by Wendy Mason Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Conveyancer, Purchase, Agent

Richard Wood Solicitors - Who Needs To Know?
20 September 07 08:24 AM | Peter Mericka | 0 Comments   

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Conveyancer Consumer Advocate peter@lawyersconveyancing.com.au I have discussed the way in which payments to estate agents can become illegal secret commissions if they are not disclosed, and how the disclosure Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Estate agent, Conveyancer, Commission, Agent, referral, richard wood, secret commissions, ethics

Richard Wood Solicitors Letter – What If The Right Way Doesn’t Pay!
04 September 07 09:20 AM | Peter Mericka | 0 Comments   

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Conveyancer Consumer Advocate peter@lawyersconveyancing.com.au In the absence of evidence to the contrary, we must assume that Richard Wood Solicitors and Barry Plant Real Estate have done everything the Read More...

Filed under: Conveyancing, Estate agent, Conveyancer, Commission, Agent, referral, richard wood, secret commissions, ethics