Going through the buying process can be a daunting and emotionally stressful time but if you are prepared for the hassle, you can get through the process with your sanity more-or-less intact. Here is the basic progression you can expect:

Top 6 Buying Process

 

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Finding a home

Make sure to take advantage of all the available options for finding homes on the market, including using your real estate agent, searching for listings online and driving around the neighbourhoods that interest you in search of for-sale signs. Also put some feelers out there with your friends, family and business contacts. You never know where a good reference or lead on a home might come from.

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Consider your financing options and secure financing

It is important to have your finance pre-approved and in place prior to making offers. This will ensure you are making offers on homes that actually fall within your budget and you can afford. It will also make the buying process a lot easier and more streamlined – you will also be able to negotiate with confidence knowing that your finance has been pre-approved.
“Having Your Finance Pre-Approved Can Save You A Lot of Stress, Time & Headache”

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Have a solicitor/conveyancer ready

This is a very important step in the buying process and you should know who your conveyancer is and have them on standby. Your conveyancer will assist you in some very important steps such as;

  • Types of title and forms of ownership
  • Your cooling-off rights
  • Circumstances in which a party can avoid settlement
  • Available grants, concessions and rebates
  • Fees and charges, including rates & taxes to be adjusted
  • Change of ownership notifications
  • Reviewing the contract before you sign
  • Searching the certificate of title to ensure proper ownership
  • Searching with government departments and local authorities for anything affecting the property
  • Advising on the information in the statutory disclosure statement
  • The preparation, certification and stamping of documentation
  • Liaising with your proposed lenders and financiers
  • Calculation of adjustments of rates and taxes
  • Preparation of settlement statements
  • Assistance with signing the memorandum of transfer; and
  • Attendance at settlement on your behalf

“Amongst other things a Conveyancer will help with Compliance with all special conditions and time limits”

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Making an offer

Your real estate agent will help you decide how much money you want to offer for the house along with any conditions you want to ask for, like having the buyer pay for your closing costs, offer subject to finance or subject to a building and pest inspection.

Your agent will then present the offer to the seller’s agent; the seller will either accept your offer or issue a counter-offer. You can then accept, or continue to go back and forth until you either reach a deal or decide to call it quits.
If you reach an agreement, you’ll make a deposit into the agents trust account and then you have a five day cooling off period to pull out of the contract should you decide not to proceed.

After the cooling off period you will have the time you specified in your conditions to obtain satisfaction on the terms you included i.e.

  • 21 days for having successfully received finance approval from your lender (assuming you placed a finance clause in your contract)
  • 14 Days to get a building and pest inspection conducted (assuming you placed a building and pest clause in your contract)
  • 14 Days to obtain independent information from council i.e. is the land zoned to be sub-dividable subject to council approval? (assuming you placed this clause in your contract)

During this time if any condition you laid out in the contract is not met i.e. building and pest inspection highlights some major concerns or your lender will not loan you the money on this property for any reason, then you must notify the agent within this time that for the reason stated, you will not be proceeding with the sale.
Unless you notify the agent otherwise, then after the timeframe stipulated within your conditions, your contract will then become unconditional and as such you will be committed to settle on the contract on the date specified.

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Obtain a Building & Pest Inspection

Even if the home you plan to purchase appears to be flawless, there’s no substitute for having a trained professional inspect the property for the quality, safety and overall condition of your potential new home. If the home inspection reveals serious defects that the seller did not disclose, you’ll generally be able to rescind your offer and get your deposit back.
“Negotiating to have the seller make the repairs or discount the selling price are other options if you find yourself in this situation”

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Settle or move on

If you’re able to work out a deal with the seller, or better yet, if the inspection didn’t reveal any significant problems, you should be ready to settle on your new home. Settling involves organising and signing various contracts in a very short time period and this is where your conveyancer will really earn their fee.

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Jo has a fantastic knowledge of the market and was a huge asset in the sale of our property at Aanuka Beach Resort. She ensured that it was a very smooth sale and she was always quick to respond when I had questions. Many thanks Jo!

Kirsten Coffs Harbour May 13, 2024

Beach walking

Glen did a great job with handing all aspects of my sale. I chose him because of his and his agency's long history, contacts and knowledge of the area and he did not disappoint with a comprehensive marketing strategy pulling in and negotiating with a large number of interested buyers. Would recommend.

Darren Kingscliff February 10, 2024

Jo provided the perfect property sale experience. From her initial advice on potential buyers to her expert handling of the eventual purchaser's enquiries and her ongoing expertise in finalising the sale, she scored 10 out of 10.

David Kingscliff April 13, 2024

5 Stars - it was fantastic having Jo looking after us and the sale - excellent result Jo - thanks again.

Jacqui Kingscliff February 13, 2024

Casuarina beach

I would not hesitate in recommending Glen for selling or buying a home. Glen is an excellent communicator, has strong local market knowledge and achieved an excellent price for our house.

Steve and Anne Kingscliff March 10, 2024

Beach

We had a remarkably smooth sale through Ray's Real Estate with Glen. Glen was very efficient and negotiated a new record price for us in super fast time. In tune with today, everything was done via email or phone. This was the easiest sale I have negotiated, of which, I have done many in Australia

Kathy and Mark Casuarina December 10, 2023

Glen and team did a fantastic job selling our investment property in Kingscliff. Despite the challenges posed by lockdown in the Tweed, he managed to get an outstanding price for the property. His knowledge of the local market and great negotiation style were key to achieving this. Highly recommended!

Simone and Peter Kingscliff April 8, 2024

Casuarina beach seat

Working with Glen was an absolute pleasure, he made the whole transaction feel like a breeze, was prompt, precise and supportive throughout.

Tim Casuarina February 10, 2024

Couple lazing on beach

Glen has been extremely helpful throughout our purchase process, especially considering we were buying from interstate. He's been very accommodating, quick to respond to questions and very easy to deal with.

John and Claire Kingscliff November 10, 2023

Beach

Glen is knowledgable and proactive in achieving the result we wanted. He went over and above what I would have expected. Great Service.

Narelle Casuarina June 10, 2024