What are your fees?
We have listed these for you for most usual services here – for a personalised estimate based on your unique circumstances, please get in touch.
Should I have an Agreement for Sale & Purchase looked at before I sign it?
In a perfect world, yes you should although we know that time pressure can be a factor and it can take a few days for an agreement or property documents to be reviewed. If you are purchasing unconditionally then it is very important that you have your agreement checked first but if you have a conditional agreement, you can also have a condition for your conveyancer’s approval of the contract to it can be checked if your price offer is accepted.
When can I withdraw Kiwisaver and how long will it take?
Kiwisaver is available for first time buyers or those who are in the same financial position as a first time buyer. Funds can take up to 15 working days from applying to receive and an application can’t be made until you have a fully signed and accepted agreement. Kiwisaver money can only be used towards the purchase price of a property and so this time period does need to be factored into your overall situation for either paying the deposit or settlement to ensure you will have enough time to obtain these funds.
What are conditions?
These are specific clauses to give you time to investigate particular issues after you have had your offer accepted but before you are 100% committed to complete your agreement. Common conditions are being able to obtain sufficient finance and being happy with a LIM and/or a builders report. If you include conditions, you can be certain your offer is accepted first, before having to spend extra money on valuations or builders reports. Some marketing processes (auctions and some tenders) will require unconditional agreement so all of your investigations would need to be done in advance.
How long should conditions be?
A good time period for conditions such as finance, builders reports and LIM is 10-15 working days – conditions can be shorter or longer depending on your circumstances but it does pay to check with your broker, builder or other services that these time periods can be achieved.
Should I have a Build Contract reviewed before I sign it?
Build contracts contain quite unique terms that can be complicated and tricky to decipher and are usually conditional only on finance. If you can have an approval or due diligence condition included then it can be reviewed after signing but if not, we definitely recommend it is checked before signing.
How long will a property review take and how much notice do you need?
A basic review or an already built property will take a couple of hours to complete and more complicated properties (crossleases, body corporate/unit title properties or off plan and build contracts) will take significantly longer. To be fair to all of our clients in terms of managing workflow, we ask that you give us 3 days’ notice if you require a review although we do our very best to complete these as quickly as possible and can give you a better indication at the time you contact us. Review of a new build or off the plan agreement does take much longer and you should allow 5 working days.
Does Settlement only occur at 4pm?
Settlement is usually much earlier than this if everything goes to plan. Although it relies on several parties and outside factors (your bank/lender, the conveyancers on the other side of the deal, and how many properties are in the chain on the day), we aim for most settlements to occur by early afternoon.