Etienne Lawyers simple guide to buying a home illustrates to the prospective purchaser the steps that they will go through from choosing a home to moving in and everything in between. When to contact your solicitor, when to contact your bank, at what stages you will need to have funds available. Who does what, where and when.

1. A Step by Step
Guide to Buying
your Home
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2. You will need to Locate
your new home
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3. Now that you have found
your home
you will need to put an offer to purchase
to the owner
you should contact Etienne Lawyers so so
so that we can
request a copy of the contract and
order any searches that may be
necessary. For example - pest and
building report, survey, strata report (if
you are buying a unit)
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4. When we receive the
Contract for Sale
We check the contract for sale
for the council zoning certificate
for the drainage and sewer diagrams to
ensure they are in the correct place
for the title certificate to ensure the
vendor has the right to sell the property
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5. Finance
Now is the time to obtain
you unconditional loan if you
need one
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6. Exchange of Contracts
Once we are satisfied
with the pre-exchange
searches and you have
your finance in place it
is time to exchange the
contracts.
This means that you are
committed to purchase
the property.
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7. Now we order the searches
to give us a snapshot of the
health of the property
Title Search
Electricity Commission
Local Council
Public Transport Commission
Water, sewerage and
drainage authority
Department of Education
Office of State Revenue
Energy Authority
Health Commission
Department of housing
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8. We need to find out even
more about the property you
are buying so we ask more
questions
These questions are known as
Requisitions on Title and we send them
to the seller or their solicitor if they
have one to answer
We normally send these as soon as
possible
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9. We check if there
are outstanding
arrears or land
tax obligations so
that the seller
can pay them
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Land Tax

10. Now it is time to
LIASE, LIASE, LIASE
We LIASE with your Lender to arrange the
documents required
We LIASE with the seller’s solicitor for
settlement date, place and figures
We LIASE with the agent - just because he
gets nervous
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11. The Transfer is the document
that puts the property you
purchase in your name
We prepare Transfer
of Land, get you to
pay any stamp duty
and send to Seller’s
Solicitor for the
seller to sign
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12. It’s time to finalise your
loan documents
We ensure that the loan
documentation is satisfactory
We assist you in signing the
loan documentation correctly
We provide all the required
documentation to your lender
We arrange the payment of
the stamp duty on the
mortgage if appropriate
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13. Now we prepare for
Settlement
We prepare the
settlement figures
and make
adjustments to rates
etc and calculate the
exact figure you will
pay and how many
cheques are required
at settlement
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14. Next we collect all the
documents we need to take
to settlement
Prepare ‘Order on the Agent’ which tells the agent he
can release the deposit you have paid to the seller
Confirm the attendance of your lender at settlement
We conduct another title search on the day of
settlement just to be sure the title is clean
We prepare the ‘eNOS’ a government form
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15. The Settlement - when you
become the owner of your
home
You or your lender
will hand over
The cheques as
directed by the seller
The Order on the
Agent
We hand to your lender
The Title Search
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16. We give to the
seller
We receive from the
seller
The cheques as they
directed
Direction to Pay
Certificate of Title
Your lender will take
Certificate of title
Discharge of any
mortgages, caveats etc
Discharge of any
mortgages, caveats etc
Duly stamped and
signed memorandum of
transfer
Duly stamped and
signed memorandum of
transfer
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17. After Settlement (if you
did not have a lender)
The stamp duty will have to be paid (if it
had not already been paid)
We lodge the transfer and discharges with
Land Titles office to effect the change of
the property into your name
We inform the council and water
authorities that you have purchased the
property
If you purchased a unit we inform the
body corporate
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18. Now you can move in and
enjoy your new home
02 8845 2400
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