News

When Does a Purchaser pay the Agent’s Commission?

Purchasers don't expect to have to pay an estate agent's commission, but what if the contract is booby-trapped with a special condition that requires the purchaser to indemnify the vendor?

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An Unwanted Renovation

Imagine coming home from doing the weekly shopping to find a deep chasm where the fish pond and shed used to be. This was the reality Ballarat East resident, Ivan Bolt, faced last Wednesday as reported in The Age 'That Sinking Feeling as Backyard Vanishes'

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Non-Standard General Conditions

At Lawyers Conveyancing we check a lot of real estate contracts as part of our pre-purchase legal advice service. Recently we have seen an increase in the number of contracts where the General Conditions have been changed so as to render them non-standard.

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Building Permit Hell, Building Commission In Damage Control

780 permits issued in Victoria between September 2005 and August 2006 could be void or incomplete, potentially affecting thousands of homeowners and sending the Building Commission into major damage control.

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Auction Bullying

The article describes how police were called to a house auction after a clash erupted between a bidder and the auctioneer.

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Contracts – Real Estate Booby Traps!

Most real estate consumers are aware that real estate contracts are biased heavily in favour of the vendor, and contain a minefield of terms and conditions.

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The Monkeys In The Cage

So often in my dealings with estate agents discussions reach the point where the estate agent justifies a procedure or behaviour with: “I’ve been in this (real estate industry) for a long time, and I know what you can and can’t do”

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Routinely Poor Service From The Real Estate Industry

Logan lawyer and columnist Tim O’ Dwyer has, for years, been voicing the shortfalls of the standard conveyancing contract and the lack of disclosure sellers are obliged to make.

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Free Appraisals Are Worth What They Cost

It’s known as the “foot in the door”, and it’s been around for decades. Estate agents are always letter-box dropping cards advertising “Free Market Appraisals” or “Find Out What Your Home Is Worth”.

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…And Take Away The Number You Started With

An informed consumer, whether vendor or purchaser, will never rely on the “appraisal”, or for that matter, the appraisal’s close relatives, the “asking price”, the “price +”, or the “price range”.

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