Home prices in Australia have reached an all-time high, making it increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to get a foothold in the property market. By March 2024, the average price of a home in Victoria was $928,500, meaning that a buyer would need to have a hefty cash amount of...
Articles & News
Should you guarantee your child’s home loan?
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Recent legislative changes to the Family Law Act
Read MoreOn 6 May 2024, the Family Law Act (‘the Act’) was amended to change the way in which the Federal Circuit and Family Court (‘the Court’) approaches parenting matters. The following is a simple guide to the most important of those changes – but if you need help, please talk...
Marriage, separation, divorce and your Will
Read MoreWhat happens to my Will when… Having a Will allows you to decide who manages your estate and who gets your assets upon your death. A Will should, ideally, be reviewed whenever a major life event occurs such as buying a home, the birth of a child, the birth...
Contract of sale and loan approval
Read MoreWhat is loan approval? It is a common scenario when purchasing a property, a purchaser will make the contract of sale subject to them obtaining loan approval to complete the purchase, also known as ‘subject to finance’. General condition 20 (previously general condition 14) sets out a purchaser’s obligations regarding...
The sale and purchase of a business and the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR)
Read MoreAre you thinking of selling a business? Usually, a vendor of a business agrees to sell the business to a purchaser free of any encumbrance. Similarly, if you are buying a business, you need to be sure that all assets which form part of the business are owned by the...
Pre-contractual advice and special conditions
Read MoreShould I get pre-contractual advice? The short answer is ‘yes, absolutely‘. Whether you are buying at auction or by private agreement, pre-contractual advice is strongly recommended. Why? Other than peace of mind, there are many reasons to seek pre-contractual advice. These include: to assess the accuracy of the information contained...
How will COVID effect my family law property settlement?
Read MoreThe Covid-19 pandemic has had dramatic effects on the economy and on people’s lives. Whilst Australia has been fortunate compared to many other countries, it has still suffered an enormous financial hit, the effects of which may only become fully apparent in the future. Job losses, business closures and stringent...
Some questions you may have about a will
Read MoreThe role of executor can be very challenging – from the time of the deceased’s death, the executor is responsible for making funeral arrangements, contacting the deceased’s family and friends to let them know of the death, obtaining a death certificate, finding the deceased’s will, locating all of the deceased’s...
Solicitor’s Certificate – Witnessing loan or guarantee documents
Read MoreWe regularly receive enquiries about witnessing loan documents or guarantor documents. Often the person making the enquiry is not exactly sure what this involves and has simply been informed by their bank or broker that they need a ‘solicitor’s certificate’ but other than that they aren’t provided with a reason...
How does COVID-19 affect buying and selling properties?
Read MoreRecently, we have had many clients contact us to ask what effect COVD-19 may have on their purchase or sale. The starting point is your contract of sale. Not all contracts are the same and some can be quite detailed, so it is always best to get legal advice to...
