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Our services
Our specialty is regional and rural. We look after you for your purchase or sale of residences and vacant land in regional and rural towns and villages, as well as small or large rural farming and/or grazing property, including Western Lands Lease property and residential camps (which have requirements in addition to freehold rural and residential property transactions).
We prepare for you the legal paperwork required when buying or selling property (such as a residence or a strata unit, small or large rural acreage, and Western Lands Lease property and residential mining camps). We obtain searches and necessary certificates, prepare or peruse Contracts for Sale & Purchase, we liaise with your lender, prepare and check settlement adjustment figures and bring the contract to completion.
We also prepare commercial leases, residential tenancy agreements, small vendor finance mortgages and look after retail business sale and purchase transactions.
We can attend to registration of Notices of Death and Transmission applications.
COVID 19
It appears that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted for now and hopefully that does not need to change. We encourage you to comply with guidelines, whatever they may currently be, to stay safe and, in any case, always wash your hands regularly and stay home if you are feeling unwell.
Latest News
CONVEYANCING TRANSACTIONS ON LINE
All conveyancing transactions are now completed on-line. Complete Rural Conveyancing has been a subscriber of the PEXA electronic workspace (ELNO) since its inception. See link to find out more about PEXA:
FIRST HOME BUYERS ASSISTANCE SCHEME
To be eligible for an exemption or reduction in the amount of duty payable you will need to be a first home buyer who purchases a new home or a vacant block of land on which you intend to build a new home. For the full exemption to apply (ie. the requirement to pay stamp duty is waived completely), the value of the home being purchased must be no more than $800,000 and the value of a vacant block of residential land must be no more than $400,000.
A concessional rate of duty will apply to homes valued more than $800,000 but less than $1,500,000 and vacant block of land valued more than $400,000 and less than $500,000.
NSW PROPERTY TAX PROPOSAL now a REALITY FOR FIRST HOME BUYERS
The Property Tax (First Home Buyer Choice) Act 2022 received assent on 11 November 2022.
First home buyers of property in NSW now have a choice between paying upfront transfer stamp duty (a one-off lump payment which is quite an expense) or an annual property tax (which alleviates the need to find the amount for the one-off payment).
There is a transitional period where eligible first home buyers will have to pay transfer (stamp) duty, but can then apply for a refund of the duty after 16 January 2023 on the Revenue NSW website.
Please see the following links to find out more:
First Home Buyer Choice | NSW Government
The First Home Buyer Choice calculator is an online tool that will help eligible NSW first home buyers make an informed choice. The calculator is for informational purposes only and does not replace financial or legal advice.
This initiative is in addition to the existing First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant, and the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme offering transfer duty exemptions and concessions.
FIRST HOME OWNER (New Homes) GRANT
What's on offer
- $10,000 towards the purchase price, in addition to the First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme benefits
Requirements
- Buying or building your first home
- It's a new home that no-one has lived in before
- It's worth no more than $750,000
- Find out more - First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant | Revenue NSW
NSW BUDGET 2024-25
The NSW Government has handed down the 2024-25 Budget Papers, outlining their fiscal plans for the coming year. This year's budget includes measures to address the housing crisis and to provide a substantial boost to the Building Commission. You can access the Budget papers directly on the NSW Budget website (www.budget.nsw.gov.au)
From a conveyancing perspective, the important changes to note are:
1. The rate of surcharge purchaser duty will increase from 8% to 9%. This applies to surcharge duty transactions that occur on or after 1 January 2025.
2. For the 2025 and subsequent land tax years:
* Surcharge land tax will increase from 4% to 5% for residential land owned by a foreign person
* the land tax threshold will remain at $1,075,000 and the premium rate threshold will remain at $6,571,000 (these are the thresholds for the 2024 land tax year)
FIRST HOME GUARANTEE SCHEME (formerly the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme).
The First Home Guarantee (formerly First Home Loan Deposit Scheme) began on 1 January 2020. It was designed to help eligible first home buyers to purchase a property sooner by allowing eligible first home buyers to purchase a property with as little as a five per cent deposit.
The Commonwealth Government guarantees the difference between what an eligible first home buyer has saved and the 20% deposit threshold lenders usually require before they’ll provide a loan without LMI (lenders mortgage insurance).
For instance, if you have $45,000 to put towards a $500,000 home, the government would step in and guarantee the first $55,000 of your loan so that it brings your security up to $100,000, or 20% of the total value of the property, excluding government fees like stamp duty.
More information can be found here: First Home Guarantee - Overview (nhfic.gov.au) and here is the Fact sheet link: nhfic-first-home-guarantee-fhbg-factsheet-july-2022-accessible.pdf
While the scheme doesn’t offer a cash payment, the good news is that you can use it in conjunction with any other government grants, schemes, concessions and waivers you qualify for. For instance, any First Home Owner stamp duty concessions you qualify for in your State or Territory will still apply.
FAMLY HOME GUARANTEE
The Family Home Guarantee (FHG) is an Australian Government initiative which aims to support eligible single parents with at least one dependent child to buy a home sooner, whether that single parent is a first home buyer or a previous home owner. From 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023, 5,000 FHG places are available to eligible single parents with at least one dependent.
Under the FHG, part of an eligible home buyer’s home loan from a Participating Lender is guaranteed by NHFIC. This enables an eligible home buyer to purchase a home with as little as 2% deposit without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance.
Any Guarantee of a home loan is for up to a maximum amount of 18% of the value of the property (as assessed by the Participating lender). This Guarantee is not a cash payment or a deposit for a home loan.
More information can be found here: Family Home Guarantee - Overview (nhfic.gov.au) and here is the Fact Sheet link: NHFIC Family Home Guarantee Factsheet July 2022
REGIONAL HOME GUARANTEE
The Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee (RFHBG) is part of the Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS), an Australian Government initiative to support eligible first home buyers purchase a home sooner. It is administered by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) on behalf of the Australian Government.
The RFHBG aims to support eligible regional first home buyers to purchase a home in a regional area. From 1 October 2022 – 30 June 2023, 10,000 RFHBG places are available to eligible regional first home buyers.
Under the RFHBG, part of an eligible regional first home buyer’s home loan from a Participating Lender is guaranteed by NHFIC. This enables an eligible home buyer to purchase a home with as little as 5% deposit without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance.
Any Guarantee of a home loan is for up to a maximum amount of 15% of the value of the property (as assessed by the Participating lender). This Guarantee is not a cash payment or a deposit for a home loan.
More information can be found here: Learn about the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee (nhfic.gov.au) and here is the Fact Sheet link: nhfic-regional-first-home-buyer-guarantee-rfhbg-factsheet-oct-2022-accessible.pdf
CERTIFICATES OF TITLES for property in NSW
On 11 October 2021, new changes to the land titles system in NSW were introduced that transitioned NSW away from paper-based processes, to enable a more stream-lined electronic system.
Existing Certificates of Title were cancelled and Certificates of Title will no longer be issued. Please note, if you borrowed from a lender for your purchase before 11 October 2021, you did not receive a Certificate of Title anyway! However, if you were a cash buyer (ie saved up enough so you did not have to borrow), a Certificate of Title was issued by NSW Land Registry Services but this no longer occurs - please do not be alarmed by this, because following settlement and registration into your name, we can and do provide you with a 'title search' showing you are now the registered owner (or lessee) of the property, to give you peace of mind.
The Torrens Title Register has always been and will continue to be the single source of truth as to the ownership of a person’s home and land. The Torrens Title Register is securely stored and backed up by both NSW Land Registry Services and the Office of the Registrar General.
Please see this link if you would like more information:
FAQs - Frequently asked questions
What happens if there are outstanding Council or water rates owing on a property I am purchasing? These are paid usually to 30 June in the current rating year at settlement from the vendor's sale proceeds. The purchaser contributes their share of Council rates to the vendor from the date of settlement to 30 June.
How do I know if the improvements have Council approval? If the vendor is not in possession of Council Certificates, the vendor will usually authorise a potential purchaser to inspect the Council records for the property. A purchaser can apply for a Building Certificate from Council, if required.
Do I have to pay transfer (formerly called stamp) duty? How much is it?
A purchaser will generally have to pay transfer duty - see the link to calculate the amount you will need to pay - https://www.apps08.osr.nsw.gov.au/erevenue/calculators/landsalesimple.php
What if I am a first home buyer? There are a number of government schemes in place to assist first home buyers. See details above.
Check out this link to see if you are eligible as a first home buyer: https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/grants-schemes/first-home-buyer