Real Estate Archives

Why conveyancing should be a key offering of your law firm

April 12, 2023

Why conveyancing should be a key offering of your law firm With the move to a national eConveyancing mandate, and subsequent changes in processes, general law firms are considering whether they should continue servicing clients in the property space. This is largely due to the hurdles of learning new e-settlement systems, implementing new processes and a lack of access to useful training, so it is understandable why many firms are considering referring this work to a qualified conveyancer. However, general law firms that practice conveyancing not only offer several key benefits to their clients, but this can also act as a means to acquire additional work in other areas of law and provide a full-service offering throughout a client’s lifetime. Conveyancing unlocks doors to clients Conveyancing has often been viewed as the bread and butter of a firm; a stock standard service offering. However, when considering the bigger picture of client interaction, conveyancing should be considered a much more lucrative business generation opportunity. Imagine your average couple; the most common reason they will first interact with a lawyer or conveyancer is when they purchase their first home. Ongoing from this, they might need to write a will, which will

Real Estate activity is rising, how is your firm keeping up?

December 22, 2020

Real estate activity is rising, how is your firm keeping up? Recent adjustments to stamp duty across NSW and Victoria aim to kickstart the economy and Real Estate Agents, property lawyers and conveyancers will benefit. In Victoria, stamp duty will be slashed up to 50%, but this will only apply to newly built homes up to the value of $1 million and will be available until June 2021. Alternatively, those in Victoria buying pre-existing homes can expect to receive a 25% discount, again up to $1 million. In NSW, stamp duty reforms are still underway with final decisions being announced in March, but under the current proposal, home buyers will be able to choose if they would prefer to pay stamp duty or an ongoing annual land tax. It is hoped that these changes will bring people back into the property market, which suffered heavily during the height of COVID-19. There has also been reported growth in the number of properties coming into the market now consumer confidence has recovered. Real Estate Agents are seeing an influx of requests for settlements to take place during the Christmas and New Year period as well as for interstate service as people look to move with remote working

Maintain profitability and earn valuable rest this holiday season

November 16, 2020

Maintain profitability and earn valuable rest this holiday season As the holiday season draws near, you may be thinking about the months ahead. Are you looking to expand your services into different states in 2021, to stay profitable, but don’t currently have the expertise on board? Or will you wind back your property lodgment and settlement services in order to enjoy a well-deserved break? These are two of the challenges that property lawyers and conveyancers face in the time leading up until Christmas. While traditionally the summer is a slow period for many professional services and b2b businesses, it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are three strategies that you can implement to stay open for business these holidays, maintain profit, set your direction for 2021 and earn a well-deserved break. 1. Keep your brand presence front and center while you rest While you might be looking to hibernate, it’s important that your firm does not. It is important to stay viable to stay at the forefront of your client’s minds. So while you may not be working with them on a particular matter, when it comes to servicing them in the future, it is important that you are

Queensland reduces paperwork in property conveyancing

October 19, 2019

Queensland reduces paperwork in property conveyancing Earlier this year, QLD parliament passed a bill amending the Land Title Act 1994 so that paper Certificate’s of Title (CT), will no longer have any legal effect. This will be in place from today, October 1st, 2019. This bill means that a paper CT will become a piece of history, with only sentimental value. Previously, every property in Queensland was issued with a paper Certificate of Title. The certificate was always required as evidence of your ownership of your property. Consequently, lost or stolen certificates raised huge issues for a homeowner. As a homeowner, you will no longer need to protect this very important piece of paper. You are also not required to deliver this piece of paper to Settlement should you choose to sell in the future. After today, you will no longer be the option to lodge a Form 19 application for certificate of title. In the shift towards paperless, NSW recently mandated electronic settlements from July 1st, 2019. Prior to the mandate, there were some practitioners keen to embrace e-settlements. Equally however, there were also those who felt like the mandate was thrust upon them. It is these firms that

eConveyancing – it’s real and it exists today

April 9, 2019

eConveyancing – it’s real and it exists today eConveyancing has been talked about in Australia for over 10 years and the conversation has typically revolved around electronic settlement. The terms e-conveyancing and e-settlements have been used interchangeably, but e-settlements are only one part of the wider e-conveyancing system. The last several years have seen a significant evolution in technology available to the conveyancing industry and it’s time to broaden the scope of our discussions. Electronic conveyancing is meant to bring the industry into the digital world and improve processes, but there’s no denying that the changes that have come along with it combined with the downturn in the property market and increasing competition have put serious pressure on practitioners. Our clients have told us time and again that they’re being expected to work faster while dealing with constant change and mounting risk. That’s why we’ve been working with our clients and industry stakeholders to build technology that is integrated, easy to use and improves upon the manual process. We are the first technology provider to develop a comprehensive end-to-end electronic conveyancing solution that integrates with over 30 practice management systems to increase efficiency, mitigate risk and improve client experience. When

Five sales tips for legal and conveyancing practitioners

April 5, 2019

Five sales tips for legal and conveyancing practitioners The perception of ‘sales’ from people not directly involved in sales tends to be that it’s a scary practice that they want to stay well clear of. Salespeople sometimes have a reputation of being pushy, overconfident and arrogant. However, today the most successful salespeople are trusted advisors to clients and potential clients. In an increasingly challenging property market, it’s important to look at ways to differentiate your firm and find ways of winning new business. Below are some sales tips that can help you or your firm win new business without coming across as pushy, arrogant or annoying. 1) Follow up every enquiry promptly. A great way of following up a telephone discussion or meeting with a potential client is to send them a follow-up email/ quote/ proposal promptly. This should articulate what you discussed, the services that you offering to them and why they should trust your firm to undertake this work. 2) Call to ask for the business. This doesn’t have to be pushy, you are purely asking them if they have any further questions and whether they are ready to proceed. 3) Listen to your client. A mistake even the most experienced salesperson falls

Why conveyancing should be a key offering of your law firm

Real Estate activity is rising, how is your firm keeping up?

Maintain profitability and earn valuable rest this holiday season

Queensland reduces paperwork in property conveyancing

eConveyancing – it’s real and it exists today

Five sales tips for legal and conveyancing practitioners

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