Category: Property News

Why use a solicitor when buying a house?

The cost of not using a solicitor for your conveyance Purchasing your first home may well be the biggest financial investment you will ever make. With this in mind, it is crucial that this process goes smoothly, so that your property dreams are achieved. To ensure this occurs, it is highly recommended you use a […]

Do I Need a Conveyancer?

You may be asking yourself, what is conveyancing? Conveyancing is the process of transferring property to another when you are buying or selling a property.  Buying or selling a house and land is ordinarily the most important transaction a person will ever undertake so it is important to avoid pressure to sign a Contract straight […]

End of Paper Era

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.2″ inner_width_tablet=”50px” inner_max_width_tablet=”50px” custom_padding=”0px||0px|” z_index_tablet=”500″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”0px|||” z_index_tablet=”500″ column_structure=”2_3,1_3″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″]The Queensland Government has announced the end of something our parents and grandparents held dear….paper proof that they owned their home. As of 1st October 2019, a paper title deed will become an item of historic or sentimental value only […]

Do Pre-nups really mean anything?

Binding Financial Agreements “PRE-NUPS, POST-NUPS & DURING NUPS” Many have heard of the term “Pre-Nup Agreement” usually from American movies or sit-coms. The general impression is that it is an agreement made between people who are about to get married and one party wants to protect their assets as they have significantly greater assets than […]

Changes to REIQ Contracts

Is 13 a lucky number? The QLS and the Real Estate Institute of Queensland have released the 13th edition of the standard “Contract for Houses and Residential Land”. The contract and the standard “Contract For Residential Lots In A Community Titles Scheme” (now in its 9th edition) has been updated as a result of changes […]

Foreign Buyers Stamp Duty Surcharge

From 1 October 2016 the foreign persons acquiring residential land in Queensland will pay a 3% stamp duty surcharge on entering into any new transactions. What is Residential Land? Residential land is land that is or will be solely or primarily used for residential purposes, and on the land: there is or will be a […]

New Tax On Sale of $2 Million+ Properties

The Issue The Federal Government is concerned that property owners, particularly foreign persons are not paying Capital Gains Tax on the sale of property. The Law On or after 1 July 2016 on the sale of Affected Property, the Buyer will have to withhold 10% of the sale price and pay that to the Australian […]

The Good News!

Concessions and exemptions for home buyers and retirement village residents: 1. Abolition of Mortgage Stamp Duty; 2. An increasing in the threshold for the firm home buyers duty exemption from $320,000.00 to $500,000.00; 3. An increase in the ceiling for the principal place of residence concession from $320,000.00 to $350,000.00; and 4. An extension of […]

Important new changes to Australia’s foreign investment policy

The Australian Government has announced it will shortly amend its Foreign Investment Policy. This amendment will have a material effect on residential land buyers. The big change is that temporary residents may purchase second hand dwellings. This took effect from 18 December 2008, but will change again shortly. For more information please read our brochure If […]

Stamp Duty Changes

The Background When the QLD Treasurer, Andrew Fraser, handed down the 2008/2009 State Budget it outlined various changes to stamp duty associated with Queensland properties. The intent of the new structure was to generally improve competitiveness with other states and assist First Home Owners with the affordability of buying their own homes. While the budget […]