Common questions, honestly answered.

Technically no. Victoria lets anyone do their own conveyancing. Realistically? It's like representing yourself in court — possible, but the cost of a small mistake is enormous, and the cost of a conveyancer is not. Most disputes we see are between two parties where neither used one. We're not the people to ask whether you need a conveyancer in Victoria; ask the people who didn't use one.

In Victoria, licensed conveyancers are regulated under the Conveyancers Act 2006 and trained specifically in property transactions. Solicitors are generalist legal practitioners who can also conduct conveyancing as part of legal practice. For a standard purchase or sale, a conveyancer is the right call — focused, faster, less expensive, and (on average) more familiar with PEXA workflows because it's all we do. If your matter has a litigation dimension (a contested estate, a boundary dispute, anything involving a court application), we'll tell you when you need a lawyer instead of, or alongside, us.

Our professional fee is a fixed amount, given upfront, and depends on the complexity of the matter (a straightforward purchase is less than a subdivision). Disbursements — title searches, lodgement fees, statutory authority certificates — are passed through at cost. We send you a written quote before you instruct us. No "subject to" pricing.

Before. Always before. The single highest-value thing a conveyancer does is review the Section 32 and Contract of Sale before you sign — when you still have leverage to negotiate, request changes, or walk away. Once you've signed, your options narrow significantly, especially after the cooling-off period ends. We can usually turn around a written contract review inside 24 hours.

Probably yes. Victoria's Land Transfer Duty (the official name for stamp duty) is calculated on the dutiable value of the property — usually the purchase price — and rises sharply once you cross $600,000. Concessions exist (see below), and we calculate the actual figure for you before you sign, so the number on your settlement statement isn't the first time you see it.

The most common ones in Victoria: First Home Buyer (full exemption up to $600k, partial up to $750k, you must live in the property for 12 continuous months within the first 12 months of settlement); Principal Place of Residence (price ≤ $550k, you live in it); Pensioner (capped purchase price, eligible cardholder); Off-the-Plan (FHB to $750k or PPR to $550k, dutiable value calculated only on land + completed work as at contract date); and the First Home Owner Grant ($10,000 toward new homes only, ≤ $750k, regional FHOG was $20,000 historically). Eligibility is fact-specific. We'll work out the exact number for your circumstances.

If you're not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you may be liable for an additional 8% Foreign Purchaser Additional Duty on top of standard stamp duty (and potentially the Absentee Owner Surcharge on land tax). There are exemptions (NZ Special Category Visa holders, partner exemption rules, exemptions for some types of land). We work this out as part of the duty assessment — don't assume the agent has already.

Worth more care than an existing-dwelling purchase, yes. The contract is longer (often 80+ pages), the disclosure document is denser, the developer can vary plans within limits, and sunset clauses can let either party walk away if registration takes too long. We've reviewed thousands; we know which clauses to push back on, what's standard, and what's a red flag. The duty concession on off-the-plan is generous in Victoria — we calculate that for you too.

Mechanically similar, but with important differences in dutiable value and disclosure. Transfers between relatives, transfers under a court order, transfers from a deceased estate, transfers to a self-managed super fund — each has its own paperwork, often different stamp duty treatment, and sometimes Land Tax implications. We do these regularly.

Subdivisions in Victoria run through council planning consent, surveying, application for new titles, and registration with Land Use Victoria. We don't do the surveying or council application work directly, but we coordinate the legal and conveyancing parts: lodging the Application for Subdivision once consent is granted, monitoring the registration with Land Use Vic, and preparing the new titles for any subsequent sale. Allow 12+ months for the full process; some matters take significantly longer.