How sellers and buyers lose money on agency agreements, price guides, concessions and settlement, where to complain and which official sources to check.
The expensive mistakes in a property sale are usually made on paper, weeks before settlement: signing a long exclusive agency agreement without reading the commission clause, agreeing to pay for marketing whether or not the home sells, missing the move-in deadline for a first home duty concession, or forgetting the clearance certificate and having 15% of the price withheld.
The guide to costly mistakes when selling a house is the starting point and links to every guide in this section: agency agreement traps, underquoting and cooling-off, first home concession conditions and clawback, how to complain about an agent or conveyancer, and a directory of official sources.
These guides are general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Property law, duty and tax rules differ between states and depend on your circumstances. For a contract, speak with a solicitor or licensed conveyancer; for capital gains tax, a registered tax agent.
Costly Mistakes and Official Sources
The real estate agency agreement clauses behind most commission and marketing disputes in Australia: exclusive periods, introduction clauses, continuing authority and more.
Costly Mistakes and Official Sources
Where to take a complaint about an agent's commission, a conveyancer's error or a stamp duty assessment in each Australian state, the steps in order and what to include.
Costly Mistakes and Official Sources
The mistakes that cost Australian sellers and buyers the most money, from agency agreements and price guides to missing clearance certificates, with the dollar impact of each.
Costly Mistakes and Official Sources
The occupation and ownership conditions attached to first home stamp duty concessions in each state, what triggers a reassessment and how much repaying a concession can cost.
Costly Mistakes and Official Sources
A directory of the official websites for stamp duty, first home concessions, agent rules, conveyancing, CGT, foreign resident withholding and foreign investment, state by state.
Costly Mistakes and Official Sources
How underquoting laws work in NSW and Victoria, what misleading price guides cost buyers, and the buyer cooling-off period and termination fee in each Australian state.
