Ensuring a Smooth Transaction from Home Sale Contract to Settlement
Part of the Selling Your Home For Dummies Cheat Sheet (Australian Edition)
A contract isn’t binding until each of you, the home buyer and the seller, has a copy signed by both of you. If you’re selling via private treaty sale:
Make sure your agent can contact you immediately when he receives a good offer.
Have your solicitor/conveyancer on call to be able to get moving on the conveyancing, too, to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible.
For settlement day, make sure you:
Vacate the property (unless the sale goes through with tenants in place).
Leave it in the same condition it was in when your buyer signed the contract — otherwise the buyer has the legal right to delay or pull out of the settlement.
Organise the disconnection of all utilities.
Hand over the keys to the new owners.
