Premier Home Finders is the leading buyers agency for Sydney’s exclusive North Shore, Lower North Shore and sought-after Eastern Suburbs. We use our knowledge, experience and strong real estate relationships to secure your dream home or ideal investment property at the best possible price. With Premier Home Finders buyers’ agents, you’re in the best hands because it’s our passion to secure dreams. The Premier Home Finders Advantage *At Premier Home Finders buyers’ agents, we’re driven by our passion of securing your dreams. *Over 35 Years Combined Buying Experience *Professional, Confidential and Secure Service *Access To Off-Market Properties *In-depth Local Knowledge in our specialist areas *Skilled Negotiators *Expert, Friendly, Stress Free Experience

My Top Tips

Top 10 Tips When Buying Sydney Property Sydney is an incredibly beautiful city with its almost year-round sunshine and stunning harbour and beaches. It offers a unique lifestyle, with beautiful beaches and ‘affordable’ housing within 10 km of the CBD. However, there are unique issues to be aware of when buying Sydney real estate. Whether you are buying an investment property or your dream home or apartment, here are ten tips to help you navigate the process. 1. Stamp Duty Stamp duty is a tax that is payable by the buyer when purchasing a property. It is payable within three months from the date of your exchange of contracts. It is important to factor in stamp duty when you are calculating your budget as the higher the cost of the property, the higher your stamp duty. In NSW, it is approximately 4.7% of the purchase price. The amount of stamp duty varies between states and in NSW, the Office of State Revenue is responsible for the implementation of stamp duty. Foreign buyers and non-permanent residents are required to pay an additional 9% surcharge when purchasing property. Exempt countries are: New Zealand, Finland, Germany, India, Japan, Norway, South Africa and Switzerland. 2. Land Tax Your principal place of residence is generally exempt from land tax if the land value is less than $3 million, however, where the dutiable land value exceeds $3 million, you are liable for premium property duty. For more information on premium property duty, visit the Revenue NSW website (www.revenue.nsw.gov.au). If you are planning on renting out the property, then you are liable for land tax. 3. Building and Pest Inspection Get a Building and Pest Inspection done on the property BEFORE you make an offer. If you are buying an apartment, you also need to do a strata search to ensure the financial health of the apartment complex and the body corporate. 4. Contract of Sale Make sure you have a conveyancer ​/​ solicitor review the contract before bidding at auction or making an offer. By reviewing the contract prior to auction, it gives you the opportunity to negotiate things with the vendors such as: the amount of deposit (5% instead of standard 10%) and the length of settlement. 5. Buying at Auction If you are buying a property at auction and are the winning bidder, you need to be aware that there is no cooling off period as there is when buying a house via private treaty. You also need to pay the deposit immediately following the auction, usually 10% by either Auction Pay, personal cheque or EFT (you’ll need to ensure your daily limit is increased for that day). As discussed above, you will need your solicitor to have reviewed the contract, to have conducted a building and pest inspection pre-auction, or a strata report and you will need to have your financing in place. 6. Building and Contents Insurance We recommend you take out building and contents insurance upon exchange of contracts. Once contracts are exchanged, you have entered into a legally binding agreement that you will purchase the property. Therefore, if something unforeseen happens to the property after you have exchanged contracts and the vendor does not have any, or sufficient insurance on the property, you are still obligated to complete the transaction. You are safeguarding your interests. 7. Renovations in Sydney Are Expensive Be aware that building and renovating in Sydney is expensive. It can still be an excellent option for buyers; however it is important to know the approximate costs of renovating ​/​ building and factor them into your purchase price before buying a renovator’s delight and being surprised by the building quotes. 8. Development Applications on Neighbouring Properties Check with the local council to ascertain whether there are any outstanding development applications on neighbouring properties. You don’t want to discover that your water view is going to be blocked by the neighbours adding another storey to their house. Council websites freely list current development applications on properties so you can geographically search for pending construction around your desired property. 9. Factors That May Negatively Affect the Value of Your Home Busy artery road? Beside a school? Underneath flight path? Cold and dark due to wrong aspect? Over a tunnel? When you inspect a property at a certain time of day or on the weekend, some of the factors listed above may not be apparent. 10. Use a Buyers Agent. Buyers’ agents can help you navigate the minefield of buying a property. Your buyers’ agent should have good relationships with the local real estate agents. These relationships allow buyers agents to know of properties that are quietly on the market that other buyers are not aware of. Buyers’ agents have an in-depth knowledge of the area and see multiple properties every day, so all the research is done for you and they know the market value of these properties.

Website

https://www.premierhomefinders.com.au

Contact Email

info@premierhomefinders.com.au

Contact Number(s)

02 9960 4848

Other Services Offered

Negotiation Only Service: You find it we secure it Access to referral partners for finance, building and pest, conveyancing

Suburb Specialist

Mosman and Lower North Shore, Upper North Shore, Eastern suburbs and beaches, Inner West

Off Market/Other Opportunities

Access to exclusive off market opportunites