Questions to Ask Your Conveyancer Before Property Marketing Begins

Begin with roles, timing and the advice channel

Ask the conveyancer what they need to open the file, verify identity and ownership, prepare the sale documents and respond during the campaign. Confirm the lead time they recommend for this specific property and how urgent questions or offers should reach them. The estate agent manages the appraisal, marketing and buyer communication; the conveyancer or lawyer advises on legal documents, title matters and contract terms. A clear handoff prevents each professional being asked to decide matters outside their role.

One useful question is: what should be completed before marketing for an orderly campaign, and what must legally occur before a purchaser signs? Consumer Affairs Victoria states that the Section 32 vendor statement is supplied before the buyer signs the contract. That does not create a universal rule that every property must have a completed vendor statement before advertising begins. The conveyancer should advise on sensible readiness and legal timing for the actual sale.

Also ask who will be the named day-to-day contact and how absence is covered. Record response expectations as a service arrangement, not a legal deadline, and provide the agent with the verified pathway for urgent document questions.

Confirm ownership, identity and instruction authority

Ask whose names appear on the current title and whether any further identity, company, trust, deceased-estate, attorney or representative documents are required. Do not assume that rates notices, family arrangements or a previous sale file establish current authority. Land Use Victoria's verification requirements and the conveyancer's current searches provide the appropriate pathway for the transaction.

If there are multiple owners, ask how instructions and signatures should be provided and what the agent needs to know about the verified process. If one person will coordinate the campaign, clarify whether that is merely an administrative role or includes any formal authority. Keep the answer in the shared sale plan so urgent marketing and offer decisions do not rely on a person who cannot lawfully give the instruction.

• Who are the current registered proprietors?
• Which identity and authority checks are required?
• Who can approve or sign each sale document?
• How should the agent record and verify instructions?

Ask which title and property issues need early review

Provide the conveyancer with any title copies, plans, council records or settlement documents already held and ask which current searches they will obtain. Questions may concern easements, covenants, ownership boundaries, access, shared areas, owners corporations or other registered interests. Do not ask the marketing floorplan provider or estate agent to interpret those matters. Their work can reveal a question but cannot determine the legal position.

Mention anything that appears inconsistent on the ground, such as a fence, driveway, car space, storage area or structure that does not match an old plan or the seller's understanding. Ask what specialist input may be needed and whether the issue affects contract preparation, disclosure or marketing wording. Until it is resolved, the agent should use narrow factual language or omit the disputed claim rather than converting uncertainty into a selling feature.

Discuss improvements, permits and known property matters

Give the conveyancer a dated list of renovations, additions, building work, changed room uses and major repairs, together with the permits, plans, certificates, invoices and reports held. Ask which records should be searched or reviewed and which questions belong with council, a building professional, licensed surveyor or another specialist. An invoice, age of work or verbal assurance does not prove approval or compliance.

Ask how to handle defects, professional findings, neighbourhood issues, notices, disputes, contamination concerns or other facts known to the seller. Do not ask a general web guide to decide whether something is a material fact or what must be disclosed. The conveyancer needs the actual information and can advise on the transaction. The marketing must also remain accurate and should never conceal a known concern behind styling, photography or vague wording.

Align inclusions, occupancy and campaign representations

Ask how fixtures, chattels, excluded items and any special arrangements should be recorded. Give the conveyancer the same proposed inclusion list used by the agent so the brochure, inspection conversations and contract do not diverge. Questions about solar equipment, leased devices, appliances, security systems, water tanks, storage or garden items should be raised before buyers form an expectation.

If the property is tenanted, recently vacated, occupied by another person or part of an owners corporation, ask which current documents, notices or certificates are required and who should obtain them. Also ask how access and settlement assumptions interact with the legal status. Do not presume that an informal occupancy or a tenancy ending removes every obligation. Current advice is essential because rental and owners corporation requirements can change.

• Which fixtures or chattels need express treatment?
• What tenancy or occupancy information is required?
• Which owners corporation records must be obtained?
• What wording should the agent avoid until advice is received?

Set a protocol for changes, offers and settlement

Ask how quickly the conveyancer can review proposed contract changes and how an offer with conditions should be submitted. Agree which contact details are official and how electronic signing, identity checks and sensitive information will be handled. The agent can summarise buyer-proposed price, conditions and timing, but the seller should obtain advice on the actual contract rather than rely on a marketing-stage description.

Finally, ask what the seller should do if a fact, record, repair, owners corporation notice or occupancy arrangement changes after marketing begins. Update the conveyancer and agent so legal documents and public statements stay aligned. This page deliberately provides questions rather than answers or templates. Property-specific legal conclusions, contract drafting, Section 32 preparation and settlement advice belong with the seller's Victorian conveyancer or lawyer.