Offering and Auction

  • Auctions have no conditions
  • To make an offer to a house planning on going to auction requires you to provide an offer under auction conditions (no conditions)
    • No real point in making an offer to an auctioned house then
  • Queensland has a 5 day cooling off period
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    • It costs 0.25% of the property to pull out on this condition though
  • Queensland can extend settlement up to 5 business days without needing permission from the seller
  1. You first make a non-binding offer by emailing the agent. You must provide the following
    • condition of financing (and how many days that will take)
      • 14 days is standard
        • This is not business days and could cause problems if you’re entering a time of holidays
    • condition on satisfactory Building and pest inspection
      • 7 days is standard
      • You must explicitly mention to the sellers that you are happy or unhappy with the B&PI otherwise things get messy legally
    • date of settlement
      • 30 days is standard
    • initial holding deposit on offer acceptance (should be put into a trust account provided by the agent btw)
      • Usually 1% the offer
      • This money is part of the whole sum. You have to pay the remaining 99%
    • holding deposit after unconditional (same trust account)
      • Usually 5-10% of the price of the property
      • I believe you have to pay 4-9% though given the 1% you already put in
  2. If the seller likes your offer they’ll give you a contract
    • It’s standard that the seller hasn’t signed and you’re expected to sign first
    • Ensure lawyers read the contract before you sign anything! Who knows what could be done to it
  3. I recommend adding a “14 day Due diligence clause” ask your lawyers to include it in the contract prior you signing
  4. In Queensland when the offer is accepted (not settlement date) you are liable for insurance. Please get some
  5. At settlement the money from the holding deposit + the remaining part of your deposit + money from the bank end up with the seller and you get a house
  6. GLHF