FIRST ADVICE

SOMETIMES IT IS NOT ALWAYS CLEAR WHETHER YOU HAVE A LEGAL CLAIM OR NOT. SOMETIMES YOU MAY JUST NEED REASSURANCE THAT SOMETHING CAN BE DONE. 

At Hunt & Hunt we have a program whereby you can book to meet with a Solicitor for a first advice session at a fixed amount of $220 including GST. This session is for up to an hour and is for the purposes of providing oral advice and recommendations only. 

This payment is payable upfront, and the appointment can be arranged by you giving us a call to schedule a suitable time that works for you. 

We are flexible and this appointment is capable of being via telephone or in person at our offices.

CONVEYANCING

THE BUYING AND SELLING OF YOUR PROPERTY IS A SIGNIFICANT TRANSACTION AND WE AT HUNT & HUNT TRY TO KEEP THE COSTS CLEAR AND UPFRONT. THE FOLLOWING IS A GUIDE FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE:

FEES AND DISBURSEMENTS

Our standard fee for a conveyance that is straight forward in nature, utilising a standard Law Society Contract of Sale, is $1,500.00 + GST and Disbursements. 

The following disbursements (expenses) for the purchase/sale of a property may include the following: 

  • Title search $34.54
  • Dealing searches (if applicable) $29.70
  • Body corporate record search (if applicable) $66.00-$110.00
  • Council rates search $50.00-$88.00
  • General office (photocopying, paper, postage, telephone calls) $55.00
  • Transfer of Lot LTO registration fee (standard) $165.00
  • Transfer of Lot LTO registration fee (non-standard) $228.00
  • Discharge mortgage LTO registration fee $165.00
  • Settlement fee $77.00

OTHER POTENTIAL COSTS

  • Pest inspection (Darwin Building Inspections)    $220.00
  • Building Condition inspection  (Darwin Building Inspections)  $500.00
  • Building Status inspection (Darwin Building Inspections)   $450.00
  • Building Status & Condition combined (Darwin Building Inspections)   $750.00
  • Plumbing inspection (Darwin Building Inspections)   $350.00
  • Electrical inspection (Darwin Building Inspections)   $350.00
  • Pool inspection (Friendly Pool & Spa Care) $150.00

Stamp duty is a general-purpose tax imposed on certain transactions and is payable in the Northern Territory when you acquire a home or land or business property.  Stamp duty is generally payable within 60 days of entering into the transaction or at settlement, whichever is earlier. The rate of stamp duty varies according to the value of transaction involved. The number of concessions and rebates are available however they are subject to eligibility and purchase price.

If you are not an Australian Citizen or Australian Permanent Resident, we may need to obtain the approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board for this purchase and there will be an application fee associated with this.

FRCGW Foreign resident capital gains withholding (FRCGW) applies to vendors disposing of real property disposals where the contract price is $750,000 or more. 

The FRCGW tax rate is 12.5%. Unless a clearance certificate is obtained by the Seller and provided to the Buyer, 12.5% of the purchase price will need to be withheld by the Buyer at completion and remitted to the Commissioner of Taxation.

If you are selling a new residential premises or potential residential land and you are registered for GST, then you may have a GST obligation.  If GST Withholding applies to property you are disposing, the Buyer has an obligation to withhold either 7% (margin scheme) or 1/11th of the purchase price at settlement and remit directly to the Commissioner for Taxation.

Council rates for the financial year are paid out at settlement. We will calculate the adjustment on the settlement statement so that you pay your portion and the seller pays theirs. As such you will need to factor his into the funds required for settlement.
If the property is strata titled with a body corporate, contributions need to be paid out for the current quarter in addition to the council rates.

This pricing framework applies to a standard conveyancing transaction. In our experience, many matters do have twists and turns and this could result in there being additional charges to effect the transaction.

WILLS

The drafting of your Will is very important to your family. It makes sure that your family and friends know what your wishes are and can enact them after your death. 

We find that in this day and age Wills can become very complicated especially with blended families and if your Will is complicated Hunt & Hunt will provide you with an estimate of fees on your consultation. However, if you have a simple Will which just leaves your Estate to your partner and children with little in the way of complication then we do have a set fee as follows: 

If your Will is very straight forward whereby you leave everything to your spouse and then to your children in equal shares, our fee for one person is $660.00 (including GST).  Our fee for preparing straight forward wills for both you and your spouse/partner is $880.00 (in total including GST) whereby you leave everything to each other and then to your child / children in equal shares.  

However, in our experience, we usually find once our clients have discussed their wishes with our solicitor, they realise that their will is more complex than first thought. For example they wish to give specific gifts to friends or relatives,  they need to consider a member of their blended family, that superannuation needs to be considered, they want to leave a family member out of their will and the list goes on. If additional considerations such as these need to be made and the will is not straight forward our fees will be charged on a time spent basis. During the initial interview it will become evident whether your will is straight forward, or additional considerations need to be made in relation to same.  The initial interview fee is $220.00 payable upon arrival prior to your appointment. This amount goes toward the final costs of the will.

In certain circumstances we are able to arrange to come to you, however this does incur an additional fee