Dooley Blog

For most people purchasing a home is the single largest expenditure that they will make during their lifetime. For the average person the purchase of a property is a lifelong aspiration and usually involves a long term debt; yet most purchasers are happy to take a gamble when making their purchase by saving on the smaller yet some of the most crucial items involved in the purchase process.

In Sydney the average purchaser will spend over $500,000 purchasing a home for themselves and their family. Yet we often find that they will try and cut corners and save costs on simple, cost effective and highly important aspects of the purchase.

Of course it goes without saying that due to the complex and significant nature of purchasing a property we always recommend a competent lawyer is used to represent you in the transaction. The cost of a lawyer, is minimal and highly valuable say, compared to the cost of losing your 10% deposit.

We also often find that purchasers are hesitant to pay for important searches and inspections relating to the property. Many people will take the gamble in purchasing a property without paying for an inspector to complete a pest and building inspection (or in the case of strata purchase, a strata inspection). They do not want to pay the extra ~$500 involved in ensuring that the purchase of this major assest is of sound quality.

It is such a risky gamble to spend so much money on a home for you and your family and not complete the basic essentials in investigating exactly what you are paying for.

Most properties will have some sort of fault or require some rectification works to be completed. No property is perfect – even a property that is less than 6 years old. It is always best to discover what this fault may be from the outset so that no nasty surprises come your way down the track and so that you know that you are paying for the actual value of the property and not for a property which may require thousands of dollars in rectification works.

Discovering problems with the property you are purchasing before you enter into the contract may also give you bargaining power do negotiate a better price or at the very least will inform you as to the actual total cost of your purchase.

Understandably, some people who have been attempting to purchase a property without success may find this a very costly procedure in conducting inspections over each failed purchase. To try and minimize your costs it is a good idea to try and discover if an inspection was conducted over the property recently by another potential purchaser or if the home owner has an existing inspection report. Further to this you may be able to find out the name of the agency who organized previous inspections and see if you can source an updated report at a reduced price.

Our Property team would be pleased to help you by providing guidance and information on your purchase. Please contact our Property team or call us on 9890 4755  for peace of mind.

Did you know that 80% of privately owned businesses in Australia are family run businesses and account for employing half of the workforce in this country?

There are obvious benefits of being involved in a family business, including the sense of security, trust, independence and that you are generating wealth for the benefit of the family itself. It’s also likely that workers are confident to share their ideas with management and the focus tends to be on achieving long term goals and objectives for the business and also for the family itself.

However, the structure and culture of family businesses can also present many challenges to the business, particularly if a dispute arises. If can also be difficult for owners to maintain an effective work life balance and ensure that the needs of the business are met, as well as the needs of the family.

Many family businesses also fail to plan for changes to the ownership structure of the business, which can be brought about through sudden death, illness or change of relationship between the family members involved in the business. Like any business, it is equally as important for a family business to follow proper procedures to assist to manage situations where conflict or change occurs.

We can assist you to ensure you have an appropriate agreement and documentation in place to ensure that when changes occur, the business is in a position to manage the situation effectively and continue to operate in a productive way.  A Business Health Check may be an important place to start.