Australian Real Estate Blog : Lawyer

You Can't Always Rely On Your Lawyer's Signature

Peter Mericka — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:29:00 GMT

OPINION by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Several months after contracting to buy six beach resort units, as well as the resort’s management and letting rights, Fred Sutton had second thoughts about his...(read more)

Queensland Lawyers Warned About Trust Account Scam

Peter Mericka — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:41:00 GMT

OPINION by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au The Queensland Law Society has warned its solicitor members of an attempted trust account scam that had been brought to the Society’s attention. A Queensland law...(read more)

The Myth of the Real Estate Agent Negotiator

Peter Mericka — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:01:00 GMT

OPINION by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd A real estate sale negotiator requires a thorough knowledge of the laws and regulations affecting real estate, drafting...(read more)

REIV - Bad Investment Advice On Buyers' Advocates

Peter Mericka — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:16:00 GMT

OPINION by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd As an investment adviser Enzo Raimondo, CEO of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria is the last person a property purchaser...(read more)

Estate Agent Referrals - Punishment & Corruption

Peter Mericka — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:32:00 GMT

OPINION by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd I have previously written about estate agents who refer clients to "pet" solicitors and conveyancers in return for payment,...(read more)

Don't Be A Party To Mortgage Fraud!

Peter Mericka — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:49:00 GMT

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Last week I received this email: "Tim, I was wondering if you could help me with a strange clause. A woman wants to purchase a property for $500,000. She wants to get...(read more)

Real Estate Agents Preying On Battlers

Peter Mericka — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 07:42:00 GMT

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd " Real Estate Agents Preying On Battlers " is the title of an article appearing on the ABC news website. I invite visitors to...(read more)

The "Oh", "Really?" and "I Wish I Had Known That!" of Making an Offer and Organising Finance

Shannyn Hunter — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:55:00 GMT

by Shannyn Hunter Conveyancer shannyn@lawyersconveyancing.com.au Lawyers Conveyancing On Monday morning purchasers can experience a real estate hangover. After a weekend of elation at finding their dream house and pressure from the agent to make an offer,...(read more)

Catch 32 On Solicitors' Independence

Peter Mericka — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:53:00 GMT

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading has lost, and lost badly, a landmark case mounted in the Commercial and Consumer Tribunal against Gold Coast solicitor Donald Dickie....(read more)

Who Will Pay The (Legal) Ferrymen?

Peter Mericka — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:28:00 GMT

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Solicitor Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Below are comments I have received independently from a couple of legal colleagues. They are clearly quite concerned about the ‘costs consequences’ of conveyancing solicitors’,...(read more)

Richard Wood Solicitors Letter - A Lawyer Responds

Peter Mericka — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:31:00 GMT

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd This is a comment submitted in response to the previous posting on this site. While I cannot help but be annoyed about the apparent...(read more)

Richard Wood Solicitors Letter – An Estate Agent Attacks

Peter Mericka — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 20:52:00 GMT

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Director Lawyers Real Estate Pty Ltd On 3 August, 2007 I published a posting titled " Richard Wood Solicitors – Gifts To Agents For Client Referrals ". On 13 August,...(read more)

Landlords' Legal Letter-Writers Beware

Peter Mericka — Thu, 10 May 2007 01:37:00 GMT

by Tim O'Dwyer M.A., LL.B Queensland Solicitor & Consumer Advocate watchdog@argonautlegal.com.au Chief Justice of Queensland Paul de Jersey has warned my State’s lawyers, when they write letters of demand on behalf of clients, to be careful before...(read more)

Contracts - Real Estate Booby Traps!

Peter Mericka — Thu, 10 May 2007 01:35:00 GMT

by Peter Mericka B.A., LL.B Real Estate Lawyer and Qualified Practising Conveyancer Victoria Lawyers Real Estate Most real estate consumers are aware that real estate contracts are biased heavily in favour of the vendor, and contain a minefield of terms...(read more)

Don't Trust Agents' Pet Solicitors Or Conveyancers

Peter Mericka — Fri, 04 May 2007 04:52:00 GMT

by Tim O'Dwyer Solicitor* A solicitor, recently discharged from bankruptcy, has given an enforceable undertaking to Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading after consistently failing to comply properly with a consumer protection law. He is not the first....(read more)