Changes to make buying safer

TWO fundamental changes in the real estate industry over the past two years impact directly on sellers and buyers, says ANREPS director Dorothy Lowrey.

ANREPS acts as a marketing agent for homeowner sales.

The first is the deregulation of agents fees while the other is in relation to the owner’s duty to disclose.

“Although we are told the onus is now squarely on vendors to disclose everything about their property to prospective purchasers, legislation in WA has not progressed as far towards protecting buyers as in the eastern States,” Ms Lowrey said.

“In New South Wales for example, it is illegal for an owner or an agent to put a For Sale board in the ground until the relevant searches have been done and contracts prepared.

“Inexperienced local buyers, at the emotional point of sale, may have their needs overlooked by some traditional real estate agents for whom the necessity of getting a deal together comes at any cost,” she said.