Reading Rooms Archive - Page 3 of 3 - Supreme Settlements

Finding or building your perfect property can be a hard decision to make. What should you do? Build or Buy your dream home!

Building your ideal home may be your dream, but you do need time, expertise and money.

You may discover your dream home in an established suburb. Or, find a house that can be renovated into your home of your dreams.

Which path is best for you?

Should I buy an established dream home?

The easiest purchase is the existing property.

An existing property is faster and can be a cheaper way of getting into your own home. Upgrading to a larger home is expensive. Finding the perfect home may be something you have to compromise on. The picture in your head most likely won’t match what you find.

Existing homes can come with hidden problems. Be sure to do a thorough inspection before purchase (or engage a specialist).

You may have your heart set on a specific suburb that has no vacant blocks. Buying established may make perfect sense. This may cost you in time for your dream home to become available.

The big plus in buying established is that everything is done. Once you find your dream home you can move in faster and make it yours.

Why not build a new dream home?

If you have more time and a larger budget you may want to design your ideal home.

You can buy something designed or have something very different created. Depending on who you build with, you can create a custom home to meet your needs. Embrace cutting edge new trends. Adapt to environmental and sustainability requirements.

First you need to find a block in your ideal location.

Consider additional costs such as land clearing and preparation expenses for new developments. Demolition costs to remove the existing property in established areas.

The key is finding a good builder to manage the project. There are council approvals, the design, the details and decisions to be made. Time and dollars are required for this approach.

How about renovating an existing dream home!

The third option is to purchase a property that is good enough, then renovate to make it your own.

Depending on the extent of the renovation required, you may decide to manage it yourself as an Owner Builder. Or engage a specialist to manage the project and ensure all compliance matters are managed. A renovation project also requires extra time and dollars depending on the scale.

Deciding between the purchasing, building or purchasing and renovating comes down to your personal situation, circumstances, budget, and financial restrictions.

Why Supreme Settlements?

Speak to us for property transaction advice and let us manage the process for you to ensure everything relating to the settlement is taken into account. We represent and look out for the best interests of you the buyer. Give us a call if you have any questions right now.

Whatever you may decide, seeking advice from your Conveyancing Team will reduce the number of headaches.

Call us today (08) 9417 2322 or contact us with details today!

How do you choose a settlement agent aka conveyancer?

So it is time to partake of settlement and buy your first or next piece of real estate…

Having found your ideal home or investment property, your real estate agent is engaged.

What next? …do you need to use the settlement agent provided or is it better to engage your own conveyancer?

Do your research of 3 or 4 settlement agents and ensure you engage a conveyancer who has your best interests at heart. The one you feel comfortable with is probably your best choice. They will be up-front about fees (which is another rule in play) and care about your situation.

As an example, Supreme Settlements will assign you a Settlement Agent. They will work with you and get to know your personal circumstances. They represent the one party in the transaction, and help them navigate the sales process, decode the jargon, and manage any risks.

What is the role of a Settlement Agent?

Conveyancing is the process of transferring ownership of a legal title of land (property) from one person or entity to another.

A conveyancer is a licensed, qualified professional who provides information about the sale of a property, prepares the documentation and conducts the settlement process.

We are commonly engaged when you are;

1. Buying a property
2. Selling a property
3. Subdividing land
4. Updating a title (i.e. registering a death, or name change)

Who does a Settlement Agent represent?

We work with the buyer or seller, but never both.

For the buyer – a Conveyancer will:

• Prepare, clarify and lodge legal documents – e.g. contract of sale or transfer of land
• Research the property and its certificate of title
• Put the deposit money in a trust account
• Calculate the adjustment of rates and taxes
• Settle the property – including communication between all parties such as real estate agents, seller’s settlement agent, banks or financial institutions

For the seller – a Conveyancer will:

• Complete the legal documents
• Represent you and communication with all parties

How do you choose a settlement agent aka conveyancer?

Do your homework whether you are engaging us or comparing us with other settlements agents.

Here are some things to look for;

1. Are they a member of the Australian Institute of Conveyancers?
2. Do they offer one contact person for the transaction?
3. How much experience does the agent have? (Check their website, bio and LinkedIn profile)
4. Recommendations and testimonials?
5. Good reputation (Google them)?
6. Do they specialise in particular types of properties?
7. What are your fees and charges?
8. Are there any hidden costs?
9. How will they communicate with you and how often?
10. What are the time frames for your settlement?
11. How do they make you feel?
12. Do your homework, most importantly, trust your instincts.

When you choose Supreme Settlements

Supreme Settlements aim to make the property transaction process as stress-free and straightforward as possible, through open communication, personalised services and truly caring about our clients. Our role is more than making sure the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed.

We will decipher the fine print on legal documents, while you look after other matters. We take care of the greater details to give our clients more time and energy, and less stress.

Call us on (08) 9417 2322, or contact us today with details.

Relationship Breakdown & Property Ownership

What happens to your home after a relationship breakdown?

When you are going through a relationship breakdown what happens to the family home and jointly owned property?

How do you end the property partnership?

It can be an emotionally stressful time. It may be in your best interest to get a court order to protect your assets.

Lawyers are often engaged. In the case of property transfer, did you know a settlement agent may be able to look after the process of title change, which can save time?

One partner may decide to buy out the other, or the shared property may be sold.

What is involved in transferring property to the other owner?

The following may be apart of the process;

1. Ownership of property – Confirmed by a Title Search
2. All parties involved are in agreeance
3. Where Court Orders are applicable – Original stamped embossed order required.
4. When there is a mortgage over property – Confirmed via Title Search For a bank mortgage. Lodge a discharge form with the bank. Completed by all parties. If there is no mortgage, then the original Certificate of Title is handed to your settlement agent.
5. Payment – Financial approval from the bank for the transfer amount is required to confirm funds are available.
6. Transfer of land document / Related parties authroity / Stamp Duty Valuation form / Cost Disbursement – these are to be prepared and signed by the client.
7. Identification – All owners are required to be identified.
8. Stamp Duty – An assessment for all related parties is required and is based on the value and ownerships status. Following success of this process, all documents are signed, stamp duty assessed, and banks are ready to proceed. We can book the settlement.

Relationship breakdown can be a stressful, traumatic time, for the entire family.

Transfer of property ownership is one aspect to deal with.

Work with a settlement agent who takes the time to understand your situation. Has your best interests at heart. Provides you space to breathe and focus on other matters.

If you need help with the divorce process, speak to a family lawyer, and seek advice through the various government departments.

Choose a Conveyancer who has your interest at heart.

Supreme Settlements care about their clients. Their aim is to make the settlement as straightforward and stress-free as possible. They will appoint a conveyancer to take you through the complete settlement process. If you are at this crossroad in your relationship, give us a call and organise to come in for a chat.

Call us on (08) 9417 2322 or Contact Us confidentially with details today.

While we love to help clients purchase their dream home, a happy home life comes not from the house you chose to live in, but the environment you create with the people around you.

Our happy home can be put at risk when life throws us challenges. “Life is a rollercoaster” (so Ronan Keating sang) and tackling life’s challenges is so much easier when we have positive relationships. Here are some things to consider in creating your dream home.

1. Open Communication
A lack of communication or closed communication can impact your relationships. Communicating regularly will help resolve issues that family members experience and prevent resentment, anger, and frustration.

2. Sharing Meals
With parents spending most of the day at work and children at school, finding time to be present is often dismissed in our busy day. Dinner time is a great time for families to communicate how their day went, their highs and lows, while eating.

3. Vacations
A family who goes on regular vacations has the privilege of creating memorable experiences together. There is no need to travel far or spend thousands of dollars to experience different cultures, traditions and history, to add value and bring the family closer together. Taking a break from the everyday can energise relationships.

4. Disconnect From Technology
Taking time to be present, and device-free is a way to give your full attention to people that matter. In our highly connected world, we are often so involved in the online space and other people’s stories through social media that we disconnect from our own personal world. Playing a board game, cards, doing a jigsaw puzzle as a family or simply having a chat over coffee are just a few ways to be fully present and in the moment and building a happy home.

5. Embrace Everyday Opportunities
Daily tasks hold opportunities to connect and engage in impromptu chats while driving or doing a task together. We often miss these golden opportunities to embrace the little things. Make chores fun by doing them together and creating challenges.

How do you connect with the important people around you to create a happy home?

Remember that your house is bricks, furnishings, and a roof, but what makes it a home are the people in it that mater to you. We love helping our clients purchase their property, but what we love more is helping them acquire their dream home.

Thinking BIG vs. Thinking SMALL to Make an Impact

A clear vision of what we want in life is required to be extremely successful. It is essential to be thinking big and thinking small to achieve our dreams.

Thinking big and thinking small are two different ways of thinking; yet both of them are integral to an individual achieving success. So, which is better? Let us explore further.

Thinking BIG

Whether it is in business, the arts or building a house, starting a venture requires vision, usually of the big kind. It requires an individual to see an end that they will achieve through their means. Thinking big also allows individuals to plan each step of the way at achieving their goals. It allows people to anticipate problems or obstacles along the way that may or may not occur. In addition, thinking big keeps people motivated to continue working hard and overcoming any challenges along the way.

Thinking SMALL

While there are dreamers who think big; there are also the doers who think small. These individuals are essential for any venture as they do the necessary legwork required to turn the vision into a reality. For any business or life venture to succeed, individuals must not only have the vision and steps planned out; they must also work at each step individually, conquering challenges along the way.

Thinking BIG and thinking SMALL

While thinking big and thinking small seem polar opposites to each other, the two concepts together create an effective formula for success. In fact many of the top companies in the business world came from a vision that was acted upon.

Take Harley Davidson as an example. Harley Davidson was started by William Harley and Alfred Davidson. Their love for going fishing is what prompted them to create a motorized bicycle that would take them to their favorite fishing spot in a more efficient time frame. They developed a prototype of a motorized bicycle that would make the journey more time efficient.

Instead of starting out big by investing in large factories and expensive equipment; they started out small in their very backyard selling these motorized bicycles. In 1903, they built 3 motorcycles. In 1904, they built 3 more motorcycles. After 1905, they figured out how to properly build a fully functional motorcycle that would take world by storm. By working with what they had, they were able to build the international empire that we know today as Harley Davidson Motors Inc.

Looking locally, the ThankYou brand was created with big thinking in response to the world water crisis, through something as small as a bottle of water. Thinking about a small thing such as bottled water and linking it to a big thing, being the fact that 900 million people didn’t have access to safe drinking water.

Their vision is to end global poverty. Co-founder Daniel Flynn asked himself, “What if purchasing a bottle of water here in Australia could help provide water for people in need?” They now provide the same concept for food and body care, with 100% of profits funding safe water, food and hygiene and sanitation services around the world through their charity. Take a look at their story, big vision and small actions : https://thankyou.co/

When it comes to thinking big and thinking small, the best way to ensure success in life is to do both. Visualize big picture so you know exactly what you want, then invest time mapping out the steps to work towards your big vision.

Supreme Settlements is on a mission is to help our client’s have a settlement that is as simple, straightforward and as stress-free as possible. We aim to provide the best possible settlement service with zero hidden costs. We think big while taking care of the small things, so you don’t have to.

7 Steps to Manage Your Time More Efficiently

People are often searching for the secrets to good time management, but we cannot manage time, we can only manage how we use our time and energy.

Time continues regardless of what you do or do not do, and cannot be captured or stored. So why do we constantly look for more time?

One of the most effective ways in finding more time is to properly manage your energy so that you can make best of what life has to offer you. If your New Year’s resolution for this year is to manage your time efficiently, here are a few ways that you can better manage your energy.

1. Waking Up Early

Waking up and going through the morning ritual of getting kids ready for school and getting to work can take a lot of energy, so that by mid morning you are exhausted. When you are able to wake up early, you have the opportunity to start the day with energising activities such as exercising, that give you a physical and mental boost. When you wake up late, you automatically miss the window to start with positive energy.

2. Accomplishing Important Tasks in the Morning

For you to be able to Carpe the Diem, it is good practice to accomplish all important tasks in the morning. Whether at work or at home, getting your important activities done in the morning gives you a feeling of accomplishment and leaves you with time to try new activities in the afternoon. In the event that you choose not to do anything for the rest of the day, you can rest easy knowing that you have already accomplished your obligations.

3. Exercising Regularly.

Exercise isn’t about looking good, it is about feeling great, and the older we get, the harder it is to feel energised. Regular cardiovascular exercises help you develop and maintain more energy during the day and even at night. An active lifestyle requires an active body. Speak to a personal trainer or fitness coach for guidance.

4. Avoid Eating Big Meals

We have all experienced the food comma where we just want to lie down and sleep after over-eating. This results in slowing us down and is detrimental to a person’s capacity to work and be mentally sharp. If you truly wish to manage your energy efficiently, consider eating smaller meals during the day.

5. Eating Healthy

Another effective tip at managing your energy more efficiently is to eat the right kind of food that packs your body with vitamins and nutrients essential at giving you more energy to achieve your daily obligations while still having extra energy for extracurricular activities. The added bonus is maintaining a healthy weight, which also benefits energy, and assists in preventing diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and many other conditions that can decrease your lifespan. Always seek expert help to ensure you are eating the right foods for you.

6. Take Care of Your Mind

Our days can be hectic with demands at home, at work then at home again. Be sure to schedule time to rest the mind, so it can recharge just like your body. Exercising may help, but activities such as Yoga and meditation are great to be in a state of mindfulness and self-connection. Even activities such as art, dancing, listening to music and the recent craze of colouring can help you step out of a stressful situation and take you into a calming connected place. Calming the mind can help you cope with the stresses of work and life, and help give you clarity by seeing issues with fresh eyes.

7. Get Enough Sleep

We may think we are invincible and keep going long after the children have gone to bed, but if we push past and ignore our body’s warning signs, we will end up waking up tired and after doing this for too long, possibly burn out.

Work out what is right for your body, and what routines help you get a good night’s sleep, then develop good habits to allow your body to recharge overnight.

What will you do to increase your energy?

Until a time-machine is invented, we can’t go back in time to change what we have already done to our body and how we have used our time, but we can make positive changes going forward to protect our time and increase our energy. A tiny change could make a huge difference to your life.

What could you do better?

Wealth vs Well-being

5 Ways to Create Both

Wealth and well-being are two entirely different concepts, but is it possible to have both or are they the same thing? Wealth is defined as an abundance of money or valuable possessions, while well-being is described as the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.

Wealth alone cannot give us long-term happiness, so how can we create both?

Long-term planning.

What is it that you want to achieve for you and your family? Having this vision and your reason why in the back of your mind is a great way to stay on track. It is important to plan your finances along side your overall well being. As Benjamin Franklin said “failing to plan is planning to fail’.

Expanding your interests and focus.

It’s important to make time (not find time) to accommodate activities that will contribute to both your wealth and well being. If you have the right focus and drive to acquire wealth, extend your focus to a sport, hobby or a service to your community to establish a wealth and well-being balance.

Love what you do.

Supportive environments filled with positive relationships are a foundation to one’s well-being by allocating a percentage of the week devoted to your well being to fuel your pursuit of wealth. Working in a role you love for a company that appreciates you, gives a personal satisfaction and inspires you to do more things that engage you socially and mentally.

Emphasise work and play.

While you love what you do, don’t let it be all of you. If you remember Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’ that taught us all that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Find your personal and professional balance, so that you achieve success at work but at the same time stop and smell the roses enjoying what life has to offer.

Maximise your natural talents.

In today’s busy world, people have learned to be skilled multi-taskers to make the most out of their available time. Plan your time by seeking to combine both wealth and well-being goals so you can achieve progress in both aspects. For example, while on a long drive, listen to a self improvement podcast or discuss your family goals with your partner.

With anything you do, always bring along your positive attitude and see the opportunity rather the problem. A successful person knows that when you trip, you can always choose to get back up. Reconnect to your vision and make choices that serve you and your family in both your wealth and well-being.

At Supreme Settlements we value our clients’ time and their well being. Our work focus on reducing stress helping them through the settlements process. We deal with unforseen situations that can throw them off balance – we serve to protect their wealth and well being.