What Does a Conveyancer Actually Do?

When someone asks me what a conveyancer actually does, I often reach for an analogy that I think captures it well.

When you take a car you really care about, a BMW, a Porsche, whatever it is, in for a service, you expect it to be done properly. You do not particularly want to know which parts were replaced, what the diagnostic readings showed, or exactly how many hours were spent on it. You just want to know that it was done right, on time, by someone who knows what they are doing. You want the communication, and you want the confidence.

Buying property is exactly the same. Most clients do not need to understand every legal detail of what happens between signing a contract and collecting the keys. What they need is comfort: that everything has been checked, that nothing has been missed, that if there is an issue, it will be identified and explained clearly, and that the person handling their transaction is genuinely across it.

That is what a conveyancer does. The details below are for those who want it.

“Clients don’t necessarily need to know every detail. They just need to have comfort that everything has been done properly, on time, and with good communication.” Paul Denny, Bowral Conveyancing Centre.

WHAT A CONVEYANCER DOES, STEP BY STEP

Conveyancing is the legal process of transferring property ownership from one person to another. In NSW, the process has eight distinct stages, and a licensed conveyancer manages them all on your behalf.

Step 1: Free Initial Consultation

Before you begin inspecting properties, a conveyancer can give you a clear picture of what the purchase process involves, estimate your stamp duty liability, explain how deposits work, and answer any questions you have. At Bowral Conveyancing Centre, this initial consultation is complimentary and available by phone at any time.

Step 2: Contract Review

Once you have found a property you want to pursue, request the contract from the agent and send it to your conveyancer. A thorough review examines the title, all easements and covenants, the zoning certificate, inclusions and exclusions, and any special conditions. You receive a written report, and, where appropriate, your conveyancer negotiates amendments with the vendor’s conveyancing team. This is the most important step, and it happens before you are legally committed to anything.

Step 3: Pre-Exchange Searches and Inspections

Before contracts are exchanged, your conveyancer will recommend the appropriate searches and inspections for the property type: a building and pest inspection, a strata report for units, and a boundary survey for rural properties. For auction purchases, all of this must be completed before auction day, as there is no cooling-off period once the hammer falls.

Step 4: Exchange of Contracts

Exchange is the moment the transaction becomes legally binding. Both parties sign identical copies of the contract and the deposit, typically 10 per cent of the purchase price, is paid. A five-business-day cooling-off period may apply for private treaty purchases. Your conveyancer advises you when all conditions are satisfied before recommending that you proceed to exchange.

Step 5: Post-Exchange Searches

After the exchange, your conveyancer orders formal property searches: Council certificate, water and sewer, title search, land tax certificate, and any others relevant to the property. These confirm that there are no outstanding issues, such as unpaid rates, encumbrances, or pending Council actions, that could affect settlement.

Step 6: Stamp Duty

Your conveyancer prepares and submits the stamp duty assessment to Revenue NSW and advises you of the amount payable. If you are eligible for a first home buyer exemption or concession, your conveyancer lodges the application. Stamp duty must be paid at or before settlement; it cannot be added to your mortgage.

Step 7: Pre-Settlement Coordination

Your conveyancer liaises with your lender to ensure mortgage documents are ready, prepares a settlement statement showing the exact funds required, and coordinates timing with all parties: the vendor’s conveyancer, the agent, and the lender. Any adjustments for rates and water are calculated and included.

Step 8: Settlement

In NSW, settlement is completed electronically via the PEXA platform. Your conveyancer coordinates the simultaneous transfer of funds and registration of title. You do not need to attend in person. On settlement day, the balance of the purchase price is paid, the title transfers into your name, and the agent releases the keys. You receive confirmation and a copy of the new title.

THE ADVISORY ROLE: INFORMATION, NOT DECISIONS

There is something important to understand about how a good conveyancer works that is sometimes misunderstood. A conveyancer’s job is to give you the information you need to make good decisions, not to make those decisions for you.

A simple example illustrates this. In the course of a contract review, I might identify that a sewer main runs directly through the middle of a property’s backyard. That means the buyer cannot install a pool, at least not in the obvious location, and possibly at all, depending on where the main sits. My job is to tell them that, clearly and promptly.

Their response might be: “That does not matter; we do not want a pool.” Fine; we proceed with the knowledge on record. Or they might say: ” That is a problem; we want to renegotiate the price. Also fine. Or they might say, “We want to walk away.” That is their right within the cooling-off period.

What I would never do is make that call for them. My job is to ensure they have the complete picture. What they do with it is their decision. This is the relationship that works, and it is the one that most buyers actually want once they understand it.

A practical example: in a contract review, a sewer main was identified running through the centre of a property’s backyard. The buyer was advised not only that this could affect their own plans, but that it could also become an issue for a future buyer when they came to sell. They proceeded with the purchase, but with that knowledge factored into their decision. That is exactly how it should work.

EVERYONE IS STRESSED, AND THAT IS COMPLETELY NORMAL

I have been doing this work for a long time, and one of the things I have come to understand is that everyone, absolutely everyone, experiences stress when buying property. It is not just first home buyers, though their stress is often the most visible.

I have worked with very experienced professionals in their own fields, doctors, lawyers, engineers, and executives, who become genuinely anxious during a property transaction. Property is the largest financial decision most people will ever make. The stakes are real, the process is unfamiliar, and the consequences of getting it wrong are significant.

A good conveyancer reduces that stress. Not by minimising the complexity, but by managing it, so the client does not have to. By communicating clearly at every stage. By being available to answer questions. By handling the details that would otherwise keep a buyer awake at night.

First home buyers are particularly rewarding to work with, because the relief and satisfaction they feel at settlement is so visible. But the principle is the same for every buyer at every price point: make the process as easy as possible and deliver the outcome they came for.

CONVEYANCER VS SOLICITOR: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Both licensed conveyancers and solicitors are legally qualified to handle property transactions in NSW, and both must hold professional indemnity insurance. The question is frequently asked and deserves a clear answer.

The core difference is specialisation. A licensed conveyancer is restricted by law to property law; that is, the entirety of the work. A general solicitor handles property alongside family law, criminal matters, wills and estates, commercial law, and whatever else their practice takes on. There is nothing wrong with that model, but it means property is one focus among many.

At a glance:

Licensed Conveyancer: focus is 100 per cent on property law. Handles all NSW property transactions. Cannot advise on family law, criminal matters, or wills. Holds mandatory professional indemnity insurance. Typically offers specialist depth at a lower cost. At Bowral Conveyancing Centre, every file is personally reviewed by Paul Denny.

General Solicitor: handles property as one of several practice areas. Can advise on family law, criminal matters, and wills in addition to property. Also holds mandatory professional indemnity insurance. Typically offers a broader scope but at a higher cost. Personal review depends on the firm.

For a straightforward or moderately complex residential purchase, an experienced licensed conveyancer and a property solicitor will deliver equivalent outcomes. 

Where a licensed conveyancer’s undivided focus on property law becomes a genuine advantage is in transactions with specific complexity: rural titles, easements, heritage overlays, off-the-plan contracts, SMSF purchases, and deceased estates. These are transactions where accumulated property-specific expertise matters.

When you engage Bowral Conveyancing Centre, you are engaging Paul Denny. The person you speak to at the beginning of the process is the same person who manages your settlement. That continuity of attention is, in my experience, what clients in this market value most.

About the Author

Paul Denny

Licensed Conveyancer & Principal  ·  Bowral Conveyancing Centre

Paul opened his first conveyancing office in Adelaide in 1978 and was the first licensed conveyancer in NSW in 1993. He has personally guided more than 30,000 clients through property transactions across the Southern Highlands and greater NSW. Paul reviews every contract personally and is available directly by phone throughout the conveyancing process.

WRITTEN by Paul Denny

Paul denny has over 45 years conveyancing experience and has assisted over 30,000 clients with their property transactions.

Contact us today on 0419 401 750 or email info@bowralconveyancing.com.au to discuss how we can assist you with your conveyancing needs