Dealing with registered REIWA agents has benefits

Dealing with agents who are registered with the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia will benefit you when buying property in Western Australia.

Full disclosure

When a REIWA agent becomes aware of any relevant information – good or bad - about a property they are selling, they are legally obliged to inform you of this. Compulsory disclosure is also applicable with the selling of strata title properties.

Will verify the Certificate of Title

REIWA agents will inspect the property's certificate of ownership to verify that the seller is the genuine owner and can commit to the sale.

In the process they may also become aware of other influences on the ownership of the property, such as who has access to private lanes adjoining a property or the existence of notices of resumption of the land by other authorities, all of which they are required to pass on to you.

Trained to look after your interests

It is impossible for real estate agents to know absolutely everything about every property they sell. However agents who are members of REIWA are trained to make inquiries about relevant matters like;

• is the property connected to sewerage?
• is there roof insulation?
• does the property have building insurance?
• are there special features concerning swimming pools, reticulation or connection to gas?

On the flip side, if you deal with a private seller it is your responsibility to make your own investigations, which you may not have the appropriate time or expertise to do adequately.

If something then goes wrong, most often at settlement or after the sale has proceeded, you have no recourse available other than to deal directly with the previous owners, which can be very difficult and expensive to rectify.

Accountability

When dealing with a REIWA agent, you have the comfort of knowing that the agent is accountable for all of the information they pass on to you.

Accountability is very important to REIWA member agents, which is why all carry professional indemnity insurance.

Security

Purchasing a property with a registered REIWA agent provides a peace of mind and security you are unable to guarantee from a private sale. There are standards that must be upheld and laws that must be obeyed, so you can be sure your interests are being looked after.