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It was lovely to celebrate last week with KeyLaw Conveyancing for completing over 700 PEXA Settlements!!   What a fantastic achievement by the whole team!   I look forward to seeing you reach 1000 very soon.     ... View more

To finish off the week of In Conversations, we hear from Shannon Toto, Director of Crouch & Lyndon Lawyers. Crouch & Lyndon are  committed to providing exceptional client service and delivering reliable and practical advice and solutions to their clients.   Have you had to adapt your working environment since COVID-19? If so, how is your firm managing to stay connected and together? Like most professional offices, we have had to adapt our working environment since Covid-19. Platforms such as Zoom and Facetime have allowed us to stay connected. Our IT people also worked overtime to enable remote access and work from home arrangements. How have you maintained connection and the relationship with your clients during this time? It is important for all businesses to keep in regular contact with clients, no more so than through COVID-19. We have been reaching out to clients Zoom, email, and telephone. What’s been your experience when providing feedback to PEXA?  The PEXA team have always been receptive to our feedback and our (many) calls for help when we can’t find an answer on the PEXA Community page. Why do you use PEXA Community?  We have found the PEXA Community to be an invaluable source of information provided by the users. It has been a great troubleshooting tool for us! What’s something you have learnt recently about Cyber Security? There is a real need to protect your business from online and digital threats. We are constantly receiving spam emails which are looking more genuine each and every day. Your professional insurer and PEXA are good places to start for information on cyber protection.   ... View more

Last week in our Brisbane Cohort, we celebrated 3 of our Practitioner members achieving PEXA Certified.    A huge congratulations to Brookwater Legal, GLG Legal & Ian W Bartels & Associates for all completing their PEXA certification.    All 3 firms have truly adopted digital practices into their businesses and continue to encourage the network to do the same!    I hope you all enjoyed your celebratory treats 😊   ... View more

This week in In Conversations, we hear from Amanda Gildea, a solicitor at MKP Property Lawyers. MKP were early on-boarders of PEXA, registering back in 2016!   1. Have you had to adapt your working environment since COVID-19? If so, how is your firm managing to stay connected and together?   Yes, for the last 10 weeks or so we have transitioned to Working Remotely at our firm. We have adapted to this change incredibly well and have been keeping in contact via Zoom, Facetime and regular team meetings. This has ensured our team stays connected and up to date during this time.    2. How have you maintained connection and the relationship with your clients during this time?   Client communication has always been paramount and in particular during this time, regular telephone calls and Zoom meetings have become a staple to ensure we are maintaining a connection and working relationship with all of our clients both now and into the future.    3. How do you see PEXA’s role in togetherness?   PEXA has played a significant role in ensuring matters are settled and all parties are aware of the matters progress. This has kept everyone on the same page and allowed access to critical information during this time.    4. Is there anything in particular your firm focuses on for security   We take ample precautions in our work to ensure we do not compromise firm security. We focus on all trust transfers including account details being confirmed verbally to verify the accuracy of the information. Verification of Identity is completed by our clients via a secure online platform to manage any risk of identity fraud. Additionally, we have password protection across all our devices and accounts which are regularly updated.    5. Why do you use PEXA Community?   PEXA Community is a valuable resource that provides assistance with a multitude of items. We have not had an instance where we couldn’t find the answer in PEXA Community. The Webinars that are accessible via Community are another fantastic resource to help us with keeping up to date with recent changes and looking towards effectively using PEXA services.   ... View more

This week we celebrated Cornerstone Law Offices and Connor Hunter surpassing significant PEXA milestones! Both firms have now completed over 150 PEXA settlements with no signs of slowing down!    An amazing achievement by all.   ... View more

To finish of the week of In Conversations, we are hearing from Nicholas Wiedman, Director at KeyLaw Conveyancing. KeyLaw Conveyancing are PEXA Certified and have completed over 400 PEXA settlements!   1. Have you had to adapt your working environment since COVID-19? Fortunately, our firm was already very well prepared for the challenges of COVID-19. We have been developing our robust, secure and completely cloud-based software for the past 25 years. It allows our staff to operate remotely, which has meant there has been no interruption to our exceptional service standard. We are also fortunate in that our five office locations have allowed us to strategically deploy our staff, ensuring social distancing is maintained to protect the health of our staff members, clients, and referral partners.   2. How is your firm managing to stay connected and together? Our staff have been exemplary and have quickly adapted to the ‘new normal’. We have managed to stay connected and share our experiences via frequent video conference debriefs and through constant real-time communication in our WhatsApp group. 3. How have you maintained connection and the relationship with your clients during this time? During these difficult times we have promised to go above and beyond for our clients and do whatever it takes to protect their interests and progress their contracts to settlement. This has included visiting clients to witness bank and legal documents, as JP and C.Decs as these services became scarce. There have undoubtedly been times of uncertainty for our clients as the global health pandemic has continued to unfold. We have found that constantly communicating industry updates via email campaigns and social media has helped to alleviate some of the uncertainty for our clients and referral partners. Our team have made ourselves available 7 days a week on phone and email, which has bolstered trust and has ensured our clients never feel as though they have had to navigate these unprecedented times alone.     4. What does being PEXA Certified mean to you?   Being PEXA certified means that our clients can have complete faith that their electronic settlement is in safe hands. With over 400 PEXA Settlements under our belt, we are able to actively market our firm as one of the leading e-conveyancing professionals in Queensland.   5. How do you actively seek feedback from your clients to improve your business?   We employ two full time business development managers, who are in constant contact with our clients and referrers during the conveyancing process. In addition, our clients are offered a direct line of communication with our Directors, to ensure they feel supported every step of the way.    ... View more

Paper-based conveyancing will become increasingly difficult—if not impossible—over the next few months. It's likely that firms that cannot transact electronically will be at a serious disadvantage. One option to consider is introducing 'e-conveyancing' to your firm. Tune in with David Bowles and his interview with Lisa Dowie from Pexa, for an overview of the process and where to access support. Listen here: https://m.soundcloud.com/user-640168590/covid-19-e-conveyancing   If you would like to register for PEXA, you can do so here. ... View more

“Ultimately, we want our clients to benefit, as well as the extended industry.” “The more lawyers that are using PEXA, the more the entire industry can start benefiting.” - Mik Fair, Ladybird Conveyancing.   Congratulations Ladybird Conveyancing on graduating to PEXA Certified and settling over 100 settlements on the PEXA platform. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with such an energetic group at Ladybird Conveyancing.   ... View more

Congratulations to Michel Hains and his team on surpassing 70 electronic settlements and achieving their PEXA Certification.   It has been a pleasure working with the team and helping them to achieve this milestone.    I look forward to seeing what Hains Solicitors  achieve this year!           ... View more

Congratulations to the team at Steindl Bradley & Associates on completing their PEXA Certification.    Well deserved!       ... View more

Click here to read a fantastic article from Plastiras Lawyers on how PEXA allowed them to settle a property transaction within 1 week from contract signing.  ... View more

Congratulations to the team at Springfield Legal Service for completing their PEXA Certification.  Springfield Legal Service were early adopters in the Ipswich Cohort and have really embraced the change.         ... View more

In my first training session with DSL Law Di said to me, "Emma how am I ever going to learn this". Days later, Di called me and said "I've just opened workspaces for every matter I have because that is the only way I will learn". Now, Di has just completed her 50th settlement and PEXA Certification and is constantly encouraging her peers to get on board. Congratulations DSL Law!   ... View more

Last week was a significant week in Brisbane with 2 firms surpassing 50 PEXA settlements!   Congratulations to the teams at Conveyancing Connection & Generation Conveyancing on this milestone.    An excellent achievement by all.        ... View more

A huge congratulations to the team at Quinn & Scattini Lawyers for completing 300 PEXA settlements this week!    The team understand how important it is to be at the forefront of this technological change in order to deliver the best outcomes for their clients.    You should all be very proud!   ... View more

Join us for a practical training session on how to complete stamping for a PEXA settlement. We will also go through how to complete the Form 20 Trust details in lieu of depositing a physical Trust Deed with the Transfer.   Date: Tuesday 12 th November, 2019 Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm Location: PEXA Brisbane Office Level 13, 300 Ann Street Brisbane City, QLD, 4000   If you would like to attend, you can RSVP here  ... View more

Have you seen the new changes  to the witnessing requirements for Titles Registry Instruments that are to commence later this year? See below:   The Natural Resources and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2019 (NROLA) included amendments to sections 162 of the Land Title Act 1994 and 311 of the Land Act 1994 which relate to the witnessing of Titles Registry instruments executed by individuals.  These amendments are expected to commence later in 2019. New and revised practice requirements have been developed to reflect the upcoming changes and provide additional guidance for witnesses.  A new standalone part of the Land Title Practice Manual (LTPM), Part 61, has been created for this purpose. To give witnesses time to understand the practical effect of the amendments and review their processes the draft Part 61 – Witnessing and Execution of Instruments or Documents with these updated witnessing practice requirements has been made available. Key aspects of the new Part 61 of the LTPM include the following: guidance for witnesses on the requirement to take reasonable steps to verify the identity of an individual executing an instrument and inclusion of practices which, if complied with, will result in the witness having taken reasonable steps to verify the identity of the relevant individual (see ¶[61-2310]); guidance for witnesses on the requirement to take reasonable steps to ensure that the individual is the person entitled to sign the instrument (see ¶[61-2320]); guidance for witnesses on the requirement for a witness to keep, for a period of 7 years, either (a) a written record of the steps they took or (b) certain other evidence (see ¶[61-2330]); revised practices for witnessing outside Australia including revised certifications to be completed by witnesses and deposited when an instrument is lodged (see ¶[61-2200]  and ¶[61-2500]). Please note that the new Part 61 of the LTPM is a draft only and some internal references may need to be updated and other minor revisions made when the legislative changes have commenced. A further alert will be sent later in the year advising when the witnessing requirements referred to in the new Part 61 will commence.      For further information contact the Titles Registry on 1300 255 750 or email titlesinfo@dnrme.qld.gov.au. ... View more

Hi Queenslanders,   One of the most common queries we are receiving relate to the intricacies of balancing the Financial Settlement Schedule.    For your convenience, I have created three simple rules for you to follow when completing the Financial Settlement Schedule (calculating your cheque directions in the ‘old’ language):      One   The Purchaser’s rep (Incoming Proprietor) needs to make sure that they account for all lodgement fees for which they are responsible. This includes the lodgement fees for the new mortgage.   In most cases, the incoming bank won’t automatically add another $192.00 for lodgement fees. You don’t need to change your settlement statement and add the lodgement fee for the mortgage if you don’t want to, but just add it onto the amount that you request from the bank or deduct it from the amount that the bank is providing.    Two   Both parties need to ensure that one of their payments (you can think of it as one of your cheques) is the PEXA fee. It’ll be there automatically. Think of it as one of the cheques you’re requesting and you’re handing it over to PEXA at settlement. Sometimes if there is a lawyer or conveyancer acting for a mortgagee, they may also have a smaller PEXA fee for the mortgage etc., so just watch out for that (however it’s quite uncommon).   Three   The following is how to check if your FSS balances when you’ve completed it before the other participants.  It will assist you to ensure you are not collecting or providing too much money.   Tips for smooth settlements:   Stamp nice and early, two days prior to settlement. This helps lodgement verification and fee population to happen and move the matter along. Sign off on your figures when you have completed them, don’t wait until they balance with the other side. Note that you are only signing off on your line items anyway.  It makes it difficult and more stressful for everyone when they’re signed only an hour before settlement. In the days leading up to settlement, check whether all parties have accepted the settlement date and time, especially if banks are involved.  This is the same as booking a physical settlement, so if your bank hasn’t accepted the settlement date and time, the settlement is not booked, and you will have to chase them up just the same as with a paper settlement.    If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to post below or contact your PEXA Direct Specialist. ... View more

A huge congratulations to the ladies at GM Lawyers for graduating with their PEXA Certification.   As early adopters of Electronic Conveyancing in Queensland, it's been wonderful to watch them lead the Redland Bay Area.    Fantastic work team!                                    ... View more

Congratulations to the team at Bostock & Frazer Lawyers for hitting this massive PEXA milestone.  With their first transaction completed in 2015 - they are true early adopters and we are so proud of them for completing their 100th settlement.    Well done on leading the way and transforming the way property is settled in Queensland.    ... View more

Congratulations to LadyBird Conveyancing on completing their first PEXA Settlement!   The QLD PEXA Member Community are looking forward to working with the energetic team at LadyBird. ... View more

For lawyers or conveyancers working on large scale projects (i.e. multi-lot developments), PEXA Projects has many benefits, it: Reduces the administrative time and effort required for coordinating settlement of off-the-plan sales. Removes the need to rekey information from practice management software into PEXA. Sources the data required to create PEXA Workspaces and populates documents for settlement from your existing practice management process. Uploads data via a structured CSV file at the click of a button. Automatically creates and populates all Workspaces within a development project - enabling the completion of conveyancing matters online with speed, accuracy and efficiency. Provides a view of the status of all transactions within a development from a single consolidated project. Makes bulk updates to multiple PEXA Workspaces throughout the settlement process. Minimises the amount of paper required in the property exchange process leading to a more environmentally friendly workflow. PEXA Projects provides these additional features at no extra cost. If you're not already using PEXA Projects, and would like to, email us at pexaprojects@pexa.com.au to request access and discuss how we can assist with your upcoming development projects. Visit the PEXA FAQs article in Help Centre for more details. ... View more

Have you seen the orange Walk Me Thru button on the Transfer Duty screen? This button launches a Walk Thru that guides you through how to verify duty in PEXA.   Here are some important things to note about verifying duty in QLD:   The stamping process starts in the PEXA Workspace so if you’re representing the purchasers, complete your Transfer and Form 24A first. Go to the Transfer Duty screen in PEXA and select how duty is to be paid. When all the relevant information is in the Workspace then an automated message will be sent the OSRconnect and a duty record will be created in there for you. You can locate this record in OSRconnect using the OSR transaction number located on the PEXA Transfer duty screen. When you have completed the assessment, come back to PEXA’s Transfer duty screen and click the cog to verify duty. Don’t forget we would love to hear your feedback on our Walk Thru’s so we can continue to improve them. ... View more