Find a Conveyancer on Sydney's North Shore

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What does a conveyancer do?

A licensed NSW conveyancer handles the legal transfer of property — contract review, title and planning searches, exchange of contracts, settlement adjustments, and PEXA workspace coordination. They prepare the settlement statement, calculate rates and water adjustments, liaise with both lenders, and lodge the transfer for registration after settlement. The North Shore has a high proportion of strata-titled units and older torrens-titled houses. Licensed conveyancers handle both, including strata reports, by-law reviews, and section 184 certificates from the owners corporation.

Conveyancing costs on the North Shore

Fixed-fee conveyancing in NSW runs $1,099 to $1,600 for a standard residential transaction, plus $300 to $600 in disbursements for searches, PEXA, and registration. Conveyancing fees are fixed — not value-based — so the same price applies whether you are buying a $900,000 Chatswood apartment or a $2.5 million Pymble house. The disbursement total can stretch a little higher on older strata buildings (you may need a fuller strata records inspection) or on heritage-listed Federation houses through Wahroonga, Killara and Roseville where additional planning searches are sensible.

Conveyancer or solicitor — North Shore considerations

If the property has an old-system title, undisclosed easements, heritage listing, or a contested boundary, a property solicitor is the safer choice. For routine torrens and strata transfers — the bulk of North Shore transactions — a licensed conveyancer is faster and cheaper. Some firms employ both; ask up front who will actually run your file. Estate sales (where probate has not yet issued), trust-owned property, and any matter involving a current building defect rectification order under the Design and Building Practitioners Act are also better handled by a solicitor from the start.

Strata reports matter more on the North Shore

A meaningful share of North Shore stock is strata — particularly across Chatswood, North Sydney, Lane Cove, Crows Nest, Artarmon and the lower end of the Pacific Highway corridor through Pymble and Gordon. Your conveyancer should walk you through the strata report before exchange: the recent meeting minutes for special levy decisions, the capital works fund balance (a healthy fund avoids future surprise levies), the levy statements for at least the past two years, current insurance, and any by-laws on short-stay accommodation, pets, or renovation works. For older mid-rise buildings around Chatswood and St Leonards, ask specifically whether a building defect rectification has been raised at recent AGMs.

School catchments and what your conveyancer can and can't tell you

Much of the North Shore market is driven by school catchment demand — particularly around Killara High, Chatswood High, Pymble Ladies' College and Knox Grammar. Your conveyancer can confirm the property's exact address and the section 10.7 planning certificate but they cannot guarantee future catchment boundaries — the NSW Department of Education sets these and they can shift. If catchment is decisive to your purchase, verify the current catchment on the official NSW education catchment map yourself before exchange, and treat any verbal assurance from a selling agent as marketing rather than a contractual representation.

How to choose a North Shore conveyancer

Look for a current NSW Fair Trading licence, fixed-fee pricing in writing, clear two-business-day communication, and active PEXA access. On the North Shore specifically, ask about strata-title experience — the Lower North Shore in particular is dominated by strata stock and the conveyancer needs to read the strata report, by-laws and capital works fund balance with confidence. Ask how many transactions they have completed in the past twelve months across the suburbs you are looking in; experience with a specific local council's planning quirks (Ku-ring-gai, Willoughby, Hornsby Shire, Lane Cove, North Sydney) translates into faster, cleaner contract review.

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