What does a conveyancer actually do?
A conveyancer is a licensed property law specialist who handles the legal side of buying or selling a home. For a first home buyer purchase, they do six things from contract to keys:
- Review the contract of sale before you sign, catching unfair clauses, missing disclosures and dodgy special conditions.
- Order title and planning searches: confirming who legally owns the property and what restrictions apply (easements, caveats, zoning).
- Calculate and lodge stamp duty, including your first home buyer concession or exemption.
- Coordinate with your lender, making sure the loan funds are ready for settlement day.
- Attend PEXA electronic settlement: the digital workspace where funds move and title transfers in one place.
- Register the transfer of title in your name with the state land titles office.
Who may be paid to do this work differs by state. Paid conveyancing in Queensland must be done through a law practice. The ACT guide recommends a solicitor but does not require one. Elsewhere you can use a licensed conveyancer or a solicitor, and in Western Australia a licensed settlement agent.
What do conveyancers charge in each state?
Last updated: 28 October 2026
In our dated sample, Queensland buying fees have a median of $1,309.50 and NSW buying fees a median of $1,850, including GST. These are sample medians, not market averages. Searches, platform charges and registration vary separately. The table shows published fixed professional fees for buying a home, as firms show them on their own websites. They are not quotes, and each state page lists the extra costs with sources.
| State | Fee range | Median | Firms read |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | $995 to $2,750 | $1,850 | 8 (NSW fee table) |
| QLD | $885 to $1,650 | $1,309.50 | 10 (QLD fee table) |
For Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory, see the dated state table in our conveyancing fees guide. Always ask for a written quote that separates professional fees from searches and government fees.
How we checked: we read each firm’s published fee schedule on 28 October 2026 and calculated the medians from that dataset.
Conveyancer vs solicitor: which do you need?
Property law only.
- Specialises exclusively in property law
- Fees are set by each firm, so compare written quotes
- Carries professional indemnity insurance
- Licensed by state regulator (NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Vic, AIC)
- Available in NSW, VIC, WA, SA, TAS, NT
Broader. Required for paid conveyancing in QLD.
- Full law degree: can handle any legal matter
- Fees are set by each firm, so compare written quotes
- Often the better fit for a deceased estate, boundary dispute, complex strata or commercial crossover
- Paid conveyancing in Queensland must go through a law practice. The ACT guide recommends a solicitor but does not require one
- Available in all states
Compare like with like: a single national average hides differences in who may act and what a fee includes. Queensland paid conveyancing goes through a law practice, while NSW lets you choose a licensed conveyancer or a solicitor. Read each state’s dated table and compare written quotes for the same scope.
How do I vet a conveyancer? A five step checklist
- Verify their licence. Ask for the licence number, then check the state regulator’s register (NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Vic, AIC, Law Society in QLD/ACT). Refusal or vagueness is a deal breaker.
- Demand a written quote. Fixed professional fee on one line, disbursements itemised separately on another. If a quote bundles everything into one figure, ask for the breakdown. Opacity is a transparency red flag.
- Confirm first home buyer experience. Ask how many FHB purchases they’ve handled in the last 12 months. You want regular, not occasional: FHBs interact with the 5% Deposit Scheme (formerly the First Home Guarantee), the FHOG and stamp duty concessions in ways straight upgraders don’t.
- Check who actually does the contract review. Some firms quote a senior conveyancer but allocate contract review to a paralegal. Ask: “Will you personally review the contract?”
- Test the turnaround commitment. A 24 hour contract review is the benchmark for urgent offers. If they can’t commit to that and you might bid at auction or under cooling off pressure, find someone else.
NestPath checks all five on every conveyancer before we shortlist them. Tell us your state and we’ll email you 2 to 3 we’ve already cleared. For the deeper comparison, read our conveyancer vs solicitor comparison.
What our shortlist actually delivers
We don’t run a directory. We don’t take agent referrals. We hand check three things on every shortlisted conveyancer before we email you.
Vetted shortlist in 24 hours
Curated by the founder, not generated automatically. Every shortlisted conveyancer is licensed by the state regulator and an AIC or Law Society member. No cold calls, no directory to scroll.
Fixed fee, itemised
Every conveyancer on our shortlist gives written quotes with the professional fee and disbursements separated. No surprise extra charges at settlement: what they quote is what you pay.
State specialist matching
NSW, VIC, QLD and the ACT all have different rules (paid conveyancing in QLD goes through a law practice, settlement agents act in WA). We match you to a conveyancer licensed for your state and your situation: 5% Deposit Scheme, fast settlement, auction.
Frequently asked questions
What does a conveyancer do?
A conveyancer is a licensed property law specialist who handles the legal side of buying or selling a home. For a first home buyer purchase they review the contract of sale before you sign, order title and planning searches, calculate and lodge your stamp duty, coordinate with your lender, attend the PEXA electronic settlement, and register the transfer of title in your name. Who may be paid to do this work differs by state, and acting for yourself carries the contract risks yourself.
How much does a conveyancer cost in Australia?
In our dated sample, read on 28 October 2026, Queensland buying fees have a median of $1,309.50 and NSW buying fees a median of $1,850, including GST. These are sample medians, not market averages. Searches, platform charges and registration vary separately. Other states are in our conveyancing fees guide. Always ask for a written quote that separates the fixed fee from disbursements.
What is the difference between a conveyancer and a solicitor?
A licensed conveyancer specialises exclusively in property law: contract review, title searches, stamp duty, PEXA settlement. A solicitor has a full law degree and can handle any legal matter including disputes. Neither group is cheaper by rule, so compare written quotes for the same scope. Consider a solicitor if your purchase involves a deceased estate, boundary dispute, complex strata or commercial crossover. In Queensland paid conveyancing must be done through a law practice. In the ACT the government guide recommends a solicitor but does not require one.
Do I need a conveyancer or a solicitor in QLD or ACT?
Paid conveyancing in Queensland must be done through a law practice. The ACT guide recommends a solicitor but does not require one. Queensland does not use the independent licensed conveyancer model that NSW has. In NSW, VIC, WA, SA, TAS and NT you can use a licensed conveyancer or a solicitor, and in Western Australia a licensed settlement agent. Compare written quotes for the same scope, because a lower fee may include less.
When should I hire a conveyancer?
Engage your conveyancer BEFORE you sign the contract of sale, ideally as soon as you start making serious offers. The contract review is the single most valuable thing they do and has to happen before signing. In NSW and QLD contracts are exchanged at signing with a 5 business day cooling off period; in VIC you have 3 clear business days of cooling off (the greater of $100 or 0.2% of the price to withdraw); at auction the sale is unconditional the moment the hammer falls, so the contract must be reviewed before auction day.
How long does conveyancing take?
Settlement happens on the date written in your contract. The NSW Government says settlement usually takes place around 6 weeks after contracts are exchanged, and Consumer Protection WA says the settlement period is usually 30 to 90 days. The conveyancer reviews the contract and orders searches first, coordinates with your lender and the seller, and attends the PEXA electronic settlement on the day. Delays usually come from the lender, a title problem, missing documents or strata issues. Pick a conveyancer with capacity before you bid at auction.
What are disbursements and how much do they add?
Disbursements are extra costs the conveyancer pays on your behalf to third parties: title searches, council and water authority certificates, planning certificates, the PEXA settlement fee and the land titles office registration fee. Amounts vary by state, council and property, and our Queensland and NSW fee pages list the official prices we read with their dates. A reputable conveyancer itemises disbursements separately on their written quote. If a quote bundles everything into one number, ask for the breakdown. It is a transparency red flag if they refuse.
How do I check if a conveyancer is licensed?
Every conveyancer in Australia must be licensed by the regulator in their state. In NSW check NSW Fair Trading’s licence register. In VIC check Consumer Affairs Victoria. In SA check Consumer and Business Services. In WA check the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. In Tasmania check the Property Agents Board. Most licensed conveyancers also belong to the Australian Institute of Conveyancers (AIC) state body, which requires ongoing professional development. Ask for the licence number, then verify it on the regulator’s register before engaging. Solicitors who provide conveyancing in QLD and the ACT are listed on the state Law Society register.
Can I use the same conveyancer as the seller?
No. The buyer and seller must use different conveyancers: they have opposing legal interests in the contract. A conveyancer who tries to act for both is in a conflict of interest and is not allowed to under the professional codes. The same logic applies to using the conveyancer your real estate agent recommends: agents often have informal referral arrangements with specific firms, and while the conveyancer themselves is independent, their loyalty cue is the agent who refers them, not you.
Should I use the conveyancer my real estate agent recommends?
Be cautious. Real estate agents commonly have informal referral relationships with specific conveyancers: the conveyancer wants to keep that referral pipeline open, which means their incentive to push hard on contract negotiations or surface awkward issues with the property is dampened. Independent referrals (from a friend, a service like NestPath, or your own research) carry no such pressure. If the agent’s recommendation is significantly cheaper than independent quotes, that is itself a warning sign: they may be cutting corners on contract review depth.
Is online conveyancing safe?
Yes. Australian property settlement has been fully electronic via the PEXA platform since 2019, which means your conveyancer does not need to be in your suburb or even your state. A licensed conveyancer in Melbourne can complete a settlement on a Sydney property because all parties (your lender, the seller’s conveyancer, the land titles office) connect through PEXA. The only thing physical proximity buys you is the ability to drop off documents in person, which has become rare. Online fixed fee firms (Settle Easy, JustConvey, Conveyancing.com.au) are legitimate options provided the conveyancer is licensed in your state.
Can a conveyancer help with the First Home Owner Grant?
Your conveyancer can help coordinate relevant concession and grant documents. Confirm the application channel in your state, because the grant may be lodged through an approved lender or directly with the revenue office. They can also check the stamp duty concession or exemption you are eligible for, the residency test (typically moving in within 12 months and living there for 6 or more continuous months) and whether the property qualifies. Mention you are a first home buyer at the first call so they can quote correctly, and ask whether any grant paperwork is inside the fixed fee or charged separately.
Are conveyancing fees negotiable?
Professional fees are sometimes negotiable on complex transactions; standard first home buyer fixed fee quotes typically are not. The real saving is comparing 2 to 3 quotes side by side and choosing fairly rather than haggling with one firm. Disbursements are not negotiable: they are pass through costs the conveyancer pays to third parties (land titles office, PEXA, councils). If a quote looks far lower than the others, ask what is excluded. Common omissions are PEXA, the bank settlement fee, or registration after settlement.
Can I do my own conveyancing?
Rules for paid providers and personal lodgement differ by state. Paid conveyancing in Queensland must be done through a law practice. The ACT guide recommends a solicitor but does not require you to hire one. In South Australia, electronic lodgement can only be done by a conveyancer or solicitor. Doing it yourself means ordering title searches, working out stamp duty, preparing transfer documents and registering the transfer, and one mistake on a caveat, easement or transfer document can delay settlement or cost you money. Ask a licensed professional before you decide.
What is PEXA and do I need to worry about it?
PEXA (Property Exchange Australia) is the electronic platform on which property settlements are conducted. Your conveyancer connects to PEXA on settlement day along with your lender and the seller’s conveyancer: funds move and the title transfers in a single workspace. You do not do anything with PEXA yourself; your conveyancer handles it. The settlement fee depends on your state and the number of titles. For example, PEXA publishes $146.30 including GST for a single title transfer in NSW. It is a disbursement that appears on your conveyancer’s itemised quote.
What questions should I ask a conveyancer before hiring?
Five worth asking: (1) What’s your licence number and which state regulator? (2) Will you give me a written fixed fee quote with disbursements itemised separately? (3) How many first home buyer purchases have you handled in the last 12 months? (4) Are you handling the contract review personally, or is it allocated to a paralegal? (5) What’s your turnaround commitment for contract review (24 hours is the benchmark for urgent offers)? A confident, transparent conveyancer answers all five clearly. Hesitation on any of them is a warning sign.
By Anish Puri · Founder, NestPath · Last reviewed 14 August 2026