05/08/2026
Took time out this morning to attend 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗲𝘀: 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, presented by the New Zealand Law Society and Real Estate Authority.
I was pleased to hear this may be the first in a series. Early, active communication and collaboration between key participants in the process—such as the vendor’s agent and solicitor—can make a meaningful difference to their client’s stress levels and to how smoothly the transaction runs overall.
I particularly liked the phrase “solving problems by anticipating problems”, used by panellist and solicitor Michael Hofmann-Body. My simplified takeaway: prevention is better than cure.
Today’s discussion covered practical issues including:
▪️𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: how involving the vendor’s solicitor early can help identify, prevent and manage issues.
▪️𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲: why agents cannot simply rely on caveat emptor—some solicitors misunderstand this. Also, how good disclosure protects the vendor’s ability to transact, as well as helping protect them from future hassle.
▪️𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀: why they do not always do what people think they will, and the questions agents should ask when a buyer or seller requests one.
▪️𝗞𝗶𝘄𝗶𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀: the ins and outs of how these work, why it is important to identify KiwiSaver-sourced deposits early, and how this source of funds affects the deposit money available to the vendor before settlement.
▪️𝗨𝗻𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀: who should be involved at the drafting stage. No points for getting this one right. 😆
𝗔 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱-𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: the agent is there for propulsion; the solicitor is there for protection. Both have the capacity to identify potential issues, but neither is likely to identify every one of them alone—their perspectives and skill sets are different. Working together, you are more likely to reach your destination on time—and in one piece. 😁
