Next steps after buying your home.

1. Conveyancing

When you have a signed agreement to buy a home, your lawyer will get to work. They'll make sure all the conditions in your agreement are met and start doing the legal work to transfer the property to your name.

This legal process which includes checking and registering documents to transfer ownership is called conveyancing.

2. Your home loan options

If you haven't considered how you will structure your home loan, now is the time. You have the option to fix your home loan interest rate and it will stay the same for the agreed fixed rate term even if interest rates in the market change.

Or, you can have a floating rate that will go up or down with the market. This provides you flexibility to repay lump sums or increase your repayments whenever you like without prepayment costs.

You can even choose a combination of the two. It's important to consider how each loan option works so you can choose an option that will work best for your situation.

3. Insurance

Along with choosing how to structure your home loan, it is important to insure your home; it is usually a condition of your home loan.

If you're applying for a home loan with Westpac, we can help you arrange your insurance, including home, contents and income protection.

4. Updating your address

Don't forget you'll need to update your utility providers of your new address and any other companies that you receive mail from. 

5. Settlement day

Once all conditions have been met, it's time for settlement day. This is the moment you officially become a home owner.

Your lawyer will take care of the legal and financial details for you. Their responsibilities include:

• Arranging for the property to be transferred into your name
• Doing a guaranteed title search
• Liaising with the seller's lawyer to make sure you receive a clear title
• Paying the money to the seller's lawyer
• Ensuring the seller's lawyer does their side of the electronic transaction
• Completing the transfer using LandOnline
• Organising final details such as where you get the keys and when you can move in.

6. After settlement

After settlement your lawyer will:

• Give you a statement showing all the purchase details
• Give you a copy of the title showing that you're registered as the new owner
• Send a copy of the title, mortgage and certificate of insurance to Westpac.

We'll let you know when your first mortgage repayment is due. You'll also get regular loan statements. You can check these online through Westpac One, or at your nearest branch.