The Ultimate Guide to Buying in Strata

67 pages of expert insights to help you buy smarter and avoid expensive strata surprises

  • Did you know that over 50% of NSW apartments have had serious defects in the past 5 years?

  • Would you like to be confident in understanding complex information about strata schemes before you buy a lemon?

  • Real life examples of red flags that commonly appear in strata reports (that most buyers miss!)

  • If you’re an apartment buyer confused of stressed by understanding strata reports, then this is the first step in getting clarity on what’s important, why it matters and how it will impact you!

Navigating Strata Reports with Confidence; How to spot red flags!

Sample pages

Penny Vandenhurk

Penny Vandenhurk is a qualified NSW Property Lawyer turned Buyer’s Agent. Penny specialised in Property Law for a number of years and has read hundreds of NSW strata reports over the last 15 years.

Penny created this guide to help people better understand what they are buying into when purchasing an apartment or unit. It is written with a practical lens to help you balance the financial and legal considerations of buying into strata.

FAQs

  • Absolutely I would recommend this. Your lawyer or conveyancer can give you specific advice about the report. They can assist you to evaluate the risks. However, they are not licenced financial advisors and cannot provide you financial advice.

    This is where our guide is designed to assist you.

    Ultimately, you are the only person in this transaction who understands what is important to you, and your financial risk appetite.

  • This will vary. Some lawyers/conveyancers will include this service in your overall fee. Others may charge a set fee per strata report review. Others may not offer this service at all.

  • When buying property, you are the only person who can fully understand the financial impact and risks. You are the person who needs to make an informed decision if this is the right property for you. You need to be comfortable with this decision.

    Our guide is designed to help you make this decision.

    Absolutely you should take legal advice from your lawyer, but your lawyer cannot give you financial advice.

  • There are further details on all the options you have included in our guide. Different options have different risks and costs associated.

    Usually the best place to start is by asking the sales agent of the property you are interested in.

  • Strata reports vary in length. Typically they are a minimum 100 pages, and some may even reach over 2,000 pages. On average, in Sydney, a strata report will be 200-300 pages.

    There is a lot of information included in the report. Our guide is designed to help you understand what information should be there, and how to interpret that information.