Torquay is the Surf Coast’s main town, twenty minutes from Geelong down the Surf Coast Highway, with Front Beach and the Esplanade on one side, Bells Beach a few minutes further on and the newer estates of Torquay North spreading out behind. It is where most of our Surf Coast work comes from. Jeannette Ernst Conveyancing Professionals has handled conveyancing from Geelong for more than 30 years, under licence number 001780L, and everything runs by phone and email so you never need to come in.

If you are buying in Torquay, send us the contract and Section 32 before you sign. We will review it and come back to you within 24 hours, free of charge, and there is no obligation to use us afterwards. The detail is on our free 24-hour Section 32 and contract review page.

What we see in Torquay property

Old Torquay, the streets between the highway and the beach, is a mix of original 1960s and 70s beach houses and the rebuilds that have replaced many of them. Along the coast the planning scheme limits height and setbacks, so if you are buying with a knockdown in mind we check the overlays on the title and in the Section 32 before you commit. Where a house has been rebuilt or extended, the vendor statement must disclose building permits from the last seven years, and we make sure the paperwork matches what is on the ground.

A good share of Torquay purchases are holiday homes, and many owners let them out between visits. That is fine, but the numbers should be checked before you sign: Victoria’s short stay levy applies to stays under 28 days, owners corporations can now restrict short stays in units and townhouses, and a property sold with forward bookings needs the contract to say who honours them.

Torquay North is a different market again. Estates such as The Quay, Zeally Sands and Stretton have sold hundreds of house-and-land packages, and land there is often bought before the title has issued. Off-the-plan contracts carry sunset dates, building envelopes and developer covenants that bind you long after settlement, and we read all of it and explain it in plain English. Parts of the town’s edges also sit inside a Bushfire Management Overlay, which affects the building standard for any new work.