Updated October 2026
Buying a home, selling an estate property or helping an elderly parent often involves several organisations. Knowing which one handles the next step can save considerable confusion. An agent markets a property, a bank manages its accounts and loans, and the Supreme Court deals with probate applications. Each has a different role.
This CM Lawyers directory brings together major and established Inner West agencies, banks and public bodies. Listings provide practical starting points; inclusion does not indicate that an organisation is a client, partner or endorser of CM Lawyers, or that CM Lawyers recommends it. Check the relevant service, fees and requirements directly before proceeding.
Inner West real estate agents
For properties in Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Newtown, Leichhardt, Annandale, Balmain, Summer Hill and surrounding suburbs, these agencies offer local contacts. Compare recent comparable sales, the proposed marketing campaign, commission, advertising expenses and the individual agent’s experience with your type of property. A recognisable brand alone does not determine the right appointment.
- Adrian William: Newtown-based agency offering Inner West sales, property inspections, rental appraisals and leasing services.
- Ray White Dulwich Hill: Local office for residential sales and property management enquiries in Dulwich Hill and surrounding suburbs.
- Belle Property Annandale: Sales and property management across Annandale, Leichhardt, Stanmore, Camperdown and other Inner West suburbs.
- McGrath Leichhardt: A local contact for owners researching selling, leasing and property management services.
- Cobden Hayson: Balmain office within a network that also includes Annandale and Petersham.
- Hudson McHugh: Leichhardt-based agency with services for buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants.
- Harris Tripp: Summer Hill office serving the surrounding Inner West residential property market.
- BresicWhitney: Agency with Glebe and Balmain offices, providing contacts for local property enquiries.
- The Agency Inner West: Local offices covering areas including Marrickville and Dulwich Hill.
- LJ Hooker Ashfield: Ashfield office for local sales, rental and property management enquiries.
- Richardson & Wrench Marrickville, Hurlstone Park and Dulwich Hill: Local property sales and management services.
- Elders Sydney Inner West: Ashfield-based agency serving the wider Inner West, including Burwood and surrounding suburbs.
When selling a deceased estate property, check the executor’s authority and likely probate timetable before committing to settlement dates. The marketing timetable and the legal ability to complete the sale need to work together. Ask your lawyer to review the agency agreement and prepare the sale contract early.
Major banks and deceased estate teams
These links go to estate or bereavement guidance rather than general banking homepages. Contact the institution that actually holds the account or mortgage. Ask what documents establish your authority, whether probate is required, how funeral expenses are handled and what happens to direct debits and jointly held accounts.
- Commonwealth Bank: Estate notification, supporting documents, account treatment and release of funds.
- Westpac: Guidance for notifying the bank and managing a deceased customer’s accounts.
- NAB: Bereavement support and practical steps after losing a loved one.
- ANZ: Bereavement services and information for people managing an estate.
- St.George: Estate FAQs covering documentation, accounts and administration enquiries.
- Macquarie: Deceased estate requirements and guidance for account representatives.
- Bendigo Bank: Notification and assistance with the deceased estate process.
- Bank of Queensland: Support for representatives dealing with deceased customer accounts.
- ING: Bereavement services and information about the next banking steps.
Banks do not necessarily apply identical document requirements or probate thresholds. Having access to a relative’s passwords does not establish authority to move estate funds. Notify the bank and use its authorised process.
Public bodies for wills and estates
Different estate tasks require different authorities. The following NSW and Commonwealth services help with probate, death certificates, tax, notifications and related planning.
- Supreme Court of NSW Probate Registry: Probate and administration guidance, current processing information and resources for contested estate matters.
- NSW Online Registry: Online court services, including the pathway for probate applications and notices.
- NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages: Official death certificates needed for many estate and institutional requirements.
- NSW Trustee and Guardian: Will preparation, estate administration, trustee and financial management services, subject to applicable arrangements and fees.
- Legal Aid NSW and LawAccess: Information about wills, executors, probate and estate disputes, with pathways to further legal assistance.
- Revenue NSW: Conditions for concessional transfer duty on deceased estate property transfers; eligibility depends on the transaction.
- Australian Taxation Office: Establishing authority, final individual tax returns and deceased estate trust tax returns.
- Service NSW and the Australian Death Notification Service: Notify participating organisations of a death through a coordinated service.
- Services Australia: Guidance on notifying Centrelink, Medicare and other relevant services after a death.
- ASIC: Explains why succession planning matters when a company has a sole director and sole shareholder.
- Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission: Search the Charity Register to check an organisation’s identity and registration before drafting a charitable gift.
- NCAT Guardianship Division: Deals with guardianship, financial management and certain enduring power of attorney issues during life. Probate applications belong in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court recorded 30,785 uncontested probate filings in 2025, according to its 2025 provisional statistics. That category includes applications for probate, letters of administration and reseals. It is a filing count, rather than a count of grants issued or an estimate of your waiting time.
The Law Society of New South Wales solicitor register helps you check a solicitor’s practising certificate status. The Law Society is a professional body, separate from the courts and government departments listed above.
For charitable estate planning, Australian Red Cross provides gifts-in-wills information. Confirm the intended charity’s legal name and proposed wording before signing a will.
NSW title deeds and the simpler digital process
NSW cancelled paper certificates of title on 11 October 2021 and stopped issuing new ones. Under the Registrar General’s current guidance, the Torrens Title Register records registered ownership. A missing old certificate no longer needs to be replaced for a NSW Torrens-title transaction.
This removes the need to locate, deliver or replace that paper certificate. A current title search remains important: even a registration information notice is not definitive evidence of the register’s present contents. Identity checks, client authorisation and evidence of the right to deal with the property still apply.
NSW Land Registry Services operates the register; the government’s Office of the Registrar General regulates that privately operated service. Digital registration does not remove a mortgage, replace probate where required or determine a beneficiary’s entitlement by itself.
Christine explains the titlo
“I’ve explained this to elderly clients who are worried about finding their ‘titlo’, as some of them call their title deed. For many people, that piece of paper represents years of hard work and paying off the family home, so I understand why they want to keep it safe.
“I explain that, for a NSW Torrens-title property, we no longer need the old paper certificate to complete the transaction. We check the current register and establish who has authority to act. There is one less document to hunt through the cupboards for.
“But that does not mean throwing out the whole folder! Keep your original will and let us check any other historical deeds first. The change concerns NSW title certificates; it is not advice about documents for property in Greece.”
Getting the right help
Keep a list of assets, account providers and outstanding loans, together with relevant correspondence. Bring the will, death certificate and any property documents you have to your appointment. Contact CM Lawyers for help identifying the required authorities and coordinating the legal steps.
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