A voice for conveyancers – and generations of homebuyers

WHEN she began in conveyancing in 1983, Ann Blannin-Ferguson didn’t imagine she would one day be an industry leader. 

Yet, she was also not the kind of person to let something slide if she felt it was not right. 

“That started right back when I was at uni and we had a lecturer who was giving out incorrect information for new students,” Ann recalls. 

By this stage Ann had been working in conveyancing for 15 years, and felt obliged to highlight her teacher’s error for the sake of her fellow students. 

“That’s how I’ve lived my whole life. If something is incorrect, you open your mouth and say, ‘That’s wrong, and this is why.’” 

Ann’s election to the Australian Institute of Conveyancers NSW board was a major career milestone, followed by an even greater achievement when she was voted in as NSW president. 

The role has allowed her to be a voice for conveyancers in meetings with government stakeholders, pushing for better policies and systems. 

Ann’s proudest achievements have included being part of the Board who successfully lobbied Revenue NSW to grant conveyancers access to a professional portal to access information used by their staff. 

“In the past, we would ring Revenue NSW for some guidance, and weren’t getting the support we thought we should, and now I think that’s turned around,” she says. “Little things like that that make our life easier really helps the day-to-day life of a conveyancer.” 

After working for years with solicitors, taking the bold step to establish her own successful business, ABF Conveyancing, has been another major highlight. 

“It was scary at first, not having that net under you of working for somebody else,” Ann admits. 

But her business flourished thanks to longstanding client relationships and word of mouth. Remarkably, she has never had a website and does little marketing. 

“Quite often I assist two or more generations in a family with their buying and selling. It’s really good that they trust me, and wouldn’t think of going anywhere else.” 

Over time, Ann has witnessed significant shifts, including the change from paper settlements to digital conveyancing. 

Staying up-to-date with constantly changing legislation has also been a challenge. 

Currently, one of her concerns is the new anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing laws, which Ann says will place extra responsibility and risk on conveyancers. 

“It’ll be interesting to see how the regulations are created and the processes they will require us to go through with our clients,” she says. 

Cybercrime continues to also be a growing issue, too. 

“This seems to be happening more and more and more, and our main goal is to make sure our clients are well educated,” Ann says. 

“You’ve just got to be so on the ball all the time.” 

In the short term, Ann believes the recent interest rate cut will stimulate the market, but a federal election in May could prompt buyers and sellers to sit on their hands. 

With conveyancing being a female-dominated industry, Ann has observed biases in professional interactions. 

“When you’re dealing with other practitioners who are not necessarily conveyancers, quite often we’re not taken as seriously as a professional as we should be,” she says. 

“I’ve had solicitors say, ‘Oh, but you’re just a conveyancer’. Well, I’ve been doing this for over 40 years, and have a lot of knowledge. I won’t tolerate someone with that attitude, I’ll have a shot back at them very quickly. Some of the younger conveyancers maybe aren’t quite up to that yet. 

“We have to make sure we don’t tolerate disrespect and call it out when it happens.”