Don't leave it to your builder or local bank or broker.
Ring your bank directly and ask when the valuation is booked in. On the day the valuation is done, ring the bank again to check it has been done and final payment is ok to proceed.
Ask for a cheque to be ready for pick up from a local branch. Don't do direct deposit or cheque in the mail as it takes too long. Take the cheque directly to the builder on the day you pick up your keys.
When you know when PCI is (and assuming you don't have too many issues to be rectified), you can request the final invoice beforehand and submit to the bank. We had been through our house MANY times during construction so little issues were picked up and fixed as we went along. At PCI there were only 3-4 tiny issues to be rectified. We were happy to submit the final invoice to the bank before PCI.
We had PCI on the 12/12, valuation on the 13/12 and keys in my hand on the 15/12.
It can be done with persistence and a lot of pushing!
Good luck!
Oh and by the way, my HGWA SS (who I saw last week) said that they were really quiet at present with very few handovers occurring so don't let them fob you off!
Great advice - Mind if I ask which bank? We're thru Bankwest