What you should know about the new Property Practitioners Act
The long-awaited Property Practitioners Act finally came into effect this year and brings with it significant changes to the real estate industry. The Act takes a more consumer-focused approach and is premised on the need for transformation in the property sector. Property practitioners The Act has widened its scope of application by consolidating all role […]
Thinking of buying your first property?
The question of whether renting or buying is the best is almost always in circulation in the real estate industry. While one is affordable in the short term, the other holds more benefits in the long run. In 2020, however, things took a turn, and the answer to the question may be a bit clearer than usual. Historically low […]
Find your new home sooner with transparency
Estate agents play a vital role in the efficiency and ease of most real estate transactions. They are guides, advisers, companions, gurus, and partners to buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants alike. The strength of this relationship, however, is built on a foundation of open communication and transparency. When your estate agent is working off of lacklustre information, half-truths and muddled facts, the results […]
Take your homeowner relationship to the next level
Despite the recent interest rate increase, South Africa is still currently in what is deemed a “buyer’s market”, where first-time homebuyers are enjoying the opportunity of entering the property market at a much earlier stage than their financial situations would have allowed in previous years. But it’s precisely the fact that so many homebuyers are […]
The ups and downs of property co-ownership
Property ownership is no small feat. It is one of the most reliable forms of investment and one of the biggest items that most people have on their financial “to-do” lists. Unfortunately, it is not always an easily achievable goal. Property ownership has always been a costly endeavour, and in recent years the age of […]
Are you planning on starting an Airbnb?
When deciding whether to become an Airbnb host, it’s important for you to understand how the laws work in your city. According to Brett Herron, the mayoral committee member for transport and urban development at the City of Cape Town, different holiday accommodation land-use types, such as B&Bs and guest houses, are regulated by the […]
Find the right home, the first time
Contrary to popular belief, while price is a strong determining factor in whether you are able to afford a home, the property value has little impact on whether you’d be satisfied with your new home. How you experience your new home will depend heavily on a variety of other factors. Once you have a clearly […]
The current state of the rental market
While restaurants, shopping malls and beaches may look somewhat similar to what they did before the pandemic, nevermind lockdown regulations and social distancing protocols, the real estate rental market has not recovered quite as well as the consumer market. Studies conducted by the TPN Credit Bureau have indicated that, at the start of the hard lockdown of 2020, only half of short-term credit accounts were paid in “current” terms. […]
Buying and selling: Avoid the potential nightmare
Buying a new home is always an adventure – but what if you’re still trying to bring a previous adventure to a close? Facilitating the transition of homeownership comes with an array of concerns that are unavoidable when the purchase of a new home and the sale of an old one occur simultaneously. The two primary concerns for buyers who are sellers at the same time are finances and logistics. If the transition is to be facilitated successfully, […]
Get the keys to your new home sooner
Buying a house is a big decision, one in which the buyer will have invested numerous hours of research, planning and careful consideration. It makes sense then that a buyer would want their property transfer to be finalised as quickly as possible. But while property transfers are of nature a time-consuming process, there are steps buyers can take to make sure the […]