Tips to Buying a Property in South Africa - Read this advice before you Buy a Property or House

Before buying a house in South Africa you would be well advised to read these tips on successfully buying a property and avoiding the property pitfalls.

Guidelines to Buying a Home or Property in South Africa

Buying your house or property will probably be the biggest purchase you will make during your lifetime and it is necessary to avoid the pitfalls when making a property purchase..

You will agree therefore, that it is important to make sure that all things are considered to ensure that your property purchase is secure in all of the following aspects...

Affordability



• Deposit
  
  Establish the amount that you can put down as a deposit on your bond
  
  



• Bond Amount
  
  
  Establish the amount of the monthly repayment you can afford.
  
  You can do this by totalling your monthly income (joint income if you are married) less your expenses.
  
  The banks will normally grant a maximum bond where the repayment is no more than 25% of your gross monthly salary which should not be more than the amount you calculated above, otherwise you may be overcommitted.
  
  To assist you in working out the bond amount use our online home loan calculator »
  
  Select the "Loan Amount" option and enter the repayment amount that you determined above, the interest rate and the loan term (usually 20 years).
  
  Then click "Calculate" and your maximum bond or home loan amount will be reflected next to "The total loan amount".
  
  
  It is worth noting that interest rates can vary from bank to bank so you would be wise to ensure you get the best deal and interest rate for your bond by applying for a free, no obligation home loan quote here »
  



• Transfer Costs
  
  Do not forget to provide for the Transfer Duty and Conveyancing Fees that are normally payable by the purchaser.
  
  Current Transfer Duties are as follows;
  
  
  
  • R0,00 for properties valued below R500 000,00
  
  
  • R25 000,00 for properties below R1 000 000,00
  
  
  • R25 000,00 + 8% of the value over R1m for properties over R1 000 000,00
    
    
  
  
  
  
  Conveyancing fees vary but can easily be in the vicinity of R20 000,00
  
  One way to avoid paying Transfer Duties and Conveyancing Fees is to buy a property off plan from a developer.
  
  Developers normally waive the legal costs and if the property is new & has not been previously registered, there won't be transfer duties to pay
  
  Before paying duties it's worthwhile noting that some bond originators & finance house may pay some of these fees for you if you register your bond with them
  
  
• Bond Approval
  
  Not only has banking has changed dramatically in the last few years, the new credit act has made it more difficult to get bonds approved so get good advice and assistance with regard to home loans and bond finance »

Where to Buy?



• Location, Location, Location
  Everyone knows that the most important point when it comes to buying property is the area where it is located.
  
  
  What this means essentially is that it is more advisable to downscale on the size or quality of house in favour of the area it is
  located in.
  
  


• Security
  
  Once you have identified the area you want to buy in, consult with the local residents and police station regarding the crime rate
  in the area.
  Look out for open tracts of land and developments going on in the neighbourhood which could promote incidents of criminal activity.
  
  


• Facilities
  
  Also take note of the presence (or lack thereof) of schools, libraries, shopping centers and other facilities that you would
  require in the area.
  

How to Source a Suitable Property?



• Estate Agents
  A traditional method of sourcing properties is registering your preferences with as many agents in the area and hope that they are
  diligent, patient and committed enough to find you the right home.
  
  


• Online Property Search
  One way of accessing a vast choice of properties from the comfort of your home and at your leisure is on the internet.
  
  Start by registering your online profile here with your property preferences and get e-mail and sms alerts of properties
  matching your choice »
  

So to maximise your chances of securing the best quality home in the best area and at the lowest price you need to have timeous information
regarding property availability in your chosen areas.



To this end, you can register your profile (for free) with Private Property
who will keep you abreast with the property market and prices in any neighbourhood in South Africa and Namibia

For buying or selling property in South Africa, Online-Property is your internet portal for Listing Properties or for getting Tips and Information on Buying Property in South Africa