1. Buying Property on Auction

South Africans are not used to buying and selling residential properties using auction sales. A property that is being auctioned usually conjures up pictures in the minds of people of liquidations and insolvencies. In countries like Australia,...

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2. What is a Title Deed?

The owner of Immovable Property is the person in whose name the property is registered in terms of the Deeds Registries Act 47 of 1937. A Title Deed is the owner of immovable property's documentary proof of ownership. Each privately owned property...

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3. Who do I pay my deposit to?

 Depending on what is stipulated in your sale agreement, your deposit is either paid to the estate agency involved or to the Conveyancing attorneys attending to the transfer. Both these professionals should have trust accounts in which your money...

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4. What will my transfer and bond costs be?

Your estate agent and conveyancing attorney should be able to answer this question based on a schedule of bond and transfer costs. The transfer fees depend on the purchase price of the property. Bond costs are calculated on the total loan...

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5. When are the transfer costs due and to whom are they paid?

A few weeks after the sale, when you sign your documents, your conveyancer will request that you pay the transfer costs. The Conveyancing attorney has to pay the transfer duty - the major charge on most transfers - in advance, as well as the...

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6. Will someone contact me to let me know when the property is registered?

A representative from your conveyancer's firm should contact you as soon as the registration has gone through. You will also be given a final statement of the account. Your estate agent may also phone you to confirm registration. The bank will...

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7. The South African land registration system.

Almost all land has been surveyed by a qualified land surveyor which survey is reflected on a surveyor general diagram, which is get in the offers of these surveyor general.  Further to the above all these surveyed land is a registered in the...

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8. Rezoning or Subdividing Your Property.

You need to apply to the local authority to re-zone or subdivide a property. Your application can take anything from 6 to 4 Years to be approved or declined. The documentation required is very involved and expensive, it is advisable to seek...

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9. Rates Clearance Certificate from the Municipality.

When a property is changing ownership the transferring attorney will need to apply to the council (local authority) for a rates clearance certificate. The clearance figure is normally six months in advance on the sellers account. Only once the...

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10. Property Inspections.

 What is a Property Inspection? A Property Inspection is a Detailed and Systematic Visual Inspection of the Property, its Structures, Design and Fixtures that will provide a Transparent Understanding of the Property's 'Vital Signs'...

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