The ins and outs of home insurance
Home insurance is there to protect one of the most important assets you own. When done properly, it will allow you to insure both the structure of your home and the life that is lived within its four walls. Home insurance can be divided into three sections: Building Insurance, Home Contents Insurance, and Personal Valuables Insurance. The […]
Moving to a smaller home may be the answer
Property ownership in today’s economy is no small feat. But even when you’ve worked most of your adult life towards buying the family home of your dreams, the possibility of downsizing should never be discounted. Whether you’re looking at lowering the costs of homeownership, or reassessing your property needs once your children have moved out, there are a number of clear indications that it’s time for you to move on to something […]
Water-wise home improvements
Having a Wikipedia page dedicated to a years-long national drought is not something any country wishes for. Yet, that is exactly what South Africa has achieved. South Africa has always been a country prone to droughts and has become rather resilient against the threatening heat, but when the rainfall lost its regular pattern across most of the country and almost entirely disappeared in some […]
The truth regarding Asbestos Abatement regulations
Recently an article appeared on the digital publication bizcommunity.com that details changes in the Asbestos Abatement regulations. The article has caused something of an uproar between estate agents as it mentions how “asbestos is now outlawed and building owners have only 14 months to plan removals, including homes” (at the time of writing). However, this […]
The impact of the pandemic on the rental market
As the property market continues to piece itself back together amid the ongoing pandemic, the rental market continues to feel the impact of the times more than any other sector in the real estate industry. While property sales have slowly picked up, and first-time homeowners are enjoying the advantages of a buyer’s market, empty rental properties continue to fill the market. With one […]
Buying or renting: Has the question finally been answered?
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 […]
Think twice before you take the law into your own hands
It is a well-established principle in South African law that a person may not take the law into his or her own hands. People aggrieved by the conduct of another must follow proper legal procedure in order to address their grievances and to obtain the relief they want. For instance, a landlord may not evict a non-paying tenant without a court order. It […]
Cancelling an Estate Agent’s Mandate
On whose side is the Consumer Protection Act? The decision to sell a property is usually not one taken lightly. And it’s not an endeavour that is braved alone: most homeowners opt to enlist the assistance of an experienced estate agent to help them sell their home. But because so many parties are involved […]
What’s next for the property market?
Many industries are piecing things back together again this year, as they try to recover from the effects of the pandemic or recreate themselves to remain relevant in a changing world. One industry that has been left unaffected to a great extent, and yet has had to re-create itself almost entirely in the same breath, is the real […]
Moving regulations during the lockdown
We’ve all felt like it – the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, sure someone is keeping an eye on you, watching as you receive a DVD box set that was for some reason labelled “essential” on the online store, sneaking in at 09:20 after the morning jog you were sure was […]