Shopping for a new place

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Modeus

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So my family is getting bigger, and I need to move to something with a bit more space. Nothing huge, but the current domicile isn't going to cut it.

It occurs to me how little I know, things that many people might consider good advice. So, I'm asking for all your tips / advice / top secret strategies! I've just entered shopping mode fully now, and basically looking for either a town house or a house if that narrows the scope of good advice? Flat won't work out. I want a small garden.

I've spent the night looking at property24.co.za and privateproperty.co.za and iolproperty to get a feel for things. Haven't spoken to any agents yet, and my place isn't on the market yet. I'm not in a massive hurry, but I'd like it to be in a new place in the next 6 months.

So yeah, hit me with anything you can think of. I probably haven't thought of it :p
 
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Modeus

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I'm locked to Jhb, east side is preferred because I want to keep my quality time with Jhb traffic to a minimum. For their safety :p
 
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RichardG

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Modeus said:
I'm locked to Jhb, east side is preferred because I want to keep my quality time with Jhb traffic to a minimum. For their safety :p
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Sheriff offices - phone them and ask them when they have the list published at their offices.(Cheap bargains - sometimes the house needs paintwork/renovations and outstanding rates and taxes need to paid. Also check www.myroof.co.za for a list of repossession houses and put an offer they might accept it and you saving R100 - R300 K bar. Bought a house is for R800 fixed it up sold it for R3 bars 6 months later by investing a further 300 K.

Just know your prices, you get ghost bidders :)
 
M

Modeus

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RichardG said:
Sheriff offices - phone them and ask them when they have the list published at their offices.(Cheap bargains - sometimes the house needs paintwork/renovations and outstanding rates and taxes need to paid. Also check www.myroof.co.za for a list of repossession houses and put an offer they might accept it and you saving R100 - R300 K bar. Bought a house is for R800 fixed it up sold it for R3 bars 6 months later by investing a further 300 K.

Just know your prices, you get ghost bidders :)
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Awesome tip, thanks.
 
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RichardG

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satanboy said:
Price your house right and it will sell quick.
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Do banks give 100 % home loans ? If they did then houses would be selling like hotcakes
The local paper about 10 Year's ago would have over 60 - 100 pages of houses only. Free copy! Now I only see 1 page or 2 page.

My neighbour had his house on the market for 3 Year's before he could sale it.

OP - check classifieds on a regular basis example Junk mail - if you see property constantly being advertised(repeated) contact the owner and negotiate cos he/she is desperate. A friend did this for her Town House and saved over R100 K
 
satanboy

satanboy

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RichardG said:
Do banks give 100 % home loans ? If they did then houses would be selling like hotcakes
The local paper about 10 Year's ago would have over 60 - 100 pages of houses only. Free copy! Now I only see 1 page or 2 page.

My neighbour had his house on the market for 3 Year's before he could sale it.

OP - check classifieds on a regular basis example Junk mail - if you see property constantly being advertised(repeated) contact the owner and negotiate cos he/she is desperate. A friend did this for her Town House and saved over R100 K
Click to expand...

I sold my house within 2 weeks.
 
biometrics

biometrics

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satanboy said:
I sold my house within 2 weeks.
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The one I just sold I had an offer in 3 days from the show day and we signed and sealed it 4 days later - 1 week total. Did it myself through privateproperty.co.za and saved myself a **** load by not paying estate agent commission.

Previous one was a ball ache though for various reasons.
 
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Modeus

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biometrics said:
The one I just sold I had an offer in 3 days from the show day and we signed and sealed it 4 days later - 1 week total. Did it myself through privateproperty.co.za and saved myself a **** load by not paying estate agent commission.

Previous one was a ball ache though for various reasons.
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What is the typical % commission? When you listed on the site, did you list at the price you'd settle for or a bit higher?
 
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RichardG

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Gtx Gaming

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RichardG said:
Do banks give 100 % home loans ? If they did then houses would be selling like hotcakes
The local paper about 10 Year's ago would have over 60 - 100 pages of houses only. Free copy! Now I only see 1 page or 2 page.

My neighbour had his house on the market for 3 Year's before he could sale it.

OP - check classifieds on a regular basis example Junk mail - if you see property constantly being advertised(repeated) contact the owner and negotiate cos he/she is desperate. A friend did this for her Town House and saved over R100 K
Click to expand...

Fnb grants 100% home loans for small houses/flats , called a smart bond.

https://www.fnb.co.za/home-loans/smart-bond.html
 
M

Modeus

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sjm said:
Smart Bond is tailor-made for individuals earning a single or joint monthly income of between R3 500 and R25 000 before deductions from the FNB site.
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Thanks for the tips so far. I don't fit into the 100% bond parameters above but I'm asking around to see if anything else is on offer from other banks.
 
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Lukcydog

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biometrics said:
The one I just sold I had an offer in 3 days from the show day and we signed and sealed it 4 days later - 1 week total. Did it myself through privateproperty.co.za and saved myself a **** load by not paying estate agent commission.

Previous one was a ball ache though for various reasons.
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If you buy off privateproperty, as said above, you save on agent's commission. AND to me you also get to interact with the original owners before making an official offer. It gave me piece of mind when I bought our place and being able to converse with the owners on maintenance, geyser issues, roof leaks etc etc. I unfortunately have ZERO respect or time for most agents as they are only interested in making the sale at all costs (deception is their game).

LD
 
M

Modeus

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Lukcydog said:
If you buy off privateproperty, as said above, you save on agent's commission. AND to me you also get to interact with the original owners before making an official offer. It gave me piece of mind when I bought our place and being able to converse with the owners on maintenance, geyser issues, roof leaks etc etc. I unfortunately have ZERO respect or time for most agents as they are only interested in making the sale at all costs (deception is their game).

LD
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Yeah, I'm definitely giving this a shot. Watching a few websites daily now, with alerts for new properties. One thing I've noticed, some of these sites are designed by someone who has never actually tried to search for property. Some of the functionality is just bleurgh.
 
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