Summer has always been a prime time to buy and sell property in South Africa. Everyone’s spirits lift with the blue-sky weather, the festive season beckons, and holiday travel booms.  If you’re planning to take advantage of this seasonal upswing by selling now, get your ducks in a row with our Seller’s Checklist – a simple and practical guide with all the key ingredients for a perfect sales strategy. You’ll be well on your way to a successful sale and a quick...

Spring is a great time to address two questions which sellers and buyers often ask: how does the transfer process actually work, and how long does it usually take? Have a look at our “Transfer Process in a Nutshell” flowchart for an outline of the major steps in the process, all the way from signing the deal through to the transfer being registered in the Deeds Office.  Then we’ll move on to the second question: “How long does it take?” As all entrepr...

We all must die, no exceptions. So, it’s amazing that so few of us actually protect our loved ones with wills. Perhaps the problem is that the siren call of procrastination sounds so clearly and seductively when it comes to delaying that evil day when we have to actually sit down, consider our mortality, and make a will. But sit down we must. If you need help stirring yourself (or someone else you care about) into action, have a look at our list of “I don’t have a will becaus...

Time and again our courts are faced with property sellers who, when sued by buyers for hidden defects, try to hide behind a voetstoots clause in the sale agreement. They say, “The buyer bought the house ‘as is’ and can’t complain now”. But that can never protect a seller who has fraudulently concealed a defect. We illustrate this in the context of a devastating house fire caused by a dangerous and unlawful building practice. The High Court made short work of holdi...

It’s easy to lose sight of deadlines in all the excitement of a home sale, but the consequences of letting a deadline expire can be dire. A recent Supreme Court of Appeal fight resulted from the buyer not getting a bond before the deadline expired. At the time, both buyer and seller wanted the sale to proceed, so they signed an addendum to the sale agreement which they thought would resuscitate their agreement. They were wrong.  We’ll discuss the SCA’s reasoning in re...