immoafrica blog

The seven habits of accomplished home buyers Buying a new home is especially stressful for first-time buyers but they can do much to look like “old-hands” – and avoid common problems – by following some basic guidelines. The very first of these, says Berry Everitt, MD of the Chas Everitt International property group, is to [...](more...)

Should you sell or become a landlord? If you’re a home owner whose job suddenly demands that you transfer to another town – or country – for a while, you could have a tough time deciding what to do with your property. “Many work-related moves these days are only for the duration of a specific [...](more...)

Many home buyers still believe that their best chance of obtaining a home loan is to apply to their own bank – especially if they are long-term customers in good standing. “But this is not necessarily true,” says Rudi Botha, CEO of BetterBond, SA’s leading mortgage originator. “Our statistics show that while 83% of our clients request [...](more...)

Waiting to see if your bond application will be approved has always been one of the most stressful aspects of buying a new home – whether you’re a first-timer or an old hand. But now, in a smart move that is bound to please banks and estate agents as well as prospective homebuyers, leading mortgage [...](more...)

Market on the move as home loan applications rise 23%. Home buying activity has increased substantially over the past 12 months, even though only about four out of every 10 bonds granted are for 100% of the purchase price. That’s the word from Rudi Botha, CEO of BetterBond, SA’s biggest mortgage originator, who notes that [...](more...)

Beware of buying too much home Given the strict provisions of the National Credit Act, it is virtually impossible these days for prospective homeowners to buy at the outside margin of their affordability. However, with prices still well off their boom-day highs and interest rates at the lowest level in almost 40 years, there are [...](more...)

Banks hike home loan deposit requirements back to recession levels The average home price rose at an annualised rate of 6,15% in September to R886 000, but the average percentage of purchase price required as a deposit in order to obtain a home loan also continued to accelerate. It rose to 19,3%, compared to 17,4% [...](more...)

Buy a home and get rich. If you want to start getting wealthy, do whatever it takes now to get a bond and buy a home. If you want to stay poor, get a personal loan and spend it on all the things that make you feel rich now. That’s the real – and simple [...](more...)

PROPERTY BAROMETER – The 30 Year Loan…. Is it the right thing to do? Dear reader, Given the tight economic conditions and post recession hangover, creative thinking is required to get ahead in the game. I have seen some interesting alternatives to the standard home loan being offered, one of which is the 30 year [...](more...)

Be savvy when it comes to bond finance. A great deal of bond originators have recently released statistics showing that home loan grants have increased to 20% year on year. This is a definite indication of the property market picking up. Even though the grants have increased, the number of applications being declined has also [...](more...)

In 1894, Pierre de Coubertin proposed the Latin phrase Citius, Altius, Fortius, (Swifter, Higher, Stronger) to the Olympic Committee. It has served as its motto ever since. The Olympic Games brings together world-class athletes vying for medals, records are broken and new benchmarks established, as evidenced by the outstanding achievements of South Africa’s athletes. In [...](more...)

It’s Mortgage Monday. Stay bond savvy with immoafrica’s Mortgage Glossary. Today it’s M, for Mortgage…(more...)

Jump into the world of mortgage jargon with us, as we help you stay home-finance savvy. This week it’s I…(more...)

Jump into the world of home finance jargon with our Mortgage Glossary. This week we take a look at letters G and F…(more...)

It’s time once again to jump into the jargon of the world of home finance. This week we feature letters E & F…(more...)

By Xavier DeBuck With the end of March approaching, many (financial) professionals will be looking forward to receiving their yearly bonus. Some will take that money and happily spend it on a new car. Others will enjoy spending it on that yearly special holiday (perhaps this year to Maritius?) as they’re in dire need to [...](more...)

When you apply for a home loan, the bank will investigate and analyze every aspect of your finances, to ascertain whether or not you are a high risk client or worth their investing in your home.

Here are some tips to help ensure that when you visit your prospective lender you make the right impression and get approved in no time at all.(more...)

By Xavier DeBuck When was the last time you were going to eat some fruit salad, but once you took the container out of your fridge, opened it and gave it a good smell, you quickly realized something in it had started to go bad.(more...)

By Xavier DeBuck There has been a lot of talk as of late regarding the financial abilities of youngsters in the property market. Specifically, those sub-30 year olds trying to get their hands on their first home are finding it much tougher than their peers from previous generations.(more...)