No matter if you are an owner occupier or renting, we all have an instinctive desire to create an individual space we can call “home”.
Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is a house transformed into a home in 24 hours. Adding unique, personal touches and arranging furniture and possessions to suit your taste takes time, a commodity that is often a question mark for those who rent.
Topics: Property Management, Advice, Home Tips
It’s important to ask yourself “Do I have a thorough understanding of the Residential Tenancies Act and other associated statutes?” This is a highly specialized aspect of Real Estate and it is fraught with the danger of litigation in almost every task you undertake.
Industry understanding
Topics: Property Management, Harcourts South Africa, Real Estate Agents
Buying your first investment property requires research and planning. Too often the choice is made for the wrong reasons, which can be difficult to reverse, if at all.
Topics: Property Management, Property Investment, First Home Buyer
It’s no secret that real estate is one of the most successful ways toward wealth creation, as a firm foundation in real estate can insure a successful financial future. However, knowing where to start can be daunting. Here are a few practical tips:
Topics: Property Management, Finance, Advice
“There are various ways a rent-to-buy option can be structured and equally as many ways that these deals can go awry.”
Rent-to-buy gives cash-strapped homebuyers the option to own a property in the area of their choice however make sure they read the fine print carefully warn property experts. It is also an option for sellers whose properties have been on the market for a while.
Topics: Property Management, Buying, Richard Gray, Harcourts South Africa, Financial Advice, Weighing up rent to buy
Now is the time when holidaymakers start scouring the internet for properties to rent during the festive season. Last minute planning often fueled by desperation and online scammers exploit this need.
As the internet is usually the go-to platform for holiday rentals, anonymous communication is often a prerequisite, which can make any of us feel uneasy. It is important to understand that you need to be alert and rely on your instincts when parting with personal information and money. Some horror stories have emerged in recent times - most often related to people paying deposits blindly.
Topics: Property Management, Harcourts South Africa, holiday rentals
The festive season is fast approaching and economic activity and consumer spending typically spikes during this time. Many take leave during December, especially due to the relative warm holiday weather across the country.
Topics: Property Management, Harcourts South Africa, Festive Season Tips, Real Estate Agents, holiday rentals
The latest PayProp rental index for the third quarter of 2017 released recently indicates where rental prices have increased and decreased across the South African property landscape.
We've seen how the state of the economy has influenced consumer confidence and put many of us into price pinch between rising food costs, fuel costs and less disposable income.
Topics: Property Management, Agent Life, Harcourts South Africa, Rental Price, Rental Market, Real Estate Agents
When you decide the time is right to sell your rental property, there are certain rules you need to be aware of.
Notice
If an owner puts the property on the market, they must tell the tenant in writing. As a courtesy, and to promote good relations between the sales team and the tenant, they would be advised to let the tenant know beforehand through their property manager.
Topics: Property Management, Selling
Searching the internet has become the norm for consumers looking for homes to rent, with classifieds websites recording huge traffic increases in this category over the past few years.
However, it seems that not a week goes by now without a media report of a potential tenant being scammed out of their deposit and even their first month’s rental by someone who actually did not own the property that was advertised as “to let”.