20 Steps to Buying a Home
Step 1 – 20 to buying a home Agent finds property to sell – either by canvassing properties; or via multi-agent sales networks; or by a direct approach from the owner to an estate agent Agent secures written mandate from the owner to sell the property in return for a commission Agent obtains a mandatory […]
Property Practitioners Act will help home buyers make informed decisions
The new Property Practitioners Act (PPA), will definitely assist buyers make informed decisions. In terms of this new law, owners will be compelled to make a written disclosure to every potential buyer regarding all of the significant defects to the property of which the owner is aware. Moreover, the agent, usually employed by the owner […]
Estate agents now owe sellers and buyers an equal duty of care
Estate agents now owe sellers and buyers an equal duty of care Estate agents, soon to be known as “property practitioners” in terms of the new Property Practitioners Act (PPA), are usually paid their commission by the seller of the property. Now the new PPA will compel agents to be fully transparent and ensure that […]
Are estate agents under threat?
And if so, where do the estate agents threats come from? What can estate agents do about it? At HouseCheck we are supportive of estate agents. Nobody likes to struggle. Let’s build bridges of trust together.
SA estate agents face winds of change
The home buying consumer gets the upper hand By John Graham Graham is executive chairman of HouseCheck and founder of the National Association of Building Inspectors of SA (NABISA) The winds of change will blow strongly through the estate agency industry during 2019. South African estate agents have traditionally represented sellers, not buyers, and […]
Will FNB kill off the estate agency business
Will FNB kill off the estate agency business On Wednesday 31 October 2018 FNB dropped a bombshell when it announced a new addition to their banking app that allows clients to list properties on their Nav Home Feature. Prospective Buyers and Sellers can talk to each other via the chat function in the app to arrange […]
How agents can prosper in a buyer’s market
How agents can prosper in a buyer’s market For the first time since 2008 South African estate agents are now confronted with a definite buyer’s market. This means that, because there are now far more sellers than buyers, home buyers are becoming very picky and are driving asking prices down. So, as an estate agent, […]
Home Buyers turning to online forums to vent frustrations
The following post on Hello Peter is representative of some of the ways that disgruntled buyers are turning to the internet and social media to vent their frustrations. In HouseCheck’s view, this real estate company handled the situation badly. Firstly they went into denial and hid behind “agent speak” and denied it was their responsibility to […]
How to stop SA home buyers from being cheated
The publication of the new Property Practitioners’ Bill has been delayed. John Graham founder of HouseCheck and principal of SAHITA asks “why” and points out that the absence of this law compromises the consumer protection of all South African home buyers. Graham writes: Last year the Department of Human Settlements and its subsidiary the Estate […]
Inspections: Agents have vital role to play
Inspections: Agents have vital role to play Home inspections are fast becoming the norm in the South African real estate sales process and estate agents should therefore be using the home inspection report as an important tool in successfully managing negotiations between seller and buyer, says John Graham CEO of property inspection company HouseCheck. Graham […]
