“Don’t wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate and wait.” (Will Rogers) Spring is in the air and, as the annual uptick in property sales kicks in, let’s address two questions commonly asked by both sellers and buyers who are unsure about exactly what happens after they sign their sale agreement: How does the […]
Category Archives: Property
01
Sep
Sep
“Dance like no one is watching, but text, post, and email like it will be read in court one day.” (Anon) When can the target of rude comments and insults on a community Facebook group sue? The High Court recently grappled with a community debate over free-roaming jackals that turned sour. The golf estate and […]
01
Sep
Sep
“You aren’t buying a house, you’re buying a lifestyle.” (Anon) As more and more residential properties are subdivided and developed, an increasing number of homes are effectively cut off from direct access to the nearest public street or road. That’s where the “panhandle” comes into play, a narrow strip of land (looking on diagrams very […]
01
Jul
Jul
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” (Douglas Adams in The Salmon of Doubt) Contracts often contain suspensive conditions, a common example being the bond clause in a property sale agreement. The standard bond clause provides that the buyer must obtain a bond by a set deadline, and […]
01
Jul
Jul
“I charge you by the law.” (William Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice) Victims of crime are entitled to see the perpetrators brought to justice. Feeling that the justice system has failed you can cause significant psychological harm and feelings of victimisation. So, what happens if you believe that you are the victim of a […]
Family Law, Property, Wills and Estate Planning
How to Avoid Fighting Over the House – A Guide for Life Partners
02
Jun
Jun
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of bandages and adhesive tape.” (Groucho Marx) It’s a perennial topic of dispute in our courts. A couple lives together, sharing the same roof and everything else in perfect happiness and harmony. Until it all goes south. Then the gloves come off and, particularly if our erstwhile […]
02
Jun
Jun
“Trust me, I’m a lawyer.” (Popular T-shirt slogan) South African property buyers and sellers will have been cheered by news that we are now officially the most affordable country in the world in which to buy a home. We’re only a nose ahead of the USA and Bahrain in this particular race, but it’s great […]
01
May
May
“A body corporate’s lot is not an easy one.” (With apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan) One of a body corporate’s core functions is to collect current and outstanding levies. When a section owner becomes uncooperative, recovery can turn into a difficult, costly and lengthy process. Good news for trustees is that it just became a […]
01
May
May
“Look before you leap.” (Wise old proverb) Imagine sealing the deal on your dream property, only to wake up at 3 a.m. beset by sudden doubts. Thoughts like “Can we really afford it?” or “How on earth could we have fallen in love with that old dump?” haunt you. You may have a strong urge […]
02
Apr
Apr
“Good in parts” (Like the curate’s egg) Transfer duty threshold increased by 10% You pay no transfer duty if the property you are buying sells for less than the set threshold. The threshold wasn’t increased last year, so this year’s proposed 10% increase from R1,100,000 to R1,210,000 (from 1 April) is a welcome adjustment for […]