While the increasing interest rates will make buying a home more financially challenging, buying at the top of an interest rate cycle could be a smart move. Firstly, higher interest rates temper demand, so property prices may come down slightly....
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Getting your home off grid – what it would cost
After 14 years of loadshedding, most households have found some way to make do in the face of intermittent electricity outages, but the latest wave of outages has prompted many people to wonder if they can afford to get completely off grid. Stage 6...
You could have building cover without realising it
Deshni Subbiah, chair of the Short-term Insurance Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA) explains that homeowners may have building cover without even realising it. If you are repaying a home loan but didn’t take out...
Improve your credit score
Whether you want to buy a property or a car, most South Africans need credit to do so. And, strange as it may seem, knowing how much credit you qualify for and how you can improve your credit score may just be critical to your ability to continue...
Flood damage: are you covered?
The flooding across KZN has caused major damage to property. The good news is that most short-term insurance contracts will provide cover for weather-related incidents, which includes flood damage. According to Fanus Coetzee, Head of Claims at...
Listen: Build, buy or renovate? Pros and cons when you need new space
If you're thinking about moving or perhaps upgrading your current home, the question you need to answer is: should I build, buy or renovate? The Covid-19 pandemic changed a lot about our lives. With the flexibility around the working environment...
Should you fix your interest rate?
Higher interest rates are a certainty this year, so in light of this, would it be wise to fix your interest rate now? The only prediction we can make for 2022 is higher interest rates. Globally inflation is raising its ugly head and news from the...
Pay off my bond or invest?
Stephen Katzenellenbogen and Brendon Wright of NFB Private Wealth Management address a common dilemma faced by many: should I put all of my spare cash into my bond, or invest it instead? Many people are working towards the goal of being free of all...
Who will inherit your property?
When a person dies intestate (which means without a will), it can become a legal and financial nightmare. If you have property, it’s important to have a will in place which takes the law into account (such as the type of marriage contract you...
Video: Home loan tips
Buying a home is a major financial commitment. While the rate of interest on a home loan is lower than for other forms of credit, the length of time it takes to pay off the loan means you end up paying a hefty interest bill. By reducing your...
Previous Articles
How to save on home loan insurance
When applying for a home loan, the bank will insist that you take out home loan insurance to cover the repayments in the event of death, disability, or retrenchment. Evelyn Doubell, Private Wealth Manager at NFB Wealth Management finds that it’s usually cheaper to...
Pros and cons of a pension-backed home loan
If you're looking at taking out a home loan, it may be worth enquiring whether you can use your pension fund as a guarantee for the loan. A pension fund is permitted by the Pension Funds Act to lend a member an amount of money for the purposes of purchasing or...
Making the home loan process less painful
Buying a home can be a very emotional experience. You’ve found the home of your dreams and imagined yourself living there, and then you take the financial leap of committing yourself to a home loan and years of repayments. Yet the home loan application and transfer...
Online service to value property and vehicles
If you are looking to buy or sell a property, or even just want to find out what the properties in your area are worth, Lightstone Property has introduced an easy, low-cost valuation service for individuals. In the past, the company provided the service to estate...
How does my access bond work?
If you are confused about the effects of depositing extra funds into your home loan, you are not alone. During lockdown, many people looked into their finance agreements, which resulted in a lot of queries about what happens when you pay an additional amount into a...
Get a home inspection before you buy
So you've finally found your dream home and are ready to put in an offer. Before you dive in, be sure that you conduct a home inspection. This is according to Marius Steyn, Personal Lines Underwriting Manager at Santam. Steyn suggests including a clause in your offer...
Listen: Money Makeover: How to invest in property
Have you fallen into property investing by accident? Are you an existing property investor looking to consolidate, or planning on buying your first property? In this podcast Maya (@mayaonmoney) chats to Miguel Martins of Absa Home Loans, a property investor himself,...
Money Makeover: Lessons in planning a successful property portfolio
Like many ad-hoc property investors, Colen has largely fallen into property investment by accident, grabbing opportunities as they arose. He has built a property portfolio of five properties which has put him under financial pressure. His Money Makeover journey has...
Video: Should you use your home loan to buy a car?
Home loans are usually the cheapest form of financing and it may seem like common sense to use this lower interest rate to pay for shorter-term debt like car finance. In theory you save money by paying a lower interest rate, however, most people forget that a car is...
Video: What happens when you pay off your home loan?
If you have been paying extra into your home loan and have settled it before the required date, you need to decide whether you wish to keep the mortgage bond in place. The home loan is the credit facility that the bank grants, while the mortgage bond refers to the...