Greg Ridley Realtor Estate Agent Intern

The Property Transfer Process

I am only listing the transactions that are relevant to the Buyer or Seller.

1. The Estate Agent meets with the Buyer and completes the Offer to Purchase advising the Buyer of all the clauses in the contract and the impact they have. The Buyer signs the Offer and the Agent can sign as one of the witnesses if required.
2. The Agent delivers the Offer to the Seller and advises them of the clauses as well. The Seller can reject the Offer if it is not suitable, in which case the Agent would encourage the Seller to do a counter - offer whereby the Seller alters the offer to make it acceptable. The Agent would then need to take this offer back to the Buyer to accept. If however the Seller did find the offer acceptable they would then sign it along with witnesses and hand it back to the Agent. See my previous post on Choosing a Conveyancer.
3. The Agent sends the signed and completed agreement to the nominated Conveyancer, the Buyer and the Seller.
4. The Conveyancer immediately contacts the Buyer, requesting deposits if applicable, and Seller, requesting the whereabouts of the title deeds, and F**A documents
5. Once the Buyer’s bond is approved and other suspensive conditions are fulfilled, The Conveyancer will draft the transfer documents and make arrangements for both the Buyer and Seller to sign. The Buyer would then be asked to pay the transfer and bond costs.
6. The Conveyancer would apply for the rates assessment from the municipality. Once this is paid the Conveyancer would then apply for the rates clearance certificate, levy clearance certificate and transfer duty receipt. Note that the Seller must not pay any further rates unless instructed to else they would need to apply to the municipality for a refund due to the duplicated payment.
7. The Seller must then obtain the electrical clearance certificate, gas compliance certificate, entomologist report and electric fence compliance certificate and issue same to the Conveyancer.
8. Once the Conveyancer has all the relevant certificates, reports and deeds, etc the matter can then be sent to the Deeds Office to get lodged.
9. Registration should take place from 7 to 10 working days. On this day
The Seller’s bond is cancelled and settled.
The Buyer’s bond is registered.
The property is transferred from the name of the Seller into the name of the Buyer.
Any refund due to Buyer is paid.
Estate Agent’s commission is paid
Balance of the proceeds of the sale are paid to the Seller.
10. The Conveyance would furnish the Buyer and Seller their final accounts and send the copy of the new title deeds to the Buyer.

Surround yourself with people you can rely on and trust.

Should you have any queries or wish for more information don’t hesitate to give me a call anytime.

Who am I and what I do

I have lived. studied, worked, farmed and run businesses in Kwa-Zulu Natal. During this time I have gained an in-depth knowledge of people and places in different walks of life and areas from the Coast to the foothills of the majestic Drakensberg.

Whether you are looking for residential, town house, retirement, apartment or farming properties, I have a wealth of information and experience that I use to assist you in making the most important decisions of your life, helping you live your dream.

"Plan for the worst and Hope for the best" is a philosophy that I try and apply to all decisions that I make. Let me plan and deal with all the hassle whether you're buying or selling ensuring you a simple and smooth transaction or transition in your life.

The Midlands area that I currently specialise in includes Hilton, Merrivale, Howick, Karkloof, Curry's Post, Dargle, Lions River, Lidgetton, Balgowan, Rosetta, Mooi River, and parts of the Drakensberg.

Surround yourself with people you can rely on and trust.

Don't hesitate to give me a call anytime.

Choosing a Conveyancer

Common law determines that the Seller is entitled to nominate the Conveyancing Attorney. This is because the Seller authorises the Conveyancer, by way of a power of attorney, to transfer the property into the name of the Buyer. However the Buyer and Seller may agree to appoint the Buyer's Conveyancer instead.

Seeing that the property is to be transferred into the Buyers name, they, the Buyer, pays the transfer fees and transfer duty, etc.

If the property to be purchased is going to be bonded then the bank will appoint a Bond Attorney for the Buyer's account.

When deciding on a Conveyancer consider the following:-

1. Will the Conveyancer come and meet with you where it is convenient to sign documents or will you need to drive and find parking at their offices.
2. All Conveyancers charge a standard tariff, however some are negotiable on their fees, especially to help the Seller get his fair price.
3. Not all law firms do conveyancing and therefore refer the matter to another firm which may cause unnecessary delays.
4. If the Seller resides outside the country make sure that the Conveyancer has the expertise to ensure that the Seller will receive the proceeds from the sale of the property as soon as possible.
5. Conveyancers are human and you therefore get some who are more reliable, act quicker (Where you not just a file in a pile) and have greater knowledge and expertise, doing the transaction as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

The Estate Agent would also be able to recommend Conveyancing Attorneys to you taking into account previous transactions and the time it took for previous transfers. After all the Seller wants the proceeds as soon as possible.

Surround yourself with people you can rely on and trust.

Don't hesitate to call me anytime.

Price Assessment

If you're deciding on selling your farm, home or development property you will need to make sure that it's marketed at the right price. After all, price is the most important factor.

An example,- If you advertise your property for sale at R1,000 there'll be a queue. Just an extreme to get the point across.

There should be 4 steps to get as accurate a price to sell your property at:-
1. Compare your property with others in the area that are similar that have been sold already. This gives an indication of what Buyers are offering and what Sellers are accepting.
2. Compare your property with others that are currently for sale. This will give you an idea of how long it will take to sell. Buyers will be comparing your property to others with similar offerings and deciding on an order.
3. Consider the municipal value. A property should never sell below this value unless there is something wrong.
4. Take into consideration fixtures and fittings, eg, kitchen cupboards, bedroom cupboards, light fittings, sanitary ware, etc.

I definitely believe that you need to get this done by an agent who has viewed and sold many properties making use of their expertise. Surrounding yourself with people you can rely on and trust.

Dont hesitate to call me anytime