Sunday, April 27, 2008

Can you afford it?

BUYER TIPS

Applying for a Home Loan

LIST OF INFO NEEDED

Copy of ID (If you are married IN Community of Property you need both spouses ID’s)
Marriage Certificate
Offer to Purchase
Employment Details

Proof of income:
Salaried earner – copy of latest payslip
Salaried earner (basic & Commission) – 6 months payslips -
Commission only – 6 months payslips & 6 months bank statements
Self Employed – 6 months personal bank statements. Letter from the auditor to confirm monthly drawings and audited set of financial statements.
3 months Bank Statements.
A list of ASSETS and LIABILITIES
Monthly Expenses and Income
Not that your relationship with the tax man is any of their business the banks may ask for latest SARS assessment
If property is under sectional title, copy of the financials from the body corporate and name of the managing agent
The National Credit Act which came into effect on 1 June 2007 has forced the financial institutions to be more meticulous when assessing your bond application. They have to make 100% sure that you can afford to pay the bond every month. If it can be proved that the bank has "recklessly" granted you a bond the bank may be liable and could face a fine from the Credit Regulator.

How much do you qualify for?:
The Banks base their bond approvals on your TOTAL disposable income. This means they deduct tax and all monthly expenses (including groceries etc) from your salary and whatever is left is your DISPOSABLE income.

If you have R10000 left after all deductions per month you may qualify for a bond of about R950000. Remember, you can also apply for a bond jointly and thereby qualify for a larger bond amount.

Further Education and Training Certificate (FETC): Real Estate (NQF 4)

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has released (draft) regulations that require all estate agents and principals to have acquired a real estate qualification by December 2011. Agents will be required to earn the Further Education and Training Certificate (FETC): Real Estate (NQF 4) and the principals will be required to earn the NQF 5 Real Estate Certificate in . Agents and principals with relevant working experience may earn their qualification through RPL - contact me for a cost-effective solution. proplib@tiscali.co.za

SAPOA’S 40th Convention

Welcome message from the SAPOA CEO Mr Neil Gopal and the Convention Chairman Mrs Nicole Baumgarten
SAPOA’S 40th Convention will get under way in the Cape Town International Convention Centre from Thursday 29 to 30 May 2008. We anticipate that it will be bigger, better and busier than its predecessors.
South Africa is poised on a new reality, with legislation, leadership and globalisation taking us further into “the new”. We need to gear up, lead and embrace the new environment for growth, and shift our thinking to make it happen.
An exciting line up of local property gurus, as well as a few leading international real estate experts, will discuss and debate matters where powerful leadership is vital if the South African property fraternity is to embrace the challenges that lie ahead. Issues such as the foreign land ownership debate, delivery and capacity at government levels, safer cities and the harnessing of the property sector in the interests of economic development are just some of the subjects that will be explored and debated.
We trust that the 2008 Convention will take into account participants’ wishes, viz a viz the 2007 Convention survey: There will be more local speakers, increased platforms for debate, less powerpoint presentations, and generous time will be built into the programme for networking. Everything possible will be done to ensure that participants will be afforded opportunities to exchange ideas and practical solutions on the sidelines of the speakers’ programme itself.
As in the past, the 2008 Convention will host the SAPOA Awards for Excellence in Property Development and a record number of entries is again expected.
Red line your diary for the 28th - 30th May 2008.

Attention: All Residential Estate Agents

I received this in my in-basket the other day. If you have made money from your dealings with this organisation - write us a comment below!

"Attention All Residential Estate Agents
If you come across a commercial or industrial property for sale, land for development or any seller or buyer for non-residential property, or businesses for sale, then this email is of critical importance to you!
Occasionally in your business dealings, a client will mention that he wants to buy or sell a business, some industrial land etc – a deal which neither you nor anyone in your office is equipped to handle. This is where the Broker Exchange comes into the picture.
By publishing the property through the Broker Exchange you can now receive 40% of the commission for the sale, yet all the detail is handled by those experienced in those processes.
We shall help you with any documentation you require and coach you in its use – all very simple I assure you.
The next step is that you register with us – easy enough as all you need to do is send us an email with your company and personal details. We’ll send you the operating procedures (very simple!) and samples of the most common documents you may require to submit buyers or sellers to the Broker Exchange.
So don’t delay – do it today!
Looking forward to hearing from you.

Kindest regards, Mark RothschildBROKERS EXCHANGEhttp://us.mc552.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=zaboykie@888dragon.com P.O. Box 3773, Dainfern 2055, South AfricaTel: 082 574 6688Fax: 0866 187 011"

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Service with a smile - keep in contact

www.ServiceWithaSmile.co.za

I have not used this service - if you have, write a comment here.

Self regulation?

The business Business Times website carried the article: RE/Max calls for industry overhaul

According to an article by Don Robertson in the SOWETAN on 22 April 2008 RE/Max, has called for the deregulation of the Estate Agency Affairs Board and for the industry to be allowed to regulate itself.

It claims the body is incompetent, fails to return telephone calls, often fails to issue fidelity certificates or does not issue them in time. Estate agents need a fidelity fund certificate to be able to claim commission on the sale of a property. Has this been your experience? Comment below.

About 80000 estate agents were registered with the board last year. It is reported that Jeanne van Jaarsveldt, marketing and financial director of RE/Max, believes that with residential property price growth slowing, the number of agents will drop to about 35000 in time.
What are your views on this?

Van Jaarsveldt also said the consumer and industry interests would be better served if the board was deregulated and the industry could regulate itself.
Have you any views?

Eskel Jawitz, chairman of Jawitz Properties, whose son Herschel was recently appointed vice-chairman of the board, is reported to have said he doubted the board would be deregulated as there is nothing else to replace it. He also admitted, though, that the board was not functioning as it should, but the estate profession should be proactive and try and effect change from within. He also said the call to “unbundle” the board was focussing only on the negatives, but ignoring all the positives that have come about since the board came into operation such as the Code of Conduct and educational standards.

It is also reported that Ken Ralph, vice-president of the Institute of Estate Agents said the matter was “delicate and difficult”.

In the streets of Johannesburg.

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