Expect more building failures as South Africans flout regulations
Expect more building failures as South Africans flout regulations A leading building inspector has warned that fatal building failures in South Africa like the collapse of a new Tongaat shopping mall will proliferate due to a lack of adequate policing of building standards and of building materials. John Graham, CEO of property inspection company HouseCheck […]
Attorney warns: CPA doesn’t apply to single property transaction
Attorney warns: CPA doesn’t apply to single property transaction A Cape Town attorney, specialising in property transactions has warned prospective buyers to thoroughly inspect properties before buying. The attorney Denver Vraagom of Gunston Attorneys recommends that prospective buyers should consider using inspection professionals if required for peace of mind. Buyers need to be careful, says […]
10 Most Common Problems that estate agents, buyers and sellers should know about
10 Most Common Problems that estate agents, buyers and sellers should know about HouseCheck home inspectors know that most home defects they are likely to find in a typical house are fairly similar. Knowing about these common home problems can help the estate agent advise both the buyer and seller. Here are 10 common home […]
Buying a house is such an exciting and yet nerve wracking experience
Buying a house is such an exciting and yet nerve wracking experience Buying a home? – Have you inspected it yet? Once you find a house to love and you start thinking seriously about putting in an offer…. then that is the time to think with your head as well as with your heart. HouseCheck […]
HouseCheck protects home owners from being exploited by builders
HouseCheck protects home owners from being exploited by builders HouseCheck reports already protect cautious South African home buyers from making expensive mistakes when purchasing a property. However many home buyers want to alter, extend or otherwise renovate their new house and that is where more expensive mistakes and huge stress and conflict can easily occur. […]
When should agents recommend a home inspection?
When should agents recommend a home inspection? We had a call recently from an estate agent who wanted to know: “Do estate agents recommend to all buyers that they get a home inspection or do they only recommend a home inspection to buyers if they suspect the property may have hidden problems?” Estate agents should […]
Are estate agents qualified to give this opinion?
Are estate agents qualified to give this opinion? A brief five minute browse through the Private Property web pages this morning revealed some interesting claims made by estate agents about certain properties that they are marketing. When describing the properties they have used terms such as “Immaculate condition” and “sheer perfection”. From a buyers perspective […]
Would you have picked up on these defects?
Would you have picked up on these defects? Today I finished a home inspection for an engineer who was looking to buy a house. I didn’t know he was an engineer until the estate agent who got me the job told me. When I had asked my client, the engineer, if there was anything he […]
Rawson warns about risks of voetstoots sales
Rawson warns about risks of voetstoots sales Estate agent doyen Bill Rawson this week warned agents and home buyers about the perils of buying a property where alterations and additions have not been approved by the local municipality. Rawson pointed out that private one-off sellers are not governed by the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) and […]
OTP should have home inspection as default
OTP should have home inspection as default An estate agent called me the other day to say that his buyer was asking for a home inspection report as a condition of sale. “I hope that this doesn’t cost me the deal” the agent confided anxiously. “Almost certainly not”, I reassured him. “HouseCheck takes the view […]