Buying Property - Advice please

[daveob]

Hi All

We are about to sell-up in jhb and move to Amanzimtoti.

Since the last property I bought was in 1989, I'm sure lots has changed since.

Any advice appreciated about anything I should be wary of, like :

Electrical certificate/s - can the buyer insist on choosing the sparky ? Who pays for it ? Can I get an additional independant assessment if the seller 'bought' his certificate ? Can this be a clause in the agreement ?

Do we have a trusty sparky here in the forum who works the South Coast that I could have do an independant assesment ?
And what about the structural condition of the building/s - should they be inspected ? and by who ?

Should I trust the estate agent ( who I assume works for the seller, as the seller pays the costs ) ? Who do I get to check the contract ? How long does an offer to purchase last ? can I shorten it to a few days ?

General property condition - does 'voetstoots' apply, or is there recourse for structural defects found within 'x' time ?

this list is getting longer every time I review it, so how about this one :

does anyone have an A - Z list of things to do when buying or selling ?

[Ann Kempen]

Hi daveob,

I don't think I would buy without using Inspect-A-Home. That's what they do, they inspect homes from top to bottom before your buy. Frederick who is in Gauteng is a great fellow with sound advice. These are his numbers - he would be able to tell you who you would contact in your area. And if you want to know more about them - his website is http://www.sahomezone.co.za/

If you do chat to Frederick, please let him know that I recommended him. He is a fount of information.

Good luck with the purchase of your new home.

Contact Person: Frederick Ollewagen

Phone: 0828784366
Fax: 0866879950
Hotline: 0828784366

[Graeme]

This was a long time ago, but when I bought our home I took the documentation to my bank and the sub-accountant looked it over. He crossed out a few clauses. When I asked if that would jeopardize the sale he smiled and said that I would not hear a peep out of the seller - nor did I, the seller's agent was just trying it on.