Property made simple

Selling on homely removes the biggest line item, commission, typically 5 to 7.5% plus VAT. The remaining costs are modest, but they should be in your budget from day one. Complianc...

Transfer costs catch many firsttime buyers off guard. Budget 8 to 10% of the purchase price for everything outside the deposit. Transfer duty A SARS tax on transfers above R1.1m, c...

Most sellers focus on price. The fastest sales come from a few unsexy basics done well. Declutter ruthlessly Empty surfaces photograph better and feel bigger in person. Do this bef...

Buying is emotional. These tips keep you on the rails. Get preapproved before you fall in love Preapproval defines your real budget. Viewing homes before you have it means falling...

How Does the South African National Credit Act Affect Your Home Loan? The National Credit Act (NCA) is one of the most important pieces of consumer protection legislation in South...

What Happens if a Buyer Pulls Out of a Sale in South Africa? It does happen. A buyer signs an Offer to Purchase, the seller accepts, and then for whatever reason the buyer wants ou...

Voetstoots vs CPA: Your Rights When Buying a Home in South Africa Two pieces of legislation sit at the heart of buyer protection in South African property transactions: the traditi...

What Is a Compliance Certificate? (Electrical, Gas, Beetle, Plumbing) Before a property transfer can be registered in South Africa, the seller must provide compliance certificates...

Why homely Is ChannelAgnostic: Selling with or without an Agent One of the things we're most deliberate about at homely is what we call channel agnosticism. It's a somewhat technic...

POPIA and Property: How Your Personal Data Is Protected in a Property Sale Every property transaction in South Africa involves the collection and sharing of significant personal in...

The Property Practitioners Act (PPRA): What It Means for Buyers and Sellers If you've dealt with an estate agent in South Africa recently, you may have noticed references to the PP...

How homely Helps FirstTime Buyers in South Africa Buying your first home is one of the most significant financial decisions of your life. It's also one of the most informationdense...

South African Property Law for Sellers: What You Must Know Selling a property in South Africa involves navigating a set of legal requirements that exist to protect both parties to...

FICA Compliance in Property Transactions: What Documents You Need If you've bought or sold a property in South Africa in the past few years, you've encountered FICA. Your conveyanc...

The Complete Guide to Property Transfer Costs in South Africa 2026 One of the biggest surprises for firsttime buyers and even experienced buyers is how much cash you need beyond th...

homely vs Property24: What's the Difference? If you've started researching South African property platforms, you've almost certainly come across Property24. It's the country's domi...

Property Tax in South Africa: What Homeowners Pay and When When people talk about "property tax" in South Africa, they usually mean municipal rates the charge your local municipali...

What Is the homely Referral Reward Program and How Do You Earn? Property is one of the most wordofmouth driven sectors in the world. When someone has a genuinely good experience bu...

Sectional Title vs Freehold: The Real Cost Difference Over 10 Years When you're choosing between a sectional title apartment or townhouse and a freehold house, the purchase price i...

How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House Privately in South Africa? One of the most common questions from sellers considering the private route is: what does it actually cost? The hon...

Estate Agent Commission Rates in South Africa: What's Standard? If you're selling your home with an estate agent, commission is going to be one of your biggest costs. Here's what's...

Bond Registration Costs Explained With Real Rand Amounts When your home loan is approved, the bank's bond must be registered at the Deeds Office before the transfer can proceed. Th...

How to Use the homely Property Transfer Cost Calculator One of the most common points of confusion for property buyers and sellers in South Africa is the full cost of a transfer. T...

What Are Transfer Duties in South Africa and Who Pays Them? Transfer duty is a government tax charged on the purchase of immovable property in South Africa. If you're buying a home...

How Much Deposit Do You Need to Buy a House in South Africa? The short answer is that there's no fixed minimum deposit required by law but in practice, having a deposit significant...

Understanding Bond Costs: Initiation Fees, Registration Fees, and Monthly Repayments When you take out a home loan in South Africa, the monthly repayment isn't the only cost involv...

What Is PreQualification and Why You Should Do It Before You Look at Houses Prequalification is a preliminary assessment by a bank or bond originator of how much they're likely to...

How to Apply for a Home Loan in South Africa: Everything You Need to Know Getting a home loan approved in South Africa is a process and like most processes, it goes more smoothly w...

FirstTime Home Buyer's Guide in South Africa 2026 Buying your first home is one of the most exciting and most stressful things you'll ever do. It's a big financial commitment, ther...

How homely Works: Your EndtoEnd Property Journey in One Platform Property transactions in South Africa are fragmented. Buyers and sellers typically deal with multiple separate prov...

Selling a Home in Johannesburg: Joburg Suburbs Explained for Sellers Johannesburg is South Africa's economic engine, its largest city by population, and its most active residential...

Buying Property as a Foreigner in South Africa: What You Need to Know South Africa is one of the most open property markets in the world when it comes to foreign ownership. NonSout...

Selling a Home in Cape Town: What's Different About the Western Cape Market? Cape Town's property market has its own character. It's one of the most soughtafter property markets in...

What Is an OTP (Offer to Purchase) and How Does It Work? The Offer to Purchase usually called an OTP is the document at the heart of every property sale in South Africa. When a buy...

How Long Does It Take to Transfer a Property in South Africa? The honest answer is: typically six to twelve weeks from the date the Offer to Purchase is signed but it can take long...

What Does a Conveyancer Do and Do You Need One for a Private Sale? If you're selling your property privately without an estate agent one of the most common questions is whether you...

What Is a Sectional Title Property? A PlainLanguage Explanation If you've been looking at property in South Africa, you've probably come across the term "sectional title." It's one...

What Documents Do You Need to Sell a House in South Africa? Selling your home involves more paperwork than most people expect. Getting your documents together early well before you...

How to Price Your Home Correctly in South Africa Getting your asking price right is probably the single most important decision you'll make as a seller. Price too high and your pro...

Agent, Hybrid, or Private Sale: Which Route Is Right for You? If you're selling your home in South Africa, one of the first decisions you'll make is also one of the most important:...

How to Sell Your Home in South Africa: A Complete StepbyStep Guide Selling your home is one of the biggest financial decisions you'll ever make. It can also feel overwhelming there...

Property vs Shares: Where Should South Africans Invest in 2026? The propertyversusshares debate is a perennial one in personal finance circles. In South Africa, it takes on specifi...

Semigration: Why South Africans Are Moving to Smaller Towns and What It Means for Property Semigration the movement of South Africans from large cities to smaller towns and alterna...

How Interest Rate Changes Affect Your Bond Repayment Every time the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) announces a change to the repo rate, the conversation turns to what it means f...

Is Now a Good Time to Buy Property in South Africa? This is one of the most frequently asked property questions, and it deserves an honest answer. The short version: for the right...

Best Areas to Buy Property in Johannesburg in 2026 Johannesburg is South Africa's largest city and its most active property market by volume. It's also a city of remarkable contras...

Best Areas to Buy Property in Cape Town in 2026 Cape Town's property market is one of the most desirable in Africa. It's also one of the most diverse the Atlantic Seaboard market o...

South African Property Market Outlook 2026: What Buyers and Sellers Should Know The South African property market entered 2026 with cautious optimism. After several years of pressu...