Friday, 30 March 2007

Did You Know ???


When buying a home for the first time you need to check all details on the offer to purchase:
* The description of the property
* The purchase price as agreed upon
* The Estate agents Commission is inline with what was agreed upon
* If you are a deposit, the deposit must be held in an interest-bearing trust account - and you get the interest.

Thursday, 29 March 2007

AIP - Approval in Principle


I re-read the article that was posted yesterday about "My first home loan" and realised that it was kinda like reading an article about the latest computer technology available. "You know the latest MP3 trends in Audio Visual technology is the MPEG4 format which is compatible with most converters.... WHAT?!? "

So lets elaborate on some of that mortgage/bank jargon that we've heard before but been to afraid to ask about:

abbreviation: AIP
Approval in Principle

An approval in principle is a confirmation from the banks (that you applied to for your bond) saying that IF you are clear as a client and all credit checks come through clear PLUS your salary has been verified with your current employer, that the banks "in principle" are happy with granting you a bond. This is the first step in the bond process.

Wednesday, 28 March 2007

Buying my first property!


We managed to get Storm Diss to write an article for us about her experience purchasing a house with regards to the bond application. I think that the way in which it is written will probably answer alot of peoples questions and will be alot more useful than putting some silly little How-To document together.

Article By Storm Diss:
"The best feeling in the world is to be a proud owner of your first house or apartment. It's nerve wrecking but when dealing with the best bond originator, who puts your mind at ease, it's an absolute pleasure.

The bond application was submitted to the all the banks(ABSA, Nedbank, Standard Bank or FNB) by the bond originator with all the supporting documents. Supporting documents consist of the following: A copy of your ID, your latest payslip and 3 months bank statements. The bond then takes 5 - 7 days to be fully granted. By day 3 I had an approval in principle status back from your originator which is subject to a satisfactory valuation of the property. The banks then sent out an assessor to assess the property.

Once the valuation of my property was successful with ABSA bank, they had to approve the final bond application. All instructions were then sent through to the attorneys who drew up all the relevent documents for us to sign. Once this is complete the bond application goes through to the deeds office which was then registered in our names. The entire process took about 2 months. The key point is to have a very good attorney (I can reccomend one if needed), this helps speed up the process.

My first bond experience was very exciting and pleasant. Thanks to Wizard Midrand for always making mortgage magic!!"

Introducing Bruna "The Queen" - FINALLY!

Hi 'world'...

I'm the 'mature' member of this home loan family, why, cause I'm the eldest and the dumbest when it comes to technology...but....dont underestimate this "Queen"!
I pump with ideas in the home loan industry and with the clothing business that I run as a sideline.

What is it about me that makes me different...?

I was born in Italy in a small village called Ripatransone,whose claim to fame is that it has the smallest street in Italy and the best food, wine and oil, hence.. I am obsessed about using 'the best' ingredients when cooking. Family dinners are the best time of my day and they mean the world to me.
I love life and the mystery that life is and things like meditation make sense to me and form part of my life.

Stay tuned for 'the queens' home loan tips and property articles.

Si parla Italiano, la lingua piu bella ed romantica del mondo.

Monday, 26 March 2007

Top 5 ways on how to make that agent earn their commission

  • Do no try to please or befriend an estate agent

  • Beware the "Big Lie". An agent will often inflate the price they say they can sell the property for to get the business
  • Interview several estate agents and make sure they know you are doing so

  • Sign nothing before thinking carefully and getting independant advice

  • Remember, the estate agents commission is huge, make them earn it.


  • That's it!
    Happy Buying!