CHECKS WILL BALANCE RISK

Call fault-finding experts when you are buying a property

TWO OF the most rewarding things about writing this column are the “repeat” business I receive and when I meet people I have offered advice to over the years.

This happened twice in the past week. Daniel, who has been carefully planning a renovation to one of his properties for more than a year and who asked me for advice last year, came into our offices to go through the price one of my colleagues had given him.

It is not the fact that he is thinking of using us, but rather that he has done his homework by going through the correct channels to find contractors who are registered and compliant, not to mention all the other things I write about.

Then Mike, a good friend who is thinking of buying another property, called to check what he should put into his offer to purchase to ensure the offer is subject to a complete building survey before a deal is completed.

This is not just for standard plumbing and electrical certificates, but a complete inspection by a qualified person to ensure there are no nasties that would not be picked up by the average man in the street, including cracks and dodgy roofing.

Before you buy I often advise readers to make use of the services HouseCheck. They have a new e-book out titled Sectional Title Ownership – The Pleasure and the Pain, according to their note to me.

Sectional title living is becoming the norm for many South Africans. Investments in gated estates, for instance, have proved to be rather good over the past few years, and the benefits of shared expenses for security and entertainment cannot be discounted.

However, living in a sectional title complex comes with rules, rights and obligations, and these are not always understood.

This book has been compiled by HouseCheck to help sectional title owners and trustees to understand their rights and “increase the pleasure and reduce the pain” of sectional title life.

This is an important book because many sectional title owners, trustees and managing agents ignore aspects of the laws put in place to protect sectional title owners.

See www.housecheck.co.za to learn more.

Sectional title living is becoming the norm for many South Africans.