The Propertify guidebook
Practical answers to everyday questions about buying, selling, renting and owning a home in South Africa.
Avoid home-buying mistakes in South Africa. Check finance, transfer costs, defects and offer conditions with a worked rand budget and document checklist.
Propertify Editorial Team
Attract and keep good tenants in South Africa with realistic pricing, clear rental adverts, fair screening and a practical checklist for landlords.
Write a clear South African rental advert with a practical example, monthly and move-in costs, accurate photos, disclosure guidance and a final checklist.
Use Propertify’s agent and service directories to build a practical referral network and make it easier for clients to find you.
Plan your estate agency's local marketing with useful content, accurate listings, lawful follow-up and a worked rand budget that measures more than clicks.
Compare the PPRA’s three entry routes for estate agents, apply for your candidate Fidelity Fund Certificate and check the training and exam deadlines.
Compare South African rental management tools for rent, leases and inspections. Check pricing, test a partial EFT and see what you can export.
Compare fixed and variable bond repayments, three-year interest costs, rate resets and exit terms before choosing a South African home loan.
Downsize your home in South Africa with a checklist for measuring furniture, timing your sale and move, budgeting for a gap, and handing over keys.
Work out what you could keep from a South African home sale, including commission, bond settlement, certificates, clearance cash, moving costs and tax.
Compare what you’d keep from a sale with rental cash flow, tax and the cost of keeping your South African home for another two years.
Compare homes inside and outside gated estates on security, levies, access and the rules that shape daily life.
Buying or renting in Bantry Bay? Compare street access, coastal maintenance, sectional title levies and the total cost before you sign.
Go from budgeting and home loan pre-approval to making an offer, checking the property and completing transfer.
Check rent increases, extra charges, repairs, deposit terms and notice periods before you sign a South African residential lease.
Compare Airbnb and a long-term lease using annual costs, break-even nights and South African letting rules. See how 2027 Cricket World Cup bookings could affect your numbers.
Compare paying cash and taking a bond on the same home. See what each option leaves in savings, costs in interest and means for your offer.
Learn when to get a structural assessment report in South Africa, who to appoint, what the report should cover and how to use its findings before buying.
Compare Sandton properties using signed rents, building costs and a vacancy test. See what local listings and Johannesburg sales data can tell you.
Check Olympus Sandton’s published prices and completion targets, then verify your unit’s floor plan, costs and rental terms before buying off-plan.
Work out how much cash a move could free up, compare monthly costs and check whether a smaller home would suit your day-to-day needs.
Check what an eco-friendly estate delivers at your address. Compare certification, solar backup, water systems, levies and real running costs.
Compare new builds and older homes in South Africa using move-in costs, NHBRC cover, snagging, inspection findings and transfer timing.
Compare buying in your name and through a trust. Check trustee authority, bond terms, transfer duty and tax on rent or resale before you sign.
Use virtual property tours to compare South African homes, request a useful live walkthrough and plan the checks that still need documents or an inspection.
Plan a low-maintenance South African garden with plants suited to your site, less unused lawn, sensible watering, a worked mulch budget and a checklist.
Work backwards from comparable sales to set your maximum offer, budget for a longer hold and check the tax treatment of a South African house flip.
Decide what to DIY, when to call a specialist and what to check on South African building approvals, trade certificates and contractor quotes.
Compare renting and buying in South Africa with a worked five-year rand example covering upfront cash, monthly costs, loan capital and money left after a sale.
Test a South African buy-to-let before you make an offer. Work out your net yield, bond shortfall and cash reserve, and check any lease you’ll inherit.
Test whether South African property fits your long-term plans with net rental income, a worked cash-flow example, reserve checks, inflation and exit costs.
Find out which repairs and upgrades are worth doing before you sell, how to set a renovation budget and what approvals and certificates to check.
Budget for your rental, verify the landlord or agent, check the lease and understand your deposit and inspection rights in South Africa.
Use a fair tenant screening checklist to verify income, check rental references, get credit-check consent and handle applicant data under POPIA.
Manage a South African rental from move-in to handover. Learn how to handle inspections, repairs, rent arrears and the 7-, 14- and 21-day deposit deadlines.
Set a defensible asking price using comparable South African sales, then compare offers by net proceeds and review your price using buyer feedback.
Choose when to list your South African home using local sales evidence, your transfer deadline and a worked example of what waiting costs.
Prepare your South African home for photos and viewings. Follow a room-by-room staging plan, prioritise spending and handle known defects before you list.
Compare what you own, who pays for repairs and what levies cover. Check the title, scheme rules and any special levy before making an offer.
Check the levies, estate rules, visitor access and backup services at your address before buying or renting in a South African gated estate.
Each topic silo features curated legal guidance, statutory references, and contextual calculators.
