How to create your wishlist of exactly what you want your property to look like.
Presenter: Welcome back. You're tuned in to your Feel Good Breakfast Show. This is experienced only on SABC 3. Thank you for choosing to start your Thursday morning with us right here on SABC 3. Now we've been running a very exciting series here on your Feel Good Breakfast Show with regards to property, especially if you are a first time home buyer. Now, this morning's episode is all about your wish list - what do you want your property to look like? - and also, the excitement around those houses that's on the show.
Presenter: Well, if you're looking for properties, you probably have your wish list set up already. But once you've got your wish list set up with properties you're interested in, how do you now narrow it down to make sure that you are choosing the right properties? Now once this is done, there is an exciting journey of viewing houses, and we have Private Property CEO Simon Bray in studio to tell us a little bit more.
Simon, I'm so excited to talk through the different properties I've chosen. It is an exciting process, but I think how do you eventually narrow it down?
Simon Bray: Well, this is the best part. This is the fun part. You start with thousands and thousands of properties. You get to choose which one suits your lifestyle, which suits your budget, and then you slowly narrow down the list and you pick the features that are perfect for you. So this is the exciting part.
Simon Bray: This is the exciting part. And I have to say I went on to Private Property's website. I saw two different ones that I'm interested in. And for me, location is key. So I thought perhaps you can shed some light. This is, for example, a three bedroom apartment in Morningside.
Beautiful.
What are some of the things we need to look out for?
Simon Bray: Location is the most important thing about property because you can't move it. So you got to pick the right neighborhood. You got to pick the right suburb. Morningside's a beautiful suburb in Johannesburg, nice value option. I mean, you're talking about a three bedroom apartment. All of the right features in a property like this, 2.2. You might get it a bit better than that if you negotiate well. So I'd say that's a good price for the area.
Is that something you can do is negotiate on--
Simon Bray: Of course.
--a price that's advertised?
Simon Bray: Of course. These are the asking prices for the property, and the South African property market is fascinating in that respect. You'll advertise it at a price, but ultimately it's a willing buyer, willing seller.
Now let's talk about some of these hidden things we see now. I'm seeing rates and I'm seeing a levy fee. What does that mean?
Simon Bray: Well, those are critically important components of what you're going to end up spending as a new owner of that property. So, of course, there's the purchase price, and you're probably going to fund that through some sort of home loan. And then you've got other costs: the rates which you pay in council, which is effectively the tax on the property, and the levy, which is what you're paying to maintain and upkeep those in the block.
So that's something you need to keep in mind because that will be a monthly expense.
Simon Bray: Exactly. Yeah.
Oh, okay. Now the second one I saw is-- this one's actually a one bedroom apartment. It's in Sandown, but the price is a lot more than the previous one, it's 2.7 million.
Simon Bray: Now, this is a beautiful apartment. Sandown is a lovely area. I mean, you can't go wrong when you're right in the middle of Sandton. For working professionals, this is perfect. You're going to be close to the Gautrain, close to your office, presumably. Really good investment property down the line.
We've narrowed it down to two properties. I want to now go and view them. What's the best way to go about it?
Simon Bray: One of the things that people forget is that a lot of these properties are on show where they open them up over the weekend, and the real estate agent will be there to meet with you and you can go at your leisure on a Sunday and view the property. So we've got a section on the site specifically for on-show listings, and so it's worth spending a Sunday morning, have a little breakfast, and then hit the road and go and see a few of these houses. Alternatively, you can call the agent, check the big button at the bottom--
Yes, big red button [laughter].
Simon Bray: --and set an appointment, and then they'll take you through the property with a private viewing, which is always good. It's always better to go and actually see what it's like to walk through the door. Do you have that emotional connection with the space? Is that ultimately your property?
Okay. Well, Simon, thank you so much for this information. We'll definitely keep it all in mind. Now next week, we will be talking through the process of viewing properties along with agents, and exactly how to go about it, and what you should be looking for. Now, are you looking for your dream home? Well, visit www.privateproperty.co.za and explore and discover a house you can call home.
Whether it's your first apartment in the city, a trendy suburban townhouse, or that dream family home on a golf estate, there's a home for everyone on Private Property.
