Getting Started: Buy Your First Home in South Africa
Buying your first home in South Africa follows a set sequence: work out what you can afford, get bond pre-approval, find a home, sign an offer to purchase and register the transfer. The guides below explain each step in plain English — what happens, what it costs, and the clauses to read before you sign.
Pre-qualification is an estimate from the figures you declare, usually with no credit check; pre-approval is a bank’s in-principle decision on verified documents and a credit check, typically valid about 90 days. Neither binds the bank.
Updated 17 Oct 20267 min read
What home loan pre-qualification is in South Africa, how the free online check works, what it can and cannot tell you, and when to upgrade to full pre-approval.
Updated 12 Oct 20265 min read
How long home loan pre-approval stays valid in South Africa — the typical certificate window, why it expires, what happens when it lapses, and how to renew it before you make an offer.
Updated 13 Oct 20265 min read
The full South African buying journey, deposits vs 100% bonds, transfer costs, FLISP, documents and approval timelines.
Updated 29 Sept 20269 min read
How much deposit you need for a home loan in South Africa, when 100% bonds are available, and how a deposit affects your rate and upfront cash.
Updated 20 Oct 20268 min read
A 100% home loan borrows the full purchase price with no deposit — granted case-by-case, never guaranteed. Here is who tends to qualify, what a 100% bond really costs at the current prime rate, and when to avoid one.
Updated 22 Sept 20267 min read
The eight-step buying journey: costs, qualification, offer to purchase, bond application and registration.
Updated 20 Sept 20268 min read
What the OTP means for your bond application: the bond clause, suspensive conditions, validity dates and the clauses to read before you sign.
Updated 04 Sept 20267 min read
What happens to your deposit if your bond is declined: when you get it back, when you do not, and the clause that protects you.
Updated 04 Sept 20266 min read
The seven stages that move a South African property from seller to buyer — offer to purchase, conveyancer appointment, FICA and clearance certificates, transfer duty, lodgement and registration — with who does what and how long each stage takes.
Updated 18 Sept 20268 min read
The four-stage, finance-first checklist for South African first-time buyers: credit score and pre-approval, house-hunting, offer and bond application, then transfer and registration.
Updated 03 Oct 20268 min read
Voetstoots means the property is sold "as is", defects included. Learn what the clause covers, when a seller loses its protection, and how hidden defects can lower the bank valuation your bond is based on.
Updated 06 Oct 20268 min read
The same offer to purchase, conveyancer and bank process as an agency sale — what actually changes when there is no agent, who takes over each of the agent’s jobs, and the traps to close before you sign.
Updated 19 Oct 20268 min read