# Getting Started: Buy Your First Home in South Africa - Canonical URL: https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started 1. [Home](https://bond.co.za/) 3. [Guides](https://bond.co.za/guides) 5. Getting started 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. [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [Pre-approval vs pre-qualification: the difference](https://bond.co.za/guides/what-is-home-loan-pre-approval) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [Home loan pre-qualification, explained](https://bond.co.za/guides/pre-qualification-home-loan) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [Home loan pre-approval validity, explained](https://bond.co.za/guides/bond-pre-approval-validity) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [First-time home buyer guide](https://bond.co.za/guides/first-time-home-buyer-south-africa) The full South African buying journey, deposits vs 100% bonds, transfer costs, FLISP, documents and approval timelines. Updated 29 Sept 20269 min read [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [Home loan deposit guide](https://bond.co.za/guides/home-loan-deposit-south-africa) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [100% home loans (no deposit)](https://bond.co.za/guides/100-percent-home-loan) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [How to buy a house in South Africa](https://bond.co.za/guides/how-to-buy-a-house-south-africa) The eight-step buying journey: costs, qualification, offer to purchase, bond application and registration. Updated 20 Sept 20268 min read [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [Offer to purchase explained](https://bond.co.za/guides/offer-to-purchase-south-africa) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [Deposit refunds if declined](https://bond.co.za/guides/deposit-refund-if-bond-declined-south-africa) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [The property transfer process](https://bond.co.za/guides/property-transfer-process-south-africa) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [First-time buyer checklist](https://bond.co.za/guides/first-time-home-buyer-checklist) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [The voetstoots clause explained](https://bond.co.za/guides/voetstoots-clause-south-africa) 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 [Getting started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started) [Buying a house without an estate agent](https://bond.co.za/guides/buying-a-house-without-an-estate-agent) 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 > This is the Markdown version of [https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started](https://bond.co.za/guides/getting-started); that HTML page is the canonical version of this content.