As we have said before your home needs a certain amount of street appeal and thus needs to look good from the outside as it’s the first impression a buyer will get.So paint the outside if necessary and have a good look at the state of your front garden or driveway.Most people will be put off buying a property with a very overgrown garden as they begin to imagine all the work involved in bringing back up to standard.If you have the funds available and feel it is necessary have a professional give you a quote.

If you have a pool you absolutely need to ensure it is crystal clear at all times.Buyers may view a pool as a hassle and if they see that the current owner has not been able to maintain it they will be even further discouraged.Pool safety is also a major concern for buyers with children so ensure that yours is well maintained and up to standard.

Concerning the inside of the home be aware of the state of your electrical wiring,if you suspect there may be problem have it checked out.Buyers may say the sale is dependant on having a professional electrician check the state of the wiring.Any problems in this area my result in an unforeseen cost that you may struggle to cover on top of other costs involved in the sale of your property.

The same goes for your plumbing,maintain it well while you live on the property so that you don’t have to fork out large sums of money to repair things when you want to sell.

Your geyser is also a very important and often overlooked appliance in the your home.A good geyser has years of life in it and shouldn’t give you any problems.However an old or badly maintained geyser is extremely dangerous.They can literally explode in extreme cases and cause severe water damage over time if they leak unchecked.Always get a professional to check your geyser unless you really know what you are doing, they have a system that releases internal pressure and can be complicated.Don’t attempt to repair anything you aren’t qualified for.

Some of the things in your home need to be carefully maintained for your own safety and to encourage a successful sale when you put it on the market.Take pride in your home and buyers will feel far more comfortable imagining themselves living in it.

We all want to get the best price for our home and some may even face going into negative equity if they don’t, but if you can it may be prudent to re-evaluate your asking price as this may really help you out in the long run.There are a few reasons why a speedy sale is better, one of which is that you may end up paying the bond for your old home and the new home you may already have purchased.I am sure no one wants to end up paying an extra bond.

A seller should always be realistic and get advice from professionals who can advise them about all the pitfalls involved in waiting for your asking price in the specific market conditions you are faced with.

Some other information of concern is that in FNB’s latest barometer has indicated that there has been a major increase in homes being sold because the owner is immigrating.At the moment immigration accounts for 20% of house sales,this is more than double the 9% we saw at the end of 2007.The rate of immigration also shows no sign of slowing down and is second only to downsizing due to financial strain in the reasons for selling.

Most experts are still holding to their predictions that we will see an improvement in the housing market in the 3rd quarter of next year.That seems like a long way away and many homeowners may be giving up hope.There is help out there for anyone suffering under the strain of trying to keep up with the demands of paying a bond. Contact your lender before it is too late and inform them of your situation, sometimes they can offer a solution that really will work for you.

That seems like a step in the right direction and Eskom has also stated it is debating whether or not to enter into a power buying deal with EDM, a Mozambican power company.2017 does seem a long way away when we are faced with rolling blackouts on a regular basis at the moment.

Nothing is final yet and Eskom still needs to finalize the location of the new plant and the group who will build it.Eskom will take until the end of 2008 and then announce who has won the tender to build.There are two major contenders for the tender,Areva and Westinghouse.Hopefully the company who wins will remain on track as a major delay will only further extend the current situation and become extremely detrimental to the country’s future growth.

Eskom also has to take into account the environmental effects another nuclear power station will have, and they have conducted three environmental impact studies for this purpose.Oyster Bay, Duynefontein and Skulpfontein were chosen for the studies and the data collected from them will aid in the decision making process.

I suppose we can only wait for Eskom to announce the location of the new plant and then wait some more for the plant to be completed.It really does seem like a long time to wait until you find out how complex and time consuming the process of building a nuclear plant is.I would rather wait a little longer and be assured it was built correctly.

Depending on the bank you have your bond with they may have included a clause stating that you the owner must give them 90 days notice of your intention to cancel your bond.This is very important to know because if you do not give them this period of notice you can be held liable for the interest you would have paid over 90 days even if transfer has already gone through.So as a seller check with the bank as to whether or not you have this clause on your bond and if so give them notice early enough so that you don’t end up paying all that extra interest.

Another major thing that could ruin the chance of a speedy transfer is the status of your tax history with SARS.Keep in mind that if your tax affairs are not up to date SARS will not issue a Conveyancer with a transfer duty receipt.This goes for both the buyer and the seller,if either party is not up to date there could be major delays.

The information regarding ownership of the property is also vitally important to keep up to date.In the case of multiple owners of a single property make sure any deaths or divorces are accurately reflected in any important documentation.Be aware of what is important and check that the sale agreement reflects information correctly,whether it’s the method of payment agreed upon or who exactly is selling the property.

So you may feel you can leave all the details up to the professionals but first make sure that there will be no unnecessary delays due to oversights that could have been avoided.

It is a versatile facility and not only can you withdraw funds you can also use your homeloan in a savings capacity.If you pay funds in above the monthly installment agreed upon into your homeloan you can avoid alot of interest over the years.

Some people who utilize this facility pay their salaries into their bonds and transfer funds out as they need them for debit orders or other monthly expenses.The interest on your bond is calculated on the daily balance so if you use the facility in this way you really can end up paying your bond off sooner than you ever imagined.If you really want to make a dent try convincing yourself to pay your bonus in as well.It sounds really boring but this is the way to go if you want to free yourself from the financial burden of a bond sooner.

Depending on your personal situation you could even use it to purchase larger items like cars.This is definitely not money for nothing though and you have to take care to be really financially responsible with any credit facility.Have a plan to pay off any large sums in a way that will not further strain your finances in the long term future.

As i said above the banks have been changing their lending policies recently so contact the bank where your bond is and ask them about this option.Get an opinion from a reputable service provider about all the positives and negatives involved and if it will work for you.

The site was purchased by the Old Mutual Property group in May last year for more than R89m,the development of the site is projected to cost R1.2bn.The developers are hoping to include 14 500m² of hotel accommodation,33 000m² of office space, and 2 500m² of retail space.Also on the agenda for the building is that it is to be benchmarked according to the Green Building Council of South Africa’s green star rating system, giving it even an more unique edge.This will be the cities most ambitious development since the V&A Waterfront and is targeted for completion in 2011.

But not all residents are happy with the idea of an even taller building in the CBD.The biggest complaint seems to be a concern that the building will ruin the view of what the Mother City is most famous for,Table Mountain.In the past height restrictions have been very closely monitored for this reason and safety concerns about the strong winds Cape Town experiences.

While it may end up being the tallest building in the city some are saying that it won’t be that much taller than the LG building in the near vicinity.One of the reasons the city may have approved it’s construction is the increasing lack of space in Cape Town,with some arguing skyscrapers are the way to go in the future for the space saving capabilities they have.

Although I have to say it would be very sad to see the wonderful view the city is renowned for obscured by countless skyscrapers.I hope it doesn’t go that far.

The item that topped the charts is the smell of pets in the home.In my personal experience I can say I completely agree with this assessment.I have been to view houses that were absolutely lovely but was completely put-off by the heavy odour of pet smells and even pet food.Pets are of course a wonderful addition to a home but if they spend alot of time indoors the smell can start to become a problem.If you do have this kind of pet friendly household it may be wise to de-odorize the areas of concern,and perhaps move the pet food outside where possible.If you are not sure that there is a problem ask a friend or even the estate agent to give you their honest opinion.Doing this may make a huge difference as to whether or not you sell your home.

Not too far down the list of turn-off’s was the smell of cigarette smoke.As we all know smoking is increasingly seen as a social no-no, and many landlords are even banning smoking in their rentals.So with this in mind it should be obvious that when trying to sell your home the smell of cigarettes as well as the actual physical effects on the paint and finishes of a home will be a major deterrent.So if it means washing the curtains and maybe a fresh coat of paint this may also mean the difference between selling or not.

Maybe when we try and sell a home we should go through our list of 5 senses and improve the ones that actually apply.I don’t really know if touch or taste would be something to improve upon,but certainly sight,smell and what your ears pick up would be.

Examine your home as you would a strangers,I’m sure you could muster up a critical eye if you have to.Does it smell nice? Does it look presentable? Is there a way to minimise the road noise, close a few windows maybe…?

Buyers try and imagine themselves in your home, so if you suspect a personal habit or lifestyle is decreasing your chances of selling consider a change,even if it is temporary.

Another major factor is of course the affordability of buying a home,everything has just become so expensive.We all go on about having no disposable income,and in reality the effects thereof are great.The increasing cost of food and fuel eat away at our ability to afford the home of our dreams.The current repo rate of 12% doesn’t help matters either.Although i suppose that’s all basically the same thing anyway.

The homeowners wishing or needing to sell at the moment have basically no negotiating power.It is a buyer’s market and they are driving prices down.It’s all about supply and demand and at the moment the buyers are the item in demand.So for those who can afford to buy there are probably some great deals out there.

Most experts are also only predicting a real turnaround towards the end of 2009,after the interest rate has been cut a couple of times and households have had a chance to re-evaluate their financial situation.However we also all know that what one expert says today can be entirely contradicted by another expert the very next day.

So we are left with an unclear idea of exactly when things will turn around,but it also can’t stay this way forever.

The bank had to readjust it’s lending policies due to increasing financial pressure that has affected other banks.Many people will be left wondering when they will ever be able to afford a home of their own.It doesn’t look good at the moment and we are all waiting to see what will happen with interest rate.

Will it go down in December or only next year in April.Most economists are predicting a drop early next year but some are saying things in the global economy are moving too fast for that and are predicting a December drop.

The interest rate drop will bring about a recovery in the residential property market and just make repayments more affordable.With the National Credit Act already making it tougher to get a home loan the instigation of deposits for all home loans won’t improve peoples chances of getting a home loan at the moment.

It leaves one wondering whether or not they may bring back 100% bonds when things improve for us again.Maybe by that time our credit histories will also have improved because of the restrictions imposed by the NCA.

Well, the poor sellers out there are probably not at all happy with the current rate of bond approvals and it looks like they may still have to wait a while before they have the upper hand to negotiate for their best interests.

I hope we can all look to future and know that it’s probably going to get a lot better before the middle of next year.

There are of course mixed feelings about the outcome,with many average Americans concerned for their loved ones stationed in Iraq.Obama has said he wants to end the war once and for all and many are wondering what the policy changes may mean for those soldiers.

We can also not forget the racist incidents throughout his campaign.The most recent of which saw men arrested for conspiring to kill Pres. Obama.However the general mood seems jubilant and optimistic,with voters saying they were ready for change.

His economic advisers are well respected and are expected to be able to deal with the country’s current financial crisis. Investors are also attracted to Pres. Obama’s commitment to fiscal discipline,more stringent regulation and sorting out the budget and current account deficits.Economists are predicting immediate short term benefits for the markets but are unsure of the country’s long term financial future.Republican presidents are usually viewed as better for the markets because of their business friendly policies.However Democratic Presidents are viewed as being more popular for investors.

It will certainly be an interesting presidency ,especially from the perspective of having a Democratic president for the first time in years,and after all the dramatic events during the Bush administration.The war in Iraq,Afghanistan,the September 11 attacks and of course the current financial crisis the counrty faces.

Hopefully Pres. Obama will have a less controversial and dramatic presidency.