Cape Town Commercial Consultants

Key advice for home sellers

For most people, buying a home will be the largest financial investment they will ever make. It is possibly going to be their biggest asset and bring them their greatest return on investment over the long term. • It is also perhaps one of the few investments that the owner can enjoy and make use of while it appreciates in value. For these reasons it is important for homeowners to put a lot of time and consideration into the inevitable possibility that they will one day sell their home, says Adrian Goslett, CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa. • While it does happen, few buyers will purchase a home and stay in that same property for the rest of their lives, he says. • “Although property is a long-term investment, a buyer should always buy a home with the consideration that in reality they will eventually sell it. Whatever the time frame, the process of buying and selling should remain the same, with the primary objective being to maximise the return on the investment at the realisation of the sale.” • He notes that in the current market, sellers who want to achieve the highest possible return on their investment will need to follow a certain formula that combines three main elements. These elements are fair market value, an excellent marketing plan and a well presented and prepared home. Click here to read the full article

Steel entrance roof at Bloemhof Depot Capetown

Busy with the new entrance roof at Bloemhof Depot designed by Ebesa Architects and manufactured by LJ le Roux. Quantity Surveyors - Narker & Associates www.narker.com Architects - Ebesa Architects http://www.ebesa.co.za/ Steel Roof Contractor - LJ le Roux Link

Tips to get a bank home loan approved

Credit scoring and how it works? In short, your credit score is based on your financial behaviour towards your creditors and these include things such as: 1. Have you paid your creditors back in time and in full? Balance owing on all your credit accounts, what type of accounts and how they have been handled are taken into account when scoring. 2. For how many years have you been a borrower? If you have a longer credit history it tends to positively impact on your score. 3. How much of your available income is allocated to paying your debt to creditors? 4. Retail stores and banks’ default listings will remain on a credit profile for two years and any judgment against someone will remain on their profile for five years. 5. A score of 660 or higher is considered to be a very good score. 6. Consumers with credit scores in this bracket have a higher chance of gaining finance. 7. Consumers with scores below 620 will find it more difficult to get credit as they will be regarded as “high risk”. Tips on getting a clean record: 1. Paying credit accounts on the due date will increase your credit scoring.This includes accounts such as credit cards, retail accounts, and instalments on loan accounts such as vehicle finance, personal loans and bond repayments. 2. Should you owe money on any account it won’t necessarily lower your credit score, however, some financial institutions might feel uneasy to grant additional credit to someone they feel is overextended. 3. In some cases it is better to have a small balance on an account than no balance, as long as the account is managed responsibly. 4. Avoid being close to maxing out your credit card’s limit. 5. Opening many new accounts in a short time will negatively impact your credit score and be seen as a high risk. 6. Re-establishing credit on old mismanaged accounts and making payments timeously again will raise your score over a certain period of time. 7. Late payments will reflect negatively on credit rating. 8. Do not ignore a legal letter from a creditor - act on it immediately. Read full article

Home: Tips to greening your home

1. Be conscious and aware of your energy usage. Instead use gas heaters rather than oil or electric heaters.

2. Install a solar geyser or heat pump for long-term benefits.

3. Look at your window dressings like curtains and/or blinds to maximise internal insulation.

4. Install insulation on the roof where applicable.

5. Landscape home gardens according to the orientation of the building and existing window schedules.

Plant evergreen or deciduous according to winter and summer months to create shade in areas where there are big windows that receive full sun in summer and in the winter months the leaves fall to allow the sunshine in; this will give you natural heating and cooling of the building.

6. Fit carpeting where there are tiles or use a rug to create warmth in cold areas.

Recycle organic waste and use it in the garden instead of using fertilisers.

These can be stored in summer to keep the temperature down.

7. Recycle waste. Recycleable waste that goes into a land fill creates carbon emissions and is toxic.

When it rains this is washed into the water table and then treated heavily with chemicals to make it safe for human consumption.

8. Recycle organic waste and use it in the garden instead of using fertilisers.

9. Dispose of LED light bulbs responsibly; the mercury in these saves energy but is very toxic.

10. Harvest water. There is an upfront cost for this but the ROI on your municipal bill will be medium term and the water can be used in your garden.

11. Purify water on-site instead of drinking bottled water.

When you re-paint your home, make use of an environmentally friendly paint.

12. Use organic detergents for dishes and use the same water for indoor plants.

13. When you re-paint your home, make use of an environmentally friendly paint.

This is more expensive per litre but you do not need a primer and only need one coat, so it is cheaper on completion.

14. Install an energy efficiency alarm which will indicate to you when you have reached a limit; this will save you money and make you more conscious about consumption.

15. Be aware of unnecessary travel and maximise your travelling with people or do as much as you can in one trip; cycle or walk when you can.