Category
Home loansA small loan against property uses a house, flat or land you own as collateral, which usually buys you a lower interest rate and a longer repayment term. Here is how secured lending works in South Africa and what to check before you sign.
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Home loansA home loan – or bond – is long-term finance secured against the property you buy. Here is what the term really means, how the process works from prequalification to transfer, and what it costs in South Africa.
Read 8 min
Home loansA loan against property lets you unlock the equity in your home to pay for renovations, education, a business or debt consolidation. Here is how second bonds work in South Africa - what you can borrow, what it costs, and the risks to weigh up first.
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Home loansSouth Africa's First Home Finance subsidy (formerly FLISP) gives first-time buyers earning between R3 501 and R22 000 a month a once-off grant towards a home. Here is who qualifies and how to apply.
Read 6 min
Home loansTwo banks can quote very different rates on the same bond, and half a percentage point can cost you six figures over 20 years. Here is how to compare home loans in South Africa properly - rates, fees, term and flexibility - so you sign the deal that actually costs the least.
Read 7 min
Home loansBuilding instead of buying means a building loan – finance paid out in stages as your house goes up. Here is how construction finance works in South Africa, what banks require, and how to take a project from approved plans to final handover without nasty surprises.
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Home loansFor many South Africans the biggest asset they own is the home they live in. A cash loan against property turns part of that value into money in the bank - without selling. Here is how equity release works, what lenders look for, and how the payout process runs from valuation to Deeds Office.
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Home loansMoving your bond to a new bank can cut hundreds of rand off your instalment - but only once the switching costs have paid for themselves. Here is the break-even maths, the full cost list and the step-by-step process.
Read 8 min
Home loansFrom the first affordability calculation to the day the conveyancer hands over the keys, a South African home loan runs through ten distinct stages - and most delays happen because buyers only discover a stage once they are standing in it. This guide walks through the full process, what each bank is actually assessing, what the paperwork and cash costs look like, and how long registration really takes.
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Home loansBefore you fall in love with a house, it helps to know what a bank will actually lend you. This guide explains how South African lenders turn your income, credit record, debts and deposit into a bond amount - with worked rand examples, the documents you need, and the moves that lift your number before you apply.
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Home loansNo South African bank approves everyone, but some make the process noticeably smoother - through 100% bonds, instant prequalification and faster turnaround. Here is how the major lenders differ, what actually decides your approval, and why one application to several banks beats a hopeful application to one.
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Home loansThe equity in a South African home is real money, it just sits in bricks and mortar until you borrow against it. This guide sets the routes side by side, from an access bond withdrawal to a second bond, and shows what each one costs, how long it takes and when it is the wrong move.
Read 7 min
Home loansLoan-to-value is the share of a property or vehicle price that you are borrowing, and it quietly decides your interest rate, your deposit and sometimes whether the deal happens at all. Here is how South African lenders calculate LTV, what each band means in practice, and how to move yours in the right direction before you apply.
Read 8 min
Home loansA home loan protection plan settles or services your bond if you die, become disabled or lose your job. This guide explains what the cover pays out in each case, what it costs in rand under the National Credit Act caps, why you never have to buy the bank's own policy, and the exclusions that catch South African homeowners out at claim stage.
Read 9 min
Home loansStandard Bank, Absa, FNB, Nedbank, Capitec and SA Home Loans all finance property in South Africa, but none of them is cheapest for everyone. This comparative guide sets out what each lender is genuinely good at, which features are worth real money over twenty years, and how to make them bid against each other for your bond.
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Home loansSouth African banks work backwards from your income, not forwards from the asking price. Here is the arithmetic behind a bond approval, what a given salary realistically qualifies for, and the six things that move the number before you apply.
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Home loansSouth African banks do not decline bond applications at random - every requirement they set answers a question about risk. This guide sets out what a lender needs from you before you apply: the credit record, the income and affordability tests written into the National Credit Act, the deposit and loan-to-value rules, the FICA paperwork, and the checks run on the property itself.
Read 9 min
Home loansGovernment housing subsidies exist precisely because a deposit and transfer costs are what stop most South Africans from buying a first home. This guide sets out the programmes that are actually open to applicants, the income bands and rules behind them, and the order in which to do things so that a subsidy application does not stall.
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Home loansAn equity finance loan lets you borrow against the value you have already built up in your property instead of selling it. Here is how equity is calculated in South Africa, the four routes your bank will offer you, what the registered bond amount has to do with it, and the costs and risks to weigh up before you put your home behind a loan.
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