Since the implementation of the National Credit Act, banks will qualify you for a home loan based on the total net disposable income you have available.

 Use our new affordability calculator to assess your buying power prior to the NCA and as it really stands now after the implementation of the NCA.

Affordability Calculator – Click Here

Apply for your home loan through Multinet Mortgages today and get your foot on the property ladder.

Sectional Title home-owners are often confused as to the responsibilities regarding the maintenance of their unit and unsure when to call upon the body corporate for help.

Bev Nelson, partner with Shepstone & Wylie's property department, explains that the property in a sectional title scheme is divided into two categories.

These two categories comprise the "sections", which are the individually owned units, and the "common property" covering the balance of the land and building parts.

"An owner is generally responsible for the maintenance of his section while the body corporate looks after the common property," explains Nelson. The Sectional Titles Act states that the common boundary between any two sections or between a section and the common property shall be the median line of the dividing floor, wall or ceiling as the case may be.

"When it comes to walls, the median line is the line between the two layers of bricks used to build the wall of the unit."

"Therefore, maintenance to a wall on the inside of the unit is seen as part of the section and must be carried out by the owner. Maintenance to the outside of a wall of the unit is seen as common property (as it is beyond the median line) and is the responsibility of the body corporate. "Hence, the general maintenance of the outside of the building and issues such as painting, varnishing of the outside of window frames and the repair of gutters is in the care of the body corporate." She explains that the approach is the same with regard to the roof or floor of a section.

Windows, however, are a little more difficult because they usually lie on the median line. The general approach has been that the body corporate is responsible for the part of the window on the outside and the owner for the part of the window on the inside. The owner would handle issues such as varnishing the inside frame of the window and repairing broken handles. "However, problems arise when the fault lies with the pane of glass as it cannot be split down the middle," Nelson says. "Generally, owners need to pay for the replacement of a pane of glass, as, if the body corporate had to be liable every time an owner broke a window, this would have implications for the levy. Broken windows are considered an expense not normal to the ordinary running of the building and therefore are not covered by the levy." The issue with rotten windows is to ascertain if the rot is coming from the inside or outside of the building. If it is from the outside it is a body corporate issue and is usually as a result of the weather conditions. Therefore, it is likely that there is more than one unit in the scheme with the same problem. A complaint should be lodged with the body corporate who will then need to deal with the problem as a whole, not just the concern of the one owner by accessing funds from the monthly levy contributions or raising a special levy specifically for that purpose. Nelson cautions, however, that notwithstanding the above, a sectional title owner should bear in mind that each sectional title scheme has its own set of management and conduct rules. "These should be consulted carefully as they may contain specific provisions, regarding the maintenance of sections and common property, which are different to the usual position as set out above." News24.com

Home price escalations in Johannesburg have come to a virtual standstill and owners should expect little or no growth for the next 12 months.

That’s the shocking prediction of Lew Geffen, chairman of Sotheby’s International Realty in SA, who says that while prices have risen this year, the August interest rate increase has put a lid on further growth – and that this situation is quite likely to be exacerbated by another rate increase in October.

The latest Absa figures show that prices in the middle segment of the housing market grew 7,5 percent in real terms in the 12 months to end-July, and Standard Bank’s figures show an increase in its median house price of 5,7 percent year-on-year in August.

“But our expectation is that Johannesburg prices will be showing zero growth by year-end and that this will continue until interest rates start coming down in mid-2008,” says Geffen.

“With the household debt to income ratio now at almost 76 percent, there is really significant buyer resistance to the current level of pricing because of the loan repayments involved, and we are already seeing instances where it is taking more than six months to sell a property.”

This is obviously not good news for home sellers – and especially those who have owned their properties for less than two years, who face the prospect of really tough negotiations to get a property sold while making little or no profit on the deal.

The news is, however, better for prospective buyers because although prices may be higher than they like, genuine sellers are likely to be willing to negotiate. Wages and salaries may now also start rising faster than house prices.

Indeed, says Geffen, while it is not pleasant for the participants, this stagnation will finally bring the market back into balance. “At the moment the market is still about 10 to 15 percent overblown. But the way things are going, it should have corrected by the middle of next year when, short of any sudden economic shocks, we can expect to see supply and demand in balance again.”

Many swimming pools areas suffer from inadequate planning in terms of trees, shrubs and flowers that are suitable for planting near and around the pool perimeter. As always, planning prevents costly mistakes. Whether you are tackling the project from scratch or improving an existing layout, it is well worth making a key sketch plan of the area to ensure that you stay on track when it comes to important design aspects such as unity, proportion, balance, perspective and suitability. In this way you will not be wasting your time and money on unsuitable planting.

Unity: Regardless of the architectural style, the house and garden should form one complementary unit. Because the swimming pool forms an intrinsic part of the entertainment area, this section of the garden should blend in and complete the overall garden layout – e.g.
if your pool is a formal, classic design, then the decorative elements such as water features, statuettes and containers should complement the look.

Proportion: Whether you have a pocket handkerchief-sized garden or a park-like expanse, the pool area needs to be planned proportionately, from the size of the surrounding trees and shrubs to decorative features such as rockeries, water features, statuettes, container plants and garden benches and loungers.

Balance: The layout may be symmetrical or asymmetrical, but should never be lop-sided – i.e. if there is a prominent feature on one side, it should be offset by something of similar proportions on the other side in order to maintain a balanced look.

Perspective: The smaller the pool area, the more difficult it is to achieve depth and perspective. The way to go about it is to bring in suitable groups of plants and accent plants and enhance them with innovative decorative features that work together to create optical illusions. Viewing the swimming pool area from its entrance to the farthest boundary, you could plant a row of topiary subjects, e.g. ‘Lollipops’ of Viburnum or Ficus benjamina into specially prepared paving squares or containers, beginning with short ones nearest you and gradually increasing their height towards the farthest point – in this way you would ‘stretch’ the view and make the area look longer. Following the same principle, the use of a curving path, a group of shrubs or some other feature would create an illusion of width in a long, narrow area.

Suitability: No matter how beautiful a tree, shrub or plant may be, it is of little value if it does not suit the needs of the swimming pool surround – which means no deciduous leaves, no thorny branches and definitely no invasive root structures. Plant evergreen plants to reduce the leaf litter in autumn and winter. Upright growing plants to avoid problems with spreading branches over the pool surround: tall shrubs such as Melaleuca Bracteata ‘Johannesburg Gold’, Colocasia (Elephant Ears) and Nandina domestica (Sacred Bamboo) are ideal. Standards or Lollipops are also winners – Ficus (in pots) being a firm favourite. Syzigium (Brush Cherry) and a variety of conifers are also available in Lollipop shapes. Palms, tree ferns and tropical ground covers also contribute to an overall lush appearance. Plant fragrant multi-usage herb borders such as Penny Royal to deter ants, fleas and mosquitoes, and Basil to ward off flies.

It all comes down to good, solid common sense. By proper planning right from the start, you can be sure of creating a swimming pool and entertainment area that gives you years of pleasure and enjoyment and is the envy of your friends… without your becoming a slave to the garden surrounding your pool.