The library
Selling property privately
in South Africa
29 guides covering what it costs, what the law asks of you, and how a transfer actually works. Every figure is checked against SARS and the other primary sources, and each guide lists the ones it used.
Figures verified 28 September 2026
Start here
3The whole process end to end, for sellers and for buyers.
How to sell your house privately in South Africa
Selling your house without an estate agent in South Africa: the nine steps in order, the documents you need, who pays what, and when the attorney steps in.
How to buy a house privately in South Africa
Buying straight from the owner, step by step: what a R2 000 000 home costs, how to confirm the seller owns it, where your deposit must sit, and red flags.
Is it safe to sell your house privately in South Africa?
Where the money sits in a South African property sale, how the emailed banking-details scam works, and how private sellers vet buyers and run safe viewings.
What it costs
7Commission, transfer duty, tax and the cash you need up front.
What it really costs to sell a house in South Africa
A quoted 5% commission is 5.75% once VAT is added: R115 000 on a R2 000 000 sale. Every other cost a seller pays, who sets it and when it comes off.
How to price your house in South Africa
Work out what your house is worth from registered sale prices, not asking prices: where to find them, what a Lightstone report shows, and who can afford it.
Transfer duty and transfer costs in South Africa
No transfer duty up to R1 210 000 in 2026/27, then 3% to 13%. The SARS table, duty at common prices, and the buyer's full transfer cost with attorney fees.
Capital gains tax when you sell property in South Africa
How capital gains tax works when you sell property in South Africa: the announced R3 000 000 primary residence exclusion, base cost and the 40% inclusion rate.
Should you buy property in a trust or company in South Africa?
Buying property in a trust or company in South Africa? How each is taxed in 2026/27, what changes for the home you live in, and what moving a home in costs.
Rental property portfolio in South Africa: several rentals in your own name, a company or trust?
Several rentals in South Africa: own name, company or trust? Worked tax examples for 2026/27, section 7C and 20A, and what moving homes in costs.
Sole mandates in South Africa: the rules, commission and cancelling
What a sole mandate binds you to, when the CPA lets you cancel on 20 business days' notice, what the Code requires, and when commission is owed.
Legal and compliance
4What the law requires of you before a sale can register.
Compliance certificates you need to sell a house in South Africa
Which compliance certificates a South African seller needs: electrical, gas, electric fence, water and beetle, the rule behind each, and when to book them.
Seller disclosure and the voetstoots clause
What the voetstoots clause covers when you sell a house in South Africa, why it fails a seller who hid a known defect, and how written disclosure helps.
Rates clearance and levy clearance certificates when selling
How a rates clearance certificate works when you sell: what the municipality bills in advance, the 60-day validity, fees, delays and claiming your refund.
FICA compliance when selling a house in South Africa
The FICA documents your conveyancer must see before transfer, for individuals, spouses, trusts and companies, and why they ask where the money comes from.
Doing the deal
6The offer, the conditions attached to it, and the transfer itself.
What is an offer to purchase in South Africa?
What an offer to purchase must contain, when signing makes it a binding sale agreement, and the one narrow legal exception that lets a buyer cancel.
The OTP decoded: six elements every seller and buyer must know
A conveyancing attorney's guide to the six elements that decide whether an offer to purchase protects you: signatures, the four Ps, suspensive conditions, the 72 hour clause and voetstoots.
Safeda and Associates
Suspensive conditions and 'subject to bond approval'
What 'subject to bond approval' means in an offer to purchase, what happens at the deadline, why a lapsed sale cannot be revived, and the 72-hour clause.
What is occupational rent in South Africa?
Who pays occupational rent before and after transfer, how the amount is set and worked out by the day, and what early occupation risks for both sides.
Selling a house with a bond in South Africa
Yes, you can sell a house with a bond. How it is settled at transfer, the bank's 90-day notice, the legal cap on penalty interest, and cancellation fees.
Conveyancing and the property transfer process
The property transfer process in South Africa step by step: who appoints the conveyancer, the three attorneys, how long it takes and when a seller is paid.
For buyers
5Deposits, bonds and what to check before you sign.
First-time home buyer guide for South Africa
The cash a first home needs beyond the deposit, the income banks look for at each price, and who qualifies for the First Home Finance (FLISP) subsidy.
How much deposit do you need to buy a house in South Africa?
Banks set the deposit; 100% bonds exist. What 10% or 20% down does to repayments on a R1 500 000 home, the transfer costs on top, and who holds the deposit.
Bond pre-qualification and pre-approval in South Africa
The real difference between bond pre-qualification and pre-approval in South Africa, what banks assess under the National Credit Act, the documents you need, and why it matters when you make an offer.
The prime rate in South Africa: the current figure, its history and your bond
Prime is 10.75% from 25 September 2026 (repo 7.25%), per the SARB. Every change since 2020, and what each did to the repayment on a R1 500 000 home.
Sectional title vs freehold in South Africa
Sectional title, freehold and full title in an HOA estate compared: what you own, who maintains what, how levies and special levies work, what to ask first.
Particular situations
4Divorce, a deceased estate, emigration, a new development.
Selling an inherited house in South Africa
Who signs when a house is sold from a deceased estate, what heirs must approve, the Master's certificate, transfer duty on inheritance and 2026 CGT figures.
Selling a house during or after divorce
Who must sign when you sell a house during divorce, what if your spouse refuses, why the order does not move the house, and the transfer duty and CGT rules.
Selling South African property as a non-resident
Selling SA property as a non-resident: the section 35A withholding of 7.5%, 10% or 15%, how an NR03 directive reduces it, CGT, and moving funds abroad.
Buying off-plan in a new development
Off-plan from a developer: VAT inside the price, no transfer duty, why your deposit sits in trust until the unit can register, and NHBRC warranty deadlines.
These guides are general information about South African property practice, not legal or financial advice.