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April 2024

What to do if you can’t pay your home loan

Six questions to ask your estate agent when house hunting

How to save on your electricity bill and spend more on home maintenance

Choosing the right home for you

March 2024

Buyers urged to make the most of historic low interest rate

February 2024

January 2024

November 2023

October 2023

September 2023

August 2023

July 2023

June 2023

May 2023

April 2023

March 2023

Rate Announcement

Time To Bond press release

Repo rate holds steady – reminding buyers to make the most of the lending rate

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Residential property trends for 2021

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Good start to the year for homebuyers as repo rate holds steady

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Why Mossel Bay is fast becoming the Monaco of the Garden Route

Helping your children to buy their first home

Turn your bond into an effective savings tool

House price growth hits a five-year high as interest rate holds steady at its lowest in 55 years

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Rate announcement – January 2022

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How your home can make you wealthy

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The perks and perils of joint ownership: how to buy half a house without paying for the whole!

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Getting it down to ten – how to settle your home loan in a decade or less

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What’s the difference between buying a sectional title vs. freehold property

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Renovating vs Building from scratch

Moving day made easy

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M is for maintenance

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What is an interest rate and how does it affect your bond repayments?

Is it in your best interest to fix the rate on your home loan?

What is bond origination?

Should I take a 100% home loan?

What attorneys do for homebuyers

What is the prime interest rate?

Fixed or Variable rates

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The ABCs of an OTP

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Lifestyle – not location! – leads the way on the home-buying hunt

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Pick your priorities: finances first, house-hunting later

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Why should I get pre-approved before looking for a home?

What are the different types of sectional title properties?

What are the different types of freehold properties?

What’s the difference between freehold and sectional title properties?

Will getting a BetterBond Pre-approval Certificate affect my Credit Score?

What criteria do banks look at for home loans?

How much will a Pre-approval Certificate cost me?

How much can I afford on a home loan?

Can I pay off my bond earlier?

What are the upfront costs for a home loan?

What costs are in my monthly bond repayment?

What are transfer duties?

What are transfer costs?

What costs are related to home loans?

What is the difference between a fixed and a variable interest rate?

How is my home loan interest rate determined?

Can I use BetterBond to refinance my current bond?

How do you calculate the loan amount?

What is BetterBond exactly?

Will BetterBond be able to service my bond?

Should I take out my life policy immediately, or can I wait for registration?

Will my life policy lapse once my bond is paid off?

Do I have to do medical tests when I take out a BetterLife Protection Plan?

When will my BetterSure Homeowners Cover begin?

Will my premium increase each year?

Are BetterSure Homeowners Cover and bank insurance the same thing?

Do I have to take the bank’s insurance, or can I choose BetterSure Homeowners Cover?

Why use BetterSure?

Can I negotiate on my interest rate?

Does BetterBond offer home loans for investment properties?

Is my information protected and secure?

Is BetterBond a direct lender?

What is the maximum age you can be, to be considered for a home loan?

What do you need to qualify for a bond?

What exactly does a bond originator do, and what are the real benefits of using a bond originator?

If I’m married in community of property (COP), must my spouse be included in the application and/or pre-approval?

Will the payment from the bank to BetterBond affect my loan re-payments?

Can attorney fees be included in the loan amount?

What are the requirements for a home loan if I am self-employed and/or sole proprietor?

Can I use my pre-approval certificate as a guarantee?

What’s the difference between a pre-qualification and a pre-approval?

Will I need an offer to purchase (OTP) to apply for a home loan or for pre-approval?

I’ve heard of FLISP. What does it stand for and how does it work?

Can BetterBond assist me with switching from one financial institution to another?

Can BetterBond help me with a building loan?

Can I apply for a bond together with another person?

I’m a South African citizen living or working abroad. Can BetterBond still help me?

Does BetterBond help foreign nationals?

Besides home loans, can BetterBond also assist me with bonds for trusts and businesses?

Does BetterBond only help first-time homebuyers?

What is the minimum income I need to qualify for a home loan?

Is BetterBond a financial institution?

Once I have my pre-approval certificate, how long is it valid for?

How long is the entire pre-approval process

Do I have to pay to get pre-approved?

Why is getting pre-approved for a bond so important?

Why do I need to sign so many documents at the attorneys?

I’ve heard of ‘approval’ and ‘final grant’. What’s the difference

Once my application has been submitted, how long do I have to wait for approval?

Do I follow up my application by checking in with the bank, or do I call BetterBond?

Do I have to use the bond originator suggested by my agent, or can I use any originator?

Can BetterBond guarantee that I will obtain home finance?

Can BetterBond guarantee me a low interest rate on my bond?

Does the fee earned by BetterBond mean that I have to pay hidden costs?

If I use BetterBond to get my home loan, will I have to pay BetterBond?

So, how does BetterBond get paid?

Why is buying a home an investment?

Is it better to rent or buy property?

Why use BetterBond?

Affordability

The more information you can provide, the more accurate your estimate will be.

This affordability calculator uses the current interest rate, but the rate that will be applied to your home loan could vary, depending on factors like your credit score and whether you've saved a deposit.

Interest rate

This affordability calculator uses the most common home loan term, which is 20 years (240 months), but you can enter another timeframe and the results will change accordingly.

Repayment term

Enter your (and your co-applicant's) monthly income before taxes to determine affordability.

Monthly gross income

Enter your (and your co-applicant's) monthly income after taxes to determine affordability.

Monthly nett income

The monthly amount you pay on debt and household expences. Do not include rent or loan amounts if these will be replaced by the new bond payment.

Monthly expenses

This is the monthly repayment calculated on the loan amount you qualify for.

Total monthly repayment

This is the amount you qualify for based on the income and expences information you captured.

Total loan amount

Repayment

The price of the property you're buying and will therefore have to repay.

Purchase price

The amount you need to borrow, and repay with interest, to finance your property purchase.

Bond/Loan amount

This repayment calculator uses the current interest rate, but your actual rate will vary based on factors like your credit score and the size of your deposit, if you have one.

The most common home loan term is 20 years (240 months), so that's what this repayment calculator uses, but you can change the loan term to see how the results will differ.

The monthly repayment on the loan amount you qualify for.

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