If you have unmanageable debt and it looks like you are going to lose your house, go speak to someone. If you need to find out what you can do and how to get help go to the NCA site http://www.ncr.org.za there is a lot of information available there. I know it is never easy to ask for help but rather do it sooner than later. Your other options are to go to your bank, write a letter to them as well, but go to them and talk to a HUMAN BEING, and see what they can do for you.

I always say you should try whatever you can and brace yourself for what could happen. As soon as the markets turn, and they will, if you managed to keep your real estate, you will be smiling again.

When you have real estate and you plan to rent it out make sure you have an idea of the kind of tastes your target market has. The easiest way to determine this is by looking around the neighbourhood at other houses for sale. Go check out the property and get a feeling for the kind of tenant you are going to attract and what they might like.
Obviously if you intend on selling the real estate you better know what the market wants or your property will stay un-sold for long.

Research. Don’t believe everything you are told.

It is very easy in today’s world to do a bit of research before buying real estate. You can go online and have information about the current owner, the general prices in the area and what is close to the property you intend to buy. Most importantly you will know if you are being taken for a ride. A good source for real estate prices would be sites where people list their property for sale like http://www.yes2property.com/classifieds (i know this is part of Yes2Property, but you get the idea :)).

If you have to partner up, choose your partner carefully.

If you are a new real estate investor you are probably going to have to partner up with someone to get it to the real estate market. Now it can have it’s benefits but also it pit falls. When you have to choose a partner make sure of the following:

• You trust them. If you can not trust your partner how are you going to make investments that could run in to the millions.
• Be the money or the management, don’t be both. Group decisions can cause havoc on real estate investment. A plan should be formulated before hand and then you step away and each partner does what he is responsible for.

Negotiate and ask the straight forward question.

Go ahead, ask the seller exactly what he/she wants out of the deal, you might be surprised. If you find that the seller’s expectations are too high you can move on and save time.

Invest safely and wisely.

When you invest you DO NOT GAMBLE. Yes there are risks but they are calculated risks. The best way to invest wisely is to not invest based on continued price increases but instead on value. The investment needs to make sense in good and bad markets, then you have value. If the price keeps increasing it is a bonus.

Cash flow is king.

Real estate investing is about the numbers. Cash flow keeps the business going. You need to make sure that ALL your expenses are covered and that you have positive cash flow. If you don’t, you better have a BIG piggy bank to pay up.

I think the main rule in real estate investing, and any other type of wealth creation tool, is the following: Plan it, monitor it and grow it. O yes and use your common sense.

Manuel is already one of the longest serving finance ministers in the world and also one of the most popular and well respected. His policies are considered to be generally sound and have encouraged foreign investment into South Africa. There was some debate as to whether or not he would continue on in his position after he tendered his resignation following the ousting of former president Thabo Mbeki but the matter was soon cleared up and it seems he is willing to do so.

Trevor Manuel has served as finance minister since 1996 and under his guidance the country reported its first budget surplus in 2007. He has been a political activist in his time and was also detained by the apartheid government at various times during the 1980’s. He is currently married to Maria Ramos, Absa group chief executive officer. His relationship with her was publicly scrutinised due to concerns over favorable treatment or tax advantages being given to the ABSA group. Those concerns seem to have faded over the past months.

Whether or not Mr Manuel continues on in his position the country is in desperate need of a forward thinking finance minister that can aid the country in making a speedy recovery from the current global slump the world is bogged down in.

The new regulations will stipulate that any certificate issued within the last two years is still valid provided no other work has been done on the property’s electrical system since the certificate was issued. Furthermore if a buyer wishes to have a current compliance inspection done before the sale goes through he can no longer demand that the seller pay for it, he will have to pay for it himself.

Another important change is that the electrician performing the inspection only has to state that the system is completely safe whereas in the past they had to state that the system was in full working order. The previous guarantee drew alot of complaints from electricians as minor problems, or problems that occurred after inspection would get them into hot water.

It does sound as though the new regulations will relieve some of the burden from the seller and force buyers to take a more active role in the standard of safety in their new property. Remember to get up to date legal advice when you are in the process of buying/selling a property.

Some analysts reckon the market will recover by the end of 2009 and get a big boost next year with the advent of the 2010 Soccer World Cup and others believe it will take a further 4 to 5 years for any significant improvement to be visible. Whenever the recovery occurs most agree it is now a buyers market and those who can buy should do so. That brings us back to the question of how to finance a deposit that can be up to 25% of your prospective homes value.

We could save every cent we have available and still only be able to gather together enough money for a deposit in a few years time. By then the market may have shifted again and seen house prices skyrocket, isn’t there a faster legal way to finance a homeloan deposit?

If any of our readers have been able to finance a homeloan deposit in a way besides saving for years let us know how you did it.

The right expats have to vote was a matter hotly contested over the last few months, eventually they were granted the right to vote and many people celebrated the victory. This election is said to be the most important since the 1994 election when South Africa held its first democratic election, this is due to a number of reasons one of which is to see whether or not there is any real opposition to the ruling ANC who in the past has enjoyed landslide victories.

The months preceding the election were also marred by controversy over the charges against Jacob Zuma, ANC party president, being reinstated and then dismissed a number of times. We also saw former President Thabo Mbeki ousted under a cloud of suspicion and replaced by current President Kgalema Motlanthe.

The election has unfortunately also seen alot of violence most markedly in Kwazulu Natal where ANC and IFP supporters often clash. Hopefully this will be the last election where people lose their lives due to their political opinion.

Whatever the outcome of the election may it be a peaceful transition and a further step forward in uniting our country.

Decoupage is when you decorate an item by sticking prints, posters or paper to them. It is inexpensive and fun. Here are some tips on how to decoupage a chair.

What you will need:

1.Chair or other furniture piece
2.Cleaner
3.Plain paper for template
4.Pencil
5.Art print or poster
6.Scissors
7.Glue or decoupage medium
8.Foam brushes
9.Water source
10.Sponge
11.Brayer (hand roller)
12.Polyurethane

Step 1. Start off by cleaning the chair very well, if there are any scratches,nicks or dents fill them in with an appropriate material. Then use the plain paper to trace and cut out a template of the surface you wish to decoupage.

Step 2. Use the template you have made to cut out the section of art print or poster you want to use, remember to use a good quality print. Don’t use something so thin that it will tear or crease when wet, make colour copies on thicker paper if necessary.

Step 3. Apply enough glue to the surface of the chair you are working with, don’t allow it to dry. Soak your art print or poster in water for no longer than 10 seconds. All this does is allow your paper to mould to the chair more easily.

Step 4. Position your picture carefully and stick it to the area you are busy with. Keep your hands, brayer and sponge damp as you use them to work out any excess water, glue or bubbles. Start from the centre and work your way out. Leave it to dry overnight and occasionally check for any bubbles that may form later.

Step 5. Apply about 5 coats of acrylic polyurethane with a sponge brush, more or less one coat an hour. This will seal your picture and offer it some protection from day to day use.

Before you use your newly decoupaged furniture make sure it is completely dry. Now all you need to do is enjoy your new chair and try and figure out where you are going to put it.

Everyone should enjoy their weekend and remember that Monday is Family Day. If you are at home take some time together as a family, switch the t.v. off and go do something fun. A picnic, a hike or even just cooking a meal together could be a great family activity.

Whatever you end up doing remember to enjoy it.

But what do you do when the company you have chosen does not perform?

A friend of mine owns a property in a nice area in Johannesburg and was looking for a new letting agent and tenant. The previous two tenants had vacated the property, apparently without notice, and on both occasions the letting agency did not inform my friend that the tenants had left until three months later. In this instance my friend had landlord insurance that covered the rent for a three month period and only when this ran out did the agents start looking for a new tenant. Talk about poor service!

My friend ended his relationship with the first letting agency and soon found a new company that has a reputation for excellent service across the country. The happiness was shortlived though as the new company took almost four months to find a tenant for the well priced apartment that is close to all amenities. The agency then proceeded to allow the tenant to move in before paying the first months rent and consented to let the tenant split the deposit over a two month period.

When my friend realised that the first months rent had yet to be paid they called the agency and asked what had happened, the agent was surprised to hear of the problem and contacted the tenant who said they had already paid the money over. My friend waited a few days and still no rent so they again called the agent who again contacted the tenant. The tenant then said that they would actually only be paying the rent in that day. At this stage my friends bond was in danger of going into arrears.

The tenant did eventually pay but turned out to be another tenant from hell and was eventually evicted after a long legal process.

This long story eventually leads me to question the ability of letting agents, even the supposedly reputable ones. Do they not check a tenants references or follow up with the owner of the property as to whether or not they are satisfied and have been paid? If they perform poorly by forcing the owner to become involved should they not be held accountable?

It seems some letting agents are happy to take your money and install the first tenant that says they can pay the first months rent and deposit. They should be held accountable when they perform poorly and put an investors credit record in jeopardy by selecting a bad tenant.

You as the property owner need to protect yourself by being informed, demand monthly statements if they do not offer to provide them, and do spot checks if you feel it necessary. You are paying for a service and should get your money’s worth. Looking at the current market there doesn’t seem to be shortage of people looking for quality rental accommodation and the majority of these people will be good tenants who pay on time and observe their contractual obligations regarding giving notice and so forth.

Some agencies just appear to be lazy.

What do you think? Should letting agencies be more accountable for their apparent poor judgement?