Need to sell your investment properties?

As every property ‘guru’ worth their salt will tell you, property investors should never sell a property unless there are extreme and unusual circumstances. Here are some options investors should consider before thinking of selling their properties.

· As soon as there is a possibility of repayment problems or an indication of future difficulties, contact the bank

· Fix or cap the interest rate if you are unable to endure any future rate increases

· Renegotiate the bond rate – your bond originator could help you negotiate a better rate

· If your bank won’t assist with a lower rate, consider switching, but be sure you understand all the financial implications

· Extend the mortgage term from 20 to 30 years and reduce the monthly repayments

· Negotiate a payment holiday - suspension of payments for a period

· Negotiate reduced repayments for a specified period

· Negotiate special arrangements to pay the arrears over a stipulated periods

· Access the equity in your properties by refinancing it to cover your short-falls

· Consider taking on a private investment partner

· Make multiple bond repayments in a month. Mortgage interest charges are calculated on your daily outstanding balance, so if you divide your single repayment on the 30th into two payments made on the 15th and 30th days of each month, you can shave months and thousands of rands off your bond.


With all that said, we realise that some of our investors may find themselves extremely over-exposed at the moment, particularly with two more interest rate increases predicted for this year.

If you have exhausted all the other options, and you have no alternative left but to sell an investment property, send us the details of your property and we will list it on Property Bargain Finder for you, provided that it meets our stringent 10-point quality plan.

While the market conditions are tough and there is an oversupply of properties on offer through traditional estate agency channels, there are many Property Bargain Finder investors among those on our 60 000 strong database who are looking for good deals to expand their property portfolios at the moment, and Property Bargain Finder can help you reach those who are looking to buy properties.

Listing conditions will be negotiated once the property has been evaluated.