What to check at a property viewing before making an offer
General South African property-buyer literacy only. This page is not legal, financial, tax, valuation, investment, property-condition or contract-interpretation advice, and it is not advice about your particular situation.
A viewing is short, staged, and designed to be liked. It is not an inspection, and nothing you notice in twenty minutes tells you the condition of a building. What a viewing is genuinely good for is generating questions — things to observe, then ask about, then have checked properly by someone qualified. This page is a list of those.
What is the water pressure like, and does hot water arrive?
Easy to check in seconds, awkward to discover afterwards, and it can point to plumbing or geyser matters worth a professional look.
- What confirms it:
- A plumber's inspection. Where a plumbing certificate is required by the municipality, that certificate.
- Who to ask:
- A qualified plumber; the agent for whether a certificate exists.
- What Nostoi cannot decide:
- Nostoi cannot tell you what poor pressure indicates or what remedying it would cost.
How old is the roof, and has there been any water ingress?
Roof work is among the more significant costs a homeowner meets, and evidence of past leaks is a question worth asking rather than a conclusion worth drawing.
- What confirms it:
- A building inspection by a qualified inspector; any records of past repairs the seller holds.
- Who to ask:
- A building inspector; the agent for repair history.
- What Nostoi cannot decide:
- Nostoi cannot assess a roof, interpret a stain, or estimate repair costs. It does not draw condition conclusions of any kind.
Is there an electrical compliance certificate, and how old is it?
An electrical certificate is generally required on transfer in South Africa. Its age and what it covers matter, and obtaining a new one sometimes reveals work that must be done first.
- What confirms it:
- The certificate itself, issued by a registered person.
- Who to ask:
- The agent or conveyancer; a registered electrical contractor for a new inspection.
- What Nostoi cannot decide:
- Nostoi cannot judge whether an installation is safe or compliant.
What does the property sound like — and at what time of day did I visit?
Viewings cluster at quiet times. Traffic, schools, a nearby venue, a flight path or a neighbouring business can be entirely absent at eleven on a Sunday morning and unmissable on a Tuesday evening.
- What confirms it:
- Visiting again at a different time and on a different day. Nothing else substitutes for it.
- Who to ask:
- Yourself, twice.
- What Nostoi cannot decide:
- Nostoi cannot tell you how a place will sound or feel to you.
How is the property secured, and what happens in a power outage?
Security arrangements and outage resilience — whether there is a backup supply, whether water pressure depends on a pump, what the gate does — are practical realities of South African home ownership that are simple to ask about while standing there.
- What confirms it:
- The seller or agent can describe the installed equipment; a qualified installer can confirm what it actually does.
- Who to ask:
- The agent for what is installed; the relevant installer or electrician to verify it.
- What Nostoi cannot decide:
- Nostoi cannot assess how secure a property is, or how it will perform during an outage.
Have any alterations been done, and were they approved?
Unapproved building work is a live issue on transfer and afterwards. An enclosed patio or converted garage is worth a question about plans.
- What confirms it:
- Approved municipal building plans, held by the owner or obtainable from the municipality.
- Who to ask:
- The municipality for approved plans; a conveyancer for the consequences.
- What Nostoi cannot decide:
- Nostoi cannot tell you whether work was approved or what an unapproved alteration means for you.
Which fixtures and fittings are included in the sale?
Disputes about what stays are common and entirely avoidable. Light fittings, blinds, appliances, pool equipment and satellite gear are frequent flashpoints.
- What confirms it:
- The sale agreement, which should list inclusions and exclusions specifically.
- Who to ask:
- A conveyancing attorney (the transferring attorney handles the transfer; you may also appoint your own).
- What Nostoi cannot decide:
- Nostoi cannot tell you what is included. Only the written agreement settles it.
Which way does the property face, and how does the light move?
Orientation affects daylight, warmth and running costs year-round, and it is difficult to judge from photographs — which are usually taken at the best moment of the best day.
- What confirms it:
- A compass and a second visit at a different hour.
- Who to ask:
- Yourself.
- What Nostoi cannot decide:
- Nostoi cannot tell you whether the light will suit you.
What this page cannot tell you
- The condition of any building. Nostoi never assesses condition and never estimates repair costs.
- Nostoi does not judge whether a property is priced correctly.
- Nostoi cannot tell you whether to make an offer, or what to offer.
- Anything about the neighbourhood's people. Nostoi does not profile areas by who lives there.
Primary sources
- Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, Electrical Installation Regulations — Governs electrical certificates of compliance.
- National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977 — Governs approved building plans and alterations.
- Property Practitioners Act 22 of 2019 — Includes the mandatory disclosure obligations of property practitioners in South Africa.