You can still buy a house during corona lockdown in SA

Article summary

• While it might be business unusual for many, much of the home-buying and home loan process can be conducted from home.
• Online tools such as those provided by ooba home loans allow home buyers to get prequalified and apply for a home loan without having to venture outside.
• Banks can process such applications up to the quotation, or provide approval in principle subject to an on-site valuation.

The national lock-down has many South Africans wondering what they will and won’t be able to do during the scheduled three weeks. It’s clear that life will not come to a complete stop, as essential services will still be running, and any business that can be run online or accessed from home will still be active.

Well, you’ll be pleased to know that the property industry certainly won’t come to a complete halt. Believe it or not, it will still be possible to buy a house during the coronavirus lockdown, thanks to home loan comparison services like ooba home loans, which ensures that a large part of the process can be conducted online.

Coronavirus lockdown: Buy a home without leaving your residence

Of course, physical house hunting is not going to be possible under the lock-down, but shopping for houses online will; and if you already have a property in mind, the following stages in the home-buying process can be conducted from the comfort of your own home:

Prequalification You can use ooba home loans’ free, online prequalification tool, the Bond Indicator, to get yourself prequalified. This will provide you with your credit record, and enables you to determine what you can afford, along with the size of the home loan you will likely qualify for.
Applying for finance Armed with this information, you can then apply online for a home loan with ooba home loans. They will send your application to multiple banks on your behalf and compare various deals on offer from all the banks to ensure you get the best interest rates on your loan.

What about the banks?

Of course, banks will be operating during the shutdown, and they will be able to process home loan applications all the way to the final quotation, provided they can do a desktop valuation.
If they have to do a physical valuation, they will be able to offer a final quotation subject to the physical valuation.

What about the home inspection?

The buyer will be protected by inserting a suspensive condition in the Offer to Purchase, which will stipulate that the transfer will only go ahead once the home has passed a physical inspection, which will be conducted once the shutdown is lifted. It is also recommended that the buyers include extended time periods into OTP’s for bond approval.

So there’s no need to miss out on your dream home due to the three-week lockdown. Many estate agents can work from home, and much of the home-buying process can be conducted using online tools and digital transfers, ensuring it’s mostly business as usual in the property industry.

So if you’re interested in purchasing a home during this period, bear in mind that ooba home loans offers a range of tools that make the home-buying process easier. Start off with their bond calculator; then use the ooba Bond Indicator to determine what you can afford. Finally, when you’re ready, you can apply for a home loan.