Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa February 2015 | Page 34

ACQUIRING

BY MARK WITZMANN

How

to choose the right

Conveyancer
Ensure you deal with the right
legal property specialist.

I

t is the prerogative of the seller to choose the
appointed conveyancer for a property transaction.
When you sell a property you must consider
carefully if you want to entrust this important process
of transferring your most valuable asset to an unknown
conveyancer.
What we as conveyancers often encounter is the
negotiation of the seller’s important prerogative, away
from that of the seller to the appointment of the
purchaser’s conveyancer. This is often done on a whim
to justify a cost saving to the purchaser.
One often hears that the purchaser’s conveyancer can
do the transfer at a discounted rate. Sellers must not
accept this offer if they do not know the conveyancer
or if they want their best interests protected. Often
we find that the words, “This transfer shall be done by
the seller’s conveyancers…” altered to, “This transfer
shall be done by the purchaser’s conveyancers….”.
Sellers must not hand their property transaction to an
unknown conveyancer, because this conveyancer now
exclusively represents the purchaser.
Sellers who are recommended to use a conveyancer
must phone the conveyancer upfront to establish the

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February 2015 SA Real Estate Investor

relationship and to feel at ease. They must address
the conveyancer on any potential concerns they have
with the prospective sale, any conditions o