What a repo property actually costs.
Reserve prices look attractive until you add SARS transfer duty, conveyancing, bond registration and Deeds Office fees on top. This calculator surfaces the all-in number so a sheriff-sale bid doesn’t blow up at the attorney’s office.
Estimate only. Transfer duty is the SARS Budget 2024 scale (still in force). Conveyancing and bond-registration fees use the LPC recommended scale — actual fees vary by attorney. Confirm with the conveyancer the seller bank appoints before bidding at a sheriff sale.
Every cost line that hits between winning a bid and getting the keys.
SARS Transfer Duty
Government tax on the property transfer. Zero below R1.1m, then sliding scale up to 13% above R12.1m. The single biggest line for mid-priced properties.
Conveyancing fee
Paid to the attorney handling the property transfer at the Deeds Office. Roughly 1-2% of price, scaling down for higher-value properties. The seller bank appoints them.
Bond registration fee
Paid to the bond attorney (often a different attorney to the conveyancer) for registering the mortgage bond against the title deed. Based on the loan amount, not the price — so larger deposits cut this.
Deeds Office fee
Banded statutory fee paid to the Deeds Office to lodge the transfer documents. Ranges from R460 to R8,775 depending on price band.
How a sheriff-sale purchase actually gets paid.
Auction buying runs on a clock a normal home loan can’t always meet. Here’s the sequence, and where short-term “bridging” finance fits.
1 · Deposit on the day
At a sheriff sale you typically pay a deposit (often around 10%) plus the sheriff’s commission immediately when the hammer falls — usually by bank-guaranteed cheque or EFT, not a card.
2 · Balance within ~21 days
The balance — or an acceptable bank guarantee for it — is due within a short window set in the conditions of sale, commonly around 21 days. Miss it and you can forfeit the deposit.
3 · Where bridging fits
A normal bond can take longer than the window to register. Specialist auction bridging finance covers the deposit or balance for those weeks until your bond pays out. It’s short-term and priced per month, so duration matters.
Bridging a R50 000 deposit for about 3 weeks at a typical specialist rate (~3% per month) costs roughly R1 036 in finance charges.
Indicative only — not an offer. Auction bridging finance is a specialist product; rates vary by lender and risk. RepoLens is not a bank, bond originator or lender and earns nothing from this — it’s shown to help you plan the cashflow of a sheriff-sale purchase.
Want a heads-up when we add vetted auction-finance partners?
Now find a property that fits your budget.
Browse fresh repossessed houses, sheriff auctions and land sales — every listing on RepoLens carries a verified-on date.