Why Being Honest With Your Estate Agent Could Save You Thousands When Selling Your Property in Boksburg
The expensive part of a property problem is often not the problem itself. It is discovering it after the property has been marketed, an offer has been signed or transfer is already under way.
Updated August 2026 · A+ Properties · Boksburg & East Rand
Tell your agent about anything that could materially change the sale before it becomes a surprise.
That includes known property problems, existing mandates, ownership or signature issues, tenants, financial pressure, bond/rates/levy problems, urgent deadlines and any other fact that could affect pricing, marketing, disclosure, negotiations, occupation or transfer.
Sellers sometimes hold information back for understandable reasons. They may feel embarrassed about financial pressure, worry that a defect will reduce the price, believe a family disagreement is private, or assume that an old mandate with another agency is no longer important.
The problem is that property transactions connect a surprising number of moving parts: the seller, buyer, estate agency, banks, bond originator, conveyancers, municipality, body corporate or homeowners association, compliance contractors and sometimes tenants, executors, trustees, companies or multiple owners.
Information that looks like a private inconvenience on day one can become a transfer problem on day sixty. A good estate agent cannot solve every problem, but they can help plan around many problems if they know they exist early enough.
Your Agent Needs Relevant Information — Not Your Entire Private Life
Sellers are entitled to personal privacy. The useful test is whether the information can affect the property, the seller's authority, the transaction, the marketing strategy, the ability to perform, the timing or the buyer's decision.
You do not need to explain every personal detail behind a divorce, financial difficulty or family disagreement. Your agent does need to understand the transaction consequence — for example, who must sign, how urgent the sale is, whether another person's consent is required or whether a financial shortfall may affect transfer.
Known Defects, Water Problems, Damp and Previous Repairs
Some sellers worry that mentioning a defect will immediately destroy the sale. The instinct is therefore to say nothing unless the buyer discovers it.
That can create a much bigger problem than the original repair.
If there is a recurring roof leak, damp problem, plumbing issue, electrical concern, structural movement, pool problem, boundary issue or other material condition that you know about, tell your agent accurately.
Where a property practitioner is involved, the Property Practitioners Act also establishes a mandatory disclosure process. A+ Properties treats the disclosure document as part of the transaction preparation, not something to be completed casually after a buyer has already signed.
Early information also gives the seller choices. The issue may be repaired before launch, priced into the strategy, explained transparently or referred to the appropriate professional where necessary.
Bond Arrears, Municipal Debt, Levies and Other Financial Pressure
Financial pressure is one of the areas sellers are most reluctant to discuss. It may feel embarrassing or unrelated to marketing.
But the agent does not need the information to judge you. They need it because the sale must be structured around reality.
Tell your agent early if, for example:
- bond repayments are in arrears;
- the bank has started a legal or collection process;
- municipal accounts are materially behind;
- body corporate levies are in arrears;
- there is a special levy you know about;
- you are concerned that the sale proceeds may not cover all obligations; or
- you need the transfer completed within a particularly important time frame.
These facts can affect pricing decisions, net-proceeds calculations, deadlines and what information should be obtained from the bank, conveyancer, municipality or managing agent before a transaction becomes urgent.
Read: What Costs Do Sellers Pay When Selling a Property? →Existing Estate Agency Mandates
A seller may assume that because another agent has stopped calling, their agreement no longer matters.
Do not guess.
If you have signed a mandate with another estate agency — especially a sole or exclusive arrangement — give the new agent the actual details before authorising more marketing.
Existing mandates can affect who is entitled to market the property and can create contractual or commission disputes if multiple agencies act without a clear understanding of the seller's existing obligations.
Give your new agent a copy of the existing mandate rather than relying on your memory of when it expires or what it allows.
Ownership, Marriage, Divorce, Estates, Trusts and Who Can Sign
An agent needs to know who owns the property and who has authority to make decisions about the sale.
Problems can arise where the registered owner has died, several people own the property, spouses are divorcing, a company or trust owns the asset, an executor or trustee must act, or somebody has been managing the property informally for another person.
Your estate agent does not need the full history of the family dispute. They do need enough information to establish the correct transaction path and identify which documents or professional confirmations may be required.
Ownership and authority should be checked before the property is treated as a normal listing. The person giving instructions and signing the mandate must have the required authority to do so.
Tenants, Occupants and Existing Lease Arrangements
Do not tell the agent a property will be vacant on transfer if there is an existing tenant or other occupant whose position has not been properly resolved.
Existing occupation can affect:
- when and how viewings can be arranged;
- what occupation date can realistically be offered to a buyer;
- whether a lease exists and what it provides;
- how rental and deposits are being administered;
- what information needs to be disclosed to prospective buyers;
- the handover strategy; and
- the legal advice the seller may need before promising vacant occupation.
Selling a tenanted property is not automatically a problem. Pretending the tenancy does not exist is.
Your Real Time Frame and Why It Matters
The correct strategy for an owner who would happily sell within six months can differ from the strategy for somebody who needs to relocate, settle a financial problem or complete another purchase quickly.
If the sale is time-sensitive, say so.
That does not mean the agent should advertise your financial pressure to buyers. It means the agent can advise you realistically about price positioning, preparation, access, offer conditions and how quickly decisions may need to be made.
Read: How to Price Your Property in Boksburg →What You Actually Need the Sale to Achieve
“I want the highest price” is true for almost every seller, but it is not enough information to build the whole strategy.
A seller may care particularly about:
- achieving a minimum net amount after costs;
- selling before buying another home;
- keeping occupation until a certain date;
- avoiding a long conditional transaction;
- selling with a tenant in place;
- having certainty of finance;
- moving quickly because of relocation; or
- testing the market without immediate pressure to sell.
Your agent cannot compare offers properly if they do not understand what success means for you.
Alterations, Additions and Property Information You Are Unsure About
Sellers sometimes assume that because an addition has been standing for years, it cannot cause a question during the sale.
If you know that structures were added, walls moved, garages converted, pools installed or other significant alterations made, tell the agent what you know and what you do not know.
Do not invent an answer about plans, approvals, boundaries, servitudes or building compliance simply because a buyer asks during a viewing. It is better for the agent to say that a fact is being verified than to confidently provide an incorrect answer.
Special Levies, Body Corporate Issues and Complex Information
With sectional-title and estate property, the unit is only part of the buyer's decision.
If you know about a special levy, major planned common-property project, significant scheme dispute, unusual levy position or other information likely to become relevant to buyers and the transaction, tell your agent.
Accurate information allows the agent to verify details before answering buyer questions instead of creating a contradiction halfway through the sale.
Direct Buyer Approaches, Previous Offers and Side Conversations
If a buyer contacts you directly after seeing the property through an agent, tell the agent rather than creating a second invisible negotiation.
Likewise, tell your agent about serious previous offers, current buyer approaches or promises made to another person if they may affect the transaction.
This helps manage negotiations, mandate obligations and the risk of multiple parties operating from different versions of the facts.
Surprises Are Expensive Because They Arrive After Other Decisions Have Been Made
A Good Estate Agent Should Not Punish You for Telling the Truth
Sellers sometimes hide a problem because they fear the agent will immediately tell them the property cannot be sold.
An experienced property practitioner expects real properties and real clients to have complications.
The agent's job is not to pretend that no problems exist. It is to identify which issues affect the transaction, obtain the right information, involve the appropriate professionals where necessary and help the seller make informed decisions.
Sometimes the answer will be to fix something before marketing. Sometimes it will be to disclose it accurately. Sometimes it will affect pricing or negotiation. Sometimes legal, tax, conveyancing, building or other specialist advice will be needed.
What matters is having enough time to choose the right response.
The Mandatory Disclosure Form Is Not Just Another Piece of Paper
Section 67 of the Property Practitioners Act creates a mandatory disclosure process where a property practitioner is involved. The PPRA also publishes guidance and a prescribed disclosure template.
The practical lesson for a seller is simple: complete disclosure information carefully and truthfully from what you actually know. Do not guess, minimise or deliberately conceal a known issue because you are worried about a buyer's reaction.
If you are uncertain how a particular defect or legal issue should be dealt with, tell your agent and obtain appropriate professional advice before making a representation that may later be disputed.
Seller-Agent Honesty Checklist
Honesty Also Produces Better Pricing Advice
An agent cannot recommend the strongest realistic asking price if the property they are analysing is not the property that actually exists.
A major repair, special levy, existing tenancy, occupation restriction or urgent seller deadline may change the competitive position or marketing strategy.
Accurate information therefore helps your agent compare the property properly with competing homes and recent sales rather than discovering halfway through the campaign that the original assumptions were wrong.
Read the A+ Guide to Pricing Property in Boksburg →Good Information Helps the Agent Compare Offers Properly
Sellers sometimes focus only on the highest number on the offer.
But finance conditions, occupation dates, deposits, suspensive conditions, timing and other terms can matter significantly.
If your agent understands your real deadline, financial objective and occupation needs, they can help explain how different offers fit those objectives rather than assuming that the highest headline figure is automatically the strongest transaction.
Read: How to Get the Best Possible Price for Your Property →Useful Next Steps for Sellers
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I tell my estate agent before listing my home?
Tell your agent about information that can affect ownership, authority, property condition, pricing, marketing, occupation, costs, timing or transfer. Known defects, existing mandates, tenants, debt/clearance issues and urgent deadlines are common examples.
Will telling the agent about a defect automatically reduce my price?
Not necessarily. The effect depends on the defect, cost, market and buyer alternatives. Early information gives you more choices — such as repairing, pricing appropriately or disclosing clearly — rather than allowing the buyer to discover it unexpectedly later.
Should I tell my agent that I urgently need to sell?
Yes. Your agent does not need to advertise your private circumstances, but the real deadline can materially affect pricing, preparation, viewing access, negotiation and which offer terms best suit your objective.
What if I signed a mandate with another agent months ago?
Give the new agent the agreement and confirm its current status before authorising additional marketing. Do not assume that inactivity means the contract has ended.
Do I need to mention a tenant if I am selling the property?
Yes. Existing occupation and lease arrangements can affect access, buyer expectations, occupation dates and the structure of the transaction.
Is the mandatory disclosure form optional?
Where the Property Practitioners Act's mandatory disclosure process applies, it should be handled as a required part of the practitioner-led sale process. Sellers should provide accurate information from what they know rather than deliberately withholding material property-condition information.
Can A+ Properties help me work out what needs attention before I list?
Yes. A+ Properties can discuss the property's market position, ownership and mandate requirements, presentation, known issues, seller objectives and the sales process before the property is launched.
The Best Time to Tell Us About a Problem Is Before It Becomes a Transaction Problem
Thinking of selling in Boksburg? Tell A+ Properties what you know about the property, your objective and anything you are worried could complicate the sale. We can help identify what needs to be checked, what affects the marketing strategy and which issues should be referred to the appropriate professional before you commit to a transaction.
A+ Properties: 011 383 3316