Every time a property changes hands in South Africa, the transaction is recorded at the Deeds Office. This creates a permanent record of ownership changes, sale prices, and registration dates stretching back decades. Accessing this sales history provides invaluable insights for buyers, sellers, and investors.
A comprehensive property sales history report includes:
For properties sold many decades ago, purchase prices may not be recorded in the electronic database. The Deeds Office digitisation focused on recent records first, so properties with long ownership histories may show "price not available" for older transactions.
Not every ownership change is a sale at market value. The history may include:
These non-market transfers can skew your analysis if you're looking at price trends.
The date recorded is when the transfer was registered at the Deeds Office, not when the sale agreement was signed. There's typically a 2-4 month gap between sale and registration.
To calculate how much a property has appreciated:
Example:
Purchased in 2015: R1,200,000
Current value estimate: R2,100,000
Period: 10 years
Total growth: 75%
Annual compound growth: Approximately 5.7% per year
If a property's asking price is significantly lower than recent comparable sales in the same area, it may represent an opportunity. Conversely, if it's priced well above historical trends, proceed with caution.
A property that has changed hands multiple times in a short period warrants investigation. There could be legitimate reasons (investor activity, area growth) or potential issues (problem property, body corporate disputes).
Individual property history is most valuable when compared to broader suburb trends. Our Suburb Transfer Report shows all recent sales in an area, helping you understand whether a specific property has outperformed or underperformed the local market.
Our Property Information Report includes sales history for any registered property in South Africa. Simply search by address or erf number to receive a comprehensive report showing all recorded ownership changes and sale prices.
For area-wide research, our Suburb Transfer Report provides sales data for an entire suburb or sectional scheme, perfect for market analysis and comparable sales research.