By KOPANO MONAHENG
FOR many South Africans, owning a home is a lifelong dream. Although buying a house does not happen overnight, starting to save or invest towards that dream as early as possible can make a significant difference.
Jolandé Duvenage, CEO of FNB’s Value Ecosystems Portfolio, said whether you are employed or running a successful business, planning ahead is one of the best ways to secure your future.
Speaking at the FNB Nav tenth anniversary event which was held in Joburg, on July 14, Duvenage said when they started the portfolio 10 years ago, it was not just about how to deliver banking solutions, but how to ensure that South Africans take important steps towards achieving their financial goals, including buying homes, a car or even saving money for their families.
“When you wake up in the morning, you don’t think, oh, I’m going to buy a home loan. You know, it’s not really all that exciting to be thinking that’s what you’re going to be doing,” said Duvenage.
“What you are worried about is how much can I afford? If I do buy, which area should I buy in? You know, what type of area will make sure that my property value will increase or more likely than not increase over time? What are the hidden costs that I don’t know when I’m going to buy a property?,” she said.
Over the past decade, the FNB Nav has assisted many people in making informed financial decisions and turning their dreams into reality.
“We had to take a step back and solve for these real customer problems. And that was obviously really hard because the banks weren’t geared to think like a customer at that stage in the same way that they do today.”
Now, 10 years later, they are really proud because they have delivered a proper Nav home ecosystem that takes you through that home buying journey.
Some of the questions you need to know before buying a property. What is my property worth? You know, what can I go and do to understand the area that I should buy in better?
Is that a growing area? What are the demographics of that area in terms of is it young people?
Is it older people? Is older people moving into the area? So those are all opportunities that you can access and get yourself empowered with. You can understand how much can I shop for and what are the hidden costs I should consider. FNB Nav continues to play an important role in helping people build a more secure financial future.
