|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Robocop's got nothing on the new Receive... Polygraphs give the lie to poker-faced c... UNIT TRUSTS:Unit Trusts: Fleming Martin ... Budgeting's a bind, but it pays dividend... Making sense of the tax amnest... A will could be your shrewdest investme... Taxing times for small firms as the gove... Working from home: do pros outweigh cons... |
Working from home: do pros outweigh cons?
CONVENIENCE, security, comfort and low overheads are just some of the benefits encouraging an increasing number of entrepreneurs to set up a home office. And judging by the feedback from a number of Gauteng estate agents, a home office is becoming a prerequisite for an increasing number of potential home buyers. Talitha Finkay, an estate agent with Pam Golding in Parkhurst says: "Many entrepreneurs who work from home have told us that the pros far outweigh the cons. Apart from the obvious convenience and cost savings of investing money into a bond instead of a landlord's pocket, it's also attractive from a security aspect. With someone on the property the whole day one has less chance of attracting unwelcome intruders."
Finkay says homeowners are also renting their cottages out to small businesses in increasing numbers. In this way, they can supplement their bond repayments, and have the peace of mind of knowing someone is on the property during the day while still having privacy at the weekends. "While town planning schemes differ from area to area, in Gauteng one is allowed to use 20% of property for business use and employ two other people as long as someone lives on the property," says Vered MD Colin Sacks. If one needs to use more than 20% of the property for business use one must apply for consent use. "This can take up to five or six months to attain, depending on where the property is situated, and costs about R6 000," he says. "Once granted, one can use up to 40% of the property for business and a sign can be erected not measuring more than one metre by 75 centimetres." One also has the option of applying for office rights which would involve re-zoning from residential to commercial property. This is the answer for consultancy businesses like law firms and ad agencies, and companies which do not need full business use rights. Sacks says the process can take from eight to 12 months to finalise and costs about R20 000.
Trevor Sedgewick, an estate agent with the Property Shop in Gauteng, says many small business owners look for properties where there is a good chance of future business rights. "Many small business owners have made money by applying for the rights and then, once granted, they can push prices and often sell properties for nearly double what they paid for them." But some entrepreneurs have found that working from home is not all it's cracked up to be. There are three main bugbears:
|