The Vault Outlives the Voice

The most common mistake in a house sale is trusting what was agreed out loud. A sale of land in South Africa has to be in writing and signed to be valid, so a promise made at the gate during a viewing adds nothing to the contract unless someone writes it in. The trouble usually sits on the edge between what is fixed to the house and what can be carried out of it, such as the borehole pump, the curtain rails, the pool cleaner or the gas heater in the lounge. Memory bends toward whatever suits the person remembering, and nobody has to be lying for the pump to be gone on the day of occupation.

The offer to purchase is where that edge gets settled, by listing the items that stay. The paper also outlives the people. The seller moves to another town, the agent changes firms, and the offer is still in the conveyancer's file saying exactly what it said when everyone signed it. A voice can only be asked what it meant. A document can be read.