| MARKET TRENDS | Slump in SA retail sales growth fans fears that household spending will slow - Business Day, 16 May 2013
Growth in retail sales slowed as expected in March compared with a year ago, supporting the view that there will be a slowdown in consumption spending by households this year.
South Africa’s economic strategy - Business Day, 15 May 2013
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan told Parliament on Tuesday that while there was plenty of gloom about the recovery of the European economy, which remained shaky, it was less risk than before. |
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| GENERAL PROPERTY NEWS | Capital gains tax favours small man - Property24, 16 May 2013
When dealing with new mortgage bond applications there is often a fear in buyers' minds (as a result of being wrongly advised) that when they eventually come to sell their homes they will lose much of the profit of their primary asset, as a result of Capital Gains or other taxes.
Top SA emerging tourism entrepreneurs - Property24, 16 May 2013
South Africa’s top emerging tourism entrepreneurs have been selected for the 2013 Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (ETEYA) competition.
Moneyweb journo wins the ‘Oscar’ for property journalism - Moneyweb, 15 May 2013
Moneyweb’s intrepid property journalist Micel Schnehage has won the 2013 Sapoa Property News Journalist of the year award. Judges said they were impressed with the excellent quality of her research and her tenacious character.
Energy efficient homes in Cosmo City - Property24, 15 May 2013
With winter almost upon us and electricity costs soaring year-on-year, energy efficiency is one of the most practical ways to save.
Success achieved at property auctions - Property24, 14 May 2013
The auction system and the wide contacts that good auctioneers build up, can on occasions produce results that are in fact better than those achieved by conventional selling methods.
Seardel to get R39m property after court ruling - eProp, 13 May 2013
Cape Town property valued at R38.7m is to be transferred to Seardel after leave to appeal by third parties opposing the transfer was dismissed with costs.
Malema farm to be auctioned - Moneyweb, 12 May 2013
Expelled ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's cabbage and tomato farm in Limpopo is set to go under the auction hammer next month, it was reported on Sunday. |
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| RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY NEWS | 79% of home buyers search online - Property24, 16 May 2013
New research commissioned by Century Properties Developments has revealed a dramatic increase in the numbers of South Africans who use the internet to search and view new homes.
Urban lifestyle & golf estate growth - Property24, 13 May 2013
While the national average house price is predicted to continue its meagre growth rate of between 2.5 percent and three percent, Seeff’s major metropolitan branches report significantly better growth for urban lifestyle and golf estates.
Home prices shoot up 11.1% - Iafrica.com, 10 May 2013
Growth in the prices of the middle segment residential market (homes of 80m²-400m² and priced at R3.8m or less) slowed to 11.1 percent year on year (y/y) in April from 11.3 percent y/y in March after accelerating to a nominal 10.7 percent year on year (y/y) increase in the first quarter from 5.4 percent y/y in the fourth quarter of last year‚ according to the Absa house price index. |
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| COMMERCIAL PROPERTY NEWS | Seshego mall construction is on track - Property24, 16 May 2013
The new Seshego Circle Shopping Centre in the Polokwane suburb of Seshego is well on track, with construction progressing according to schedule.
South African retail sales rise in March - Business Day, 15 May 2013
Retail trade sales measured in constant prices grew 2.8% year on year in March from an upwardly revised 3.9% (3.8%) year-on-year increase in February, figures from Statistics South Africa showed on Wednesday.
Commercial property finance sources - Property24, 14 May 2013
A number of buyers and investors eager to get into the commercial market are losing out on potential deals due to the perception that non-bank lenders are too expensive or they are not aware of the role that non-bank lenders play in the commercial lending sphere.
Green leases integral to commercial property - eProp, 14 May 2013
A green lease would include obligations on the landlord and tenant to achieve targets for energy consumption and sustainability, among others.
Growth in industrial property rentals - Property24, 10 May 2013
The latest issue of Rode’s Report on the SA Property Market reveals a modicum of good news for the industrial property market, says property valuer and economist Erwin Rode of Rode & Associates. |
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| LISTED PROPERTY NEWS | Redefine Hotels and BDL merge to become largest Independent Hotel Manco - eProp, 16 May 2013
Redefine Hotels and BDL Management have today announced a merger between the two companies to create Redefine BDL Hotels. The merger will create the largest independent hotel management company in the UK with 60 hotels under management, representing 6,700 rooms.
Tread carefully in global listed property market - eProp, 14 May 2013
Reports of good returns in global listed property are common, so it is worth taking the sector’s temperature to make sure that you are not jumping in at the tail end of the boom.
REIT Conversion for Private Prison players - eProp, 14 May 2013
Private prisons are big business and two big players with facilities in South Africa, US, Australia and the UK have just undergone REIT conversion. |
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| ESTATE AGENT NEWS | EAAB monitoring system 'unworkable' - Property24, 16 May 2013
The latest figures from South Africa’s Estate Agency Affairs Board show that currently only 32 718 estate agents are still working in the formally recognised sector of the industry.
Seeff employing graduates - Property24, 15 May 2013
We are at the beginning of a new era of professionalism for real estate agents. A once commonly held view was that real estate agents were in the business because they were no good at any other profession.
Franchise system in property marketing - Property24, 14 May 2013
Property trend watchers are almost universally in favour of the franchise system being used to market and sell residential property. This is according to Tony Clarke, managing director of the Rawson Property Group.
RE/MAX agents ranked No 1 in the US - Property24, 13 May 2013
According to preliminary results from the 2013 RISMedia Power Broker Report Top 500, RE/MAX agents continue to lead the US real estate industry, ranking as the most productive among the national real estate franchises. |
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| SPECIFIC AREAS | Cape Town & KwaZulu-Natal home sales - Property24, 16 May 2013
Luxury apartments on the Atlantic Seaboard in Cape Town are currently in demand with 71 of these apartments priced over R2.75 million sold in Sea Point, Bantry Bay, Three Anchor Bay and Fresnaye, 27 percent more than the 56 units sold during 2011.
Amani Vineyards Estate selling at R42m - Property24, 16 May 2013
The award-winning Amani Vineyards Estate in Stellenbosch has come onto the market offering an investor the opportunity to become the owner of this boutique winery.
R20m price cut for Bishopscourt luxury estate - Moneyweb, 15 May 2013
One of Cape Town’s top end estates, a 3,500sqm ultra-spacious luxury mansion set on a plot of over 12,000sqm in Bishopscourt, has seen a R20 million price cut. The seller is now pitching for buyers around the R80 million mark, says Seeff agent, Ingrid McFarlane.
Shortage of well-priced Durban homes - Property24, 15 May 2013
The most recent FNB Property Barometer reports that nationally, residential demand in the first quarter of 2013 rose to its highest level since the first quarter of 2007, just before the market slumped. Along with this increase in demand a shortage of stock is materialising.
Buying a family home in Wellington - Property24, 13 May 2013
In the past few months, there has been an increase in demand from families who want to move to the countryside to raise their families in a tranquil environment yet still have close access to the city and infrastructure. More specifically, families are seeing the value in the ideally situated Wellington. |
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| INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY NEWS | Prime Property – The final frontier - Property24, 10 May 2013
The past 5 years have not been good for residential property. Since the so called peak of the market at the end of 2007, global residential property prices have declined by 10 percent, US residential property prices have declined by 21 percent and UK housing prices have declined by even more |
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