Another 32 property related articles for you

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MARKET TRENDS


Moderation in consumer price index put down to new basket of goods - Business Day, 21 February 2013
Consumer prices, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), came in below expectations at 5.4% last month compared with the previous corresponding month, but some economists attributed the moderation to a new calculation method.

Where will Gordhan's extra taxes come from? - Moneywebtax, 21 February 2013
By next week this time we'll know what Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan had for us in his budget bag of goodies. That is, if there is any tax relief on the cards. If not, we should probably call it his budget bag of bad news.

SA land reform 'benefits whites more' - Business Day, 21 February 2013
The small white landed class has benefited to the tune of R10.8bn from land reform while the more than 71,000 restitution claimants had received a total of R6bn, Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti told Parliament on Tuesday.

Jobless consumers over-indebted - Property24, 19 February 2013
Data from Statistics South Africa Quarterly Labour Force Survey show an unemployment rate of 24.9 percent in the Q4 2012. Although this is a minor improvement compared to the unemployment rate of 25.5 percent in Q3, it remains worryingly high, says Credit Ombud, Manie van Schalkwyk.



GENERAL PROPERTY NEWS


Hospitality property fund delivers positive growth in distributions in an improving hospitality environment - eProp, 21 February 2013
Rental income for the period increased 8.3% to R174 million, underpinned by improving overall occupancies and average room rates (“ARR’s”) over the bulk of the properties, more particularly in the core metropolitan portfolio.

Malema's properties to be auctioned: Report - Moneyweb, 21 February 2013
Expelled ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema's properties will go under the hammer on Friday, reported The New Age on Thursday.

Department of Human Settlements goes after Contractors of badly-built RDP houses - Business Day, 20 February 2013
Steps were being taken to rectify badly-built RDP houses and to hold responsible parties accountable, the Department of Human Settlements said on Wednesday.

Alternative home building technologies - Property24, 20 February 2013
The year 2013 will mark the coming of age of alternative building technologies (ABTs) on the Southern African construction landscape – and the urgent need for housing and associated infrastructure delivery will be its main driver.

Accommodation industry income up 8.1% - Property24, 19 February 2013
Total income for the accommodation industry increased by 5.2 percent in Q4 2012 compared with Q4 2011, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).



RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY NEWS


Buying vs. building a new home - Property24, 20 February 2013
When making your decision about buying versus building, there are a number of factors to consider. Building your own home has the potential to be easier than before, particularly with so many developers offering a predefined set of floor plans and options.

Flooding & building on common property - Property24, 20 February 2013
A reader has two questions relating to building on common property and flooding and drainage in their complex. Leigh Maingard, Managing Director of Diamond Property Management, a property management business based in Cape Town, advises.

Gap subsidy positive for property - Property24, 18 February 2013
From a real estate point of view, the most exciting aspect of President’s Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation speech was the news that the long-awaited “gap” housing subsidy scheme is now under way and gathering steam.

Property values on the rise - Moneyweb, 18 February 2013
The average house price reached R894,510 in January 2013, up 5.2% from R850,589 in January 2012. Month on month, the average house price increased 3.4% from R865,164 in December 2012, reports ooba, one of the largest bond originators in the country.

Protecting yourself from rent fraud - eProp, 18 February 2013
Rent is, in most cases, the biggest monthly expense for the average consumer. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise then that scam artists are out to target landlords through identity theft in an effort to avoid paying their dues. This particular type of fraud is quite common – and what is most concerning is how easy it is to become a victim.

Willing buyer, seller principle to go: Zuma - Moneyweb, 15 February 2013
Government is to drop the "willing-buyer, willing seller" principle with regard to land reform and restitution, President Jacob Zuma confirmed on Thursday.


COMMERCIAL PROPERTY NEWS


Cape Town Real Estate overview - Q4 2012 - eProp, 20 February 2013
A two tier market exists in Cape Town where demand for quality buildings and prime location is prevalent reflected in competitive rentals and low vacancies. On the other hand secondary buildings and secondary nodes are struggling with high vacancies and suppressed gross rentals.

Effective shopping centre marketing - Property24, 20 February 2013
It seems that wherever you go these days, a newer, bigger and better shopping centre has literally risen from dust in a matter of months.

A darker reason why SA business is moving into Africa - eProp, 20 February 2013
Reports abound of more and more South African companies doing business in Africa, but why are they not investing that money locally, are there challenges to making development work locally? Looking back over the last few quarters some disturbing stories have emerged.

Standard Bank employees to move into new 'green building' in May - Business Day, 20 February 2013
Standard Bank said on Wednesday its staff would start moving to its new environmentally friendly building in Rosebank in May.

Shopping Centre opportunity knocks in rural and township areas - eProp, 20 February 2013
Shopping Centres in 'township' areas are becoming more sophisticated and formalised; it’s the place to do business rurally.


LISTED PROPERTY NEWS


Listed Property Sector matches equities and outperforms bonds - eProp, 19 February 2013
South Africa’s listed property sector gained 1.4% during the week ended 15 February 2013. Since the start of the year, both the listed property sector and the FTSE/JSE All Share Index have returned 3.7%, while the bond market has returned just 0.6%.

Good investment pickings on quality stock - eProp, 19 February 2013
Despite the persistent weak economic outlook in the UK and Europe, investment market activity was stronger in the last quarter of 2012 with better quality assets receiving strong interest from the investment market.



ESTATE AGENT NEWS
Seeff agent scoops multi-listing award - Property24, 19 February 2013
A collaborative approach is vital for property seller and buyer success. This is according to Seeff agent, Gary du Toit, who has scooped the top ERL multi-listing award for 2012. Du Toit has won this award countless times during his 24-year career and his sales performance is testimony that his winning recipe works, says Seeff Joburg South Master Licensees, Shawn and Toni Mackrell.


SPECIFIC AREAS


Buying property in Bloemfontein - Property24, 21 February 2013
Bloemfontein, also known Mangaung which means “Place of the cheetahs” has a colourful history and a big reputation.

Affordable property options in Soweto - Property24, 20 February 2013
Just southwest of Johannesburg is Soweto, a place that approximately 40 percent of the city’s population call home. Adrian Goslett, CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, says the property market in Soweto is interesting in that it has experienced trends that are independent from other regions in the country.

Rondebosch suburban homes from R1.5m - Property24, 19 February 2013
The leafy suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town is almost synonymous with the concept of high-quality education. Pam Golding Properties (PGP) reports that this remains one of its most important factors when it comes to attracting residential property buyers.

Ladismith in the Klein Karoo is drawing a wide variety of home buyers - eProp, 18 February 2013
Value for money coupled with a notable trend, particularly among Gauteng buyers, to relocate in pursuit of a better quality lifestyle, is helping boost demand in the residential property market in the scenic hamlet of Ladismith in the Klein Karoo.


INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY NEWS


Spain's budget deficit brought under control, says Rajoy - Business Day, 21 February 2013
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy defended his deeply unpopular austerity programme in Madrid on Wednesday as Greek police clashed with strikers in Athens.

Shares at four-year highs on hopes of global growth - Business Day, 20 February 2013
Signs of an improving global economic recovery lifted world shares to four-and-a-half-year highs on Wednesday, while investors waited to see if Federal Reserve minutes would hint at any changes to its support of the US economy.

US REITS reward investors with solid growth and strong dividend pay-outs - eProp, 20 February 2013
The FTSE NAREIT ALL REIT Index returned 6.05%, outperforming the NASDAQ (+5.53). The US REIT sector has experienced steady and healthy growth.

Sound Real Estate investment opportunities in Ghana - eProp, 18 February 2013
The private sector is possibly one of the main engines of growth in Ghana's economy, says Kenneth Ofori, business manager for Devtraco Plus, a luxury real estate company in Ghana. Devtraco Plus, he says, is committed to providing sound upmarket home investment opportunities in sought after neighbourhoods.

SouthAfricanPropertyInvestor