One of the best pieces of advice that estate agents can give homeowners is that money spent on installing or upgrading the security of their homes is never wasted – it will in fact usually add significantly to the home’s value and marketability...

Peter Gilmour, Chairman of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, considers the findings and advice of a leading global real estate report and highlights the startling similarities to the South African property market...

Three of South Africa's 10 most valuable residential areas are located along Cape Town's coastline, according to a Lightstone properties report released on Thursday...

The FNB House Price Index continued its trend of slowing year-on-year price growth, from a July revised rate of 10.1 percent to an August rate of 7.2 percent...

The rich in SA’s property market are getting richer while the poor get poorer because of the way the National Credit Act (NCA) is being applied...

The next Monetary Policy Committee meeting is likely to allow a 0,5% drop in the bank interest rate - but, says Bill Rawson, Chairman of Rawson Properties, the cut should be at least 1% if any significant change in the economy, the growth rate, job creation and in residential property sales is to be achieved...

Johannesburg — COMPANY failures plunged last month, while personal bankruptcies dived even more steeply in June, official data showed yesterday, providing some good news on SA's economic recovery...

Latest figures from the Western Cape Institute of Estate Agents PropStats division (which tracks and analyses sales from some 4 000 agents in ±200 agencies or operations in the Western Cape) reveal that the upturn in the residential property market continues albeit at an unspectacular pace...

Many homebuyers these days first need to sell their own properties before they can proceed with the purchase transaction, and most sale agreements make provision for this with a “subject to” clause...

The ancillary costs of moving from one home to another are far larger than most people recognise, says Lanice Steward, MD of the Cape estate agency, Anne Porter Knight Frank...

A recent report has shown that this year 9% of SA tenants in residential properties are not paying rents at all – and 28% are paying late...

With the recession only partially behind us and with incomes often no longer rising in line with inflation (or any recognised growth strategy) it can be tempting to landlords to skimp on maintenance – but this is always “fatal” to the long term value of the building...

For many Cape Town letting agents the first three months of this year were some of the busiest they have ever experienced, says David Beattie, a director of the Western Cape Institute of Estate Agents and Principal of Chorus Letting, which manages some a few hundred units between Milnerton and Muizenberg...

It is often said by property landlords that the best – and indeed the only – time when rental payments on a lease can be raised significantly is when one tenant leaves and another moves in. Until then the landlord has to abide by the annual rental increases that are stipulated in the lease agreement – and these are usually in the region of 10% and seldom higher than 12%...

In residential letting, you usually only have to keep one tenant happy all year. But in holiday letting, you could have dozens of people to satisfy in the hope that they will come back or at least recommend your rental unit to friends...

Everyone knows that newly-built homes generally cost more, meter for meter, than pre-owned properties, but many people still dream of building a new home from scratch and they need to be sure that they are getting the best possible value for money...

Worldwide, the sub-division of large residential stands is gaining popularity – and presents good opportunities for property investors...

South Africa is continuing to capitalise on the recent World Cup event, claims a real estate company...

Bloemfontein, the Capital City of the Free State Province in South Africa, is centrally situated roughly in the middle of the Province, as well as in South Africa...

>> Property in Bloemfontein
>> Property in the Free State

Chas Everitt opens in flourishing Bloemfontein

The Chas Everitt International property group now has an office open in Bloemfontein, which currently has one of the fastest-growing property markets in the country...

Rural Magaliesburg is set to benefit from several residential developments that are awaiting services before construction starts...

Blouberg tipped as SA’s hottest new playground

.It’s hot, it’s hip and it’s the most ‘happening’ place in the Western Cape to live right now, boasting a heady combination of magnificent beaches, awesome views and the integrated urban lifestyle sought after by today’s up-and-coming executives and professionals...

Woodstock has a wow factor

One of Cape Town’s oldest suburbs, Woodstock, is set on the slopes of Devils Peak and enjoys views out to the harbour. Located within the City Bowl area, Woodstock also enjoys easy access to the Cape Town CBD...

Recent advice from a Cape Town Lawyer, Ulrik Strandvik of Grant Gunston Attorneys, is particularly relevant to those with investments in the property sector...

The most effective green building projects don’t buy their greenness by tacking on features but rather use a different approach to design and management...

Q&A with Jennifer Paddock

Q1: Please advise whether fines or penalties for contravention of the conduct rules can be imposed for persistent transgressors...

Prescribed management rule (“PMR”) 7 requires nominations by owners for the election of trustees at any annual general meeting (“AGM”) to be given in writing, accompanied by the written consent of the person being nominated at least 48 hours before the meeting. If insufficient nominations are received before the AGM, then further nominations can be given, with the nominee’s consent, at the meeting...

The news that the State’s Special Investigatory Unit has arrested nearly 2 000 government officials, most employed in housing delivery, on charges of fraud, corroborates a statement made by himself earlier this year, says Paul Henry, MD of Rawson Developers...