When Chas Everitt International chief Berry Everitt noted late last year that the economic troubles abroad and the low rand exchange rate were generating renewed interest in SA property among overseas buyers, several media commentators expressed the opinion that he was smoking his socks.

But given recent events, there are many in the real estate industry that would probably like to share those socks – or even get some of their own...

Anyone taking part in this year’s Pick ‘n Pay Cape Argus cycle race will, says Lanice Steward, MD of the real estate agency Anne Porter Knight Frank, have learned something valuable about Cape property – that the early settlers were adept at choosing sites out of the wind...

Talking to those who endured the 65km winds all the way down to the Cape Point reserve gate,” said Steward...

Presenter: Giulietta Talevi - Guest(s): Herschel Jawitz

Summit TV speaks to Herschel Jawitz chief executive of Jawitz Properties about the poor state of the residential property markets that can’t support the large numbers of those who got in when times were good

Giulietta Talevi: Welcome to Face to Face. A report out on Wednesday says over 55,000 estate agents have so far lost their jobs and more could follow - just how difficult is it out there at the moment? Herschel, would you agree that 55,000 jobs in the estate agency sector have been lost to date...

Despite the fact that interest rates have dropped by 1,5% since December 2008, and that more rate cuts are expected, it is unlikely that the house market will stage a miraculous rebound during 2009. That's according to John Lottering, research editor for Rode and Associates, who says that although declining interest rates have a positive effect on demand, lacklustre economic growth, coupled with high house prices and consumer debt, is likely to keep demand under pressure...

Follow up article on last week’s article

Interest rates must be cut by two percent, Consumer Assist, South Africa's biggest umbrella organisation of debt counsellors, said on Tuesday.

Debt was growing rapidly and putting an increasing strain on consumers, banks, retailers and other financial institutions experiencing the highest levels of consumer debt ever, said Andre Snyman, CEO of Consumer Assist, in a statement...

JOHANNESBURG (March 11) - The fact that 2009 will be a year of change can no longer be disputed with one of the biggest issues being the shape of the future of origination and whether or not the South African financial institutions believe there is still a place for the service originators offer.

Focussing on the issue in a company media release Rudi Botha, CEO of the PA Group (holding company of Betterbond, South Africa’s largest originator), says: “In order to ensure a sustainable future for the business of origination along with all the interlinked partners, we are engaging with the banks to find a workable solution to the current challenges...

It is beginning to be clear, says Tony Clarke, MD of the Rawson Properties Group, that a main reason why mortgage bonds are now so difficult to obtain is that certain banks are now simply refusing to accept bond applications from originators.

Clarke said that he was recently told by a bank executive that that bank now believes the cost of applications through an originator to be too high...

Design>in Living - Bathrooms

Much like the concept of the open plan kitchen, that has been an essential part of our lives for some time now, the bathroom has finally ‘come out of the closet’. The contemporary bathroom has evolved from being merely a functional space, it’s become a place to revive body and soul. Spaciousness is in vogue, with many ‘bathrooms’ becoming an integral part of the bedroom. This being so, it’s now more important than ever to remove clutter and unsightly mess...

Local authorities should make use of the lull in the property market to revamp and upgrade their planning departments.

Gerhard Kotzé, CEO of the ERA South Africa property group, says now is the time to debug these departments to ensure that when the market returns to growth, they will be better equipped to deal with their workload...

Doing it nude. Italians are finding "nude" property offerings an attractive way to go.

TheMoveChannel reports that elderly Italians are being forced to do something they have never considered before: sell family homes to strangers at a discount on condition they can stay until they die.

"The cash transactions are called ‘nude sales' in Italy because in most cases the owners are stripped of ownership while retaining use of the property until they die. While they account for only 5% of Italian sales, they represent one of the few boom areas as the slump deepens," says the international property website...

Breaking away from his traditional practice of giving advice on the legal, financial and similar matters affecting home values and home buying, Tony Clarke, MD of Rawson Properties, this week took a good-humoured look at a much-underrated factor that can and does influence many home values – the neighbours.

Certain homeowners or occupants can seriously influence the quality of life of those living near them – and any prospective buyer of a property should take care to investigate his future neighbours before agreeing to a home purchase...

The Players GC is offering you the change to enter the wonderful world of golf and get all the benefits you need as a golfer without having to outlay thousands of Rand's to get it.

Benefits of membership include:

• An official National Golf Network golf handicap card and official handicap
  
• Discounted affiliated rates at courses due to SAGA affiliation. (saving you between R50 to R200 per round)
  
• 2 Complimentary lessons with a PGA professional in your area worth R350
  
• A free subscription to Universal Golf ezine
  
• 4 Strokesaver distance guides of golf courses in your region worth R120
  
• Monthly newsletters with competitions, getaways, golf tips and discounts on golf equipment

Value added services

We at The PGC do not only provide golfers with a cost effective alternative to get all the benefits they need as golfers, but also provide our members with value added services exclusive to The PGC.

These services include the following:

• Members are welcome to email or fax scores through to us that they were unable to enter due to unforeseen circumstances and we will submit those scores to avoid the unpleasant experience of a penalty calculation which normally has a big affect on your handicap as well as handling all related queries regarding your handicap.
  
• As a PGC member you will have the luxury of contacting us with any golf related query and we will personally do everything in our power to assist you in any way possible

We can offer you this incredible golf membership for only R1199 per year a R200 discount on the normal rate.

And Even more

Join from now till the end of the March and stand a chance of entertaining 3 of your friends or clients by winning one of 4 four balls at a prestigious golf course in your area worth R1800 per four ball.

To take up this incredible offer contact Neil De Bruyn on 011 998 2999

Or visit www.theplayersgolfclub.co.za and complete an online application form.

How many does it take to bungle righting one of apartheid's greatest wrongs? Should these people be blamed for soaring food inflation?

There was a time when l thought maybe the land issue is past behind us, that South Africa is capable of handling its land reform programmes unlike our neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Of course it would be wrong of me to assume that we are going down that route, yet with so many inefficiencies in the land reform programmes and blame being shifted to unskilled lucky recipients of land, the stage is set for a major showdown...

JOHANNESBURG (March 11) - Property owners in estates and cluster complexes should ensure that they get good value for their monthly levies - by ensuring that their homeowners' association (HOA) has a proper constitution.

Levies collected each month, according to an article in the Chas Everitt International February newsletter, are intended for the upkeep of communal property such as gardens, recreation facilities, fences and security systems, and are managed by an HOA set up by all the owners in a particular gated community.

HOAs are non-profit companies usually put in place when a new development is handed over to the new owners, who then elect a board of directors or a management committee to implement their HOA constitution.

Typically, such a constitution will provide for the HOA to manage, operate and maintain common areas and facilities, and for the directors to draw up annual budgets for necessary expenditure as well as financial statements so that any member can see what the levies need to be and how they are being disbursed.

The constitution should also contain a provision that major decisions likely to materially affect owners will be put to a vote and only carried if a majority of owners support them. Examples of such issues include the introduction of new policies - such as no pets being allowed - restrictions being placed on the rental of units, and the employment of outside contractors or a property manager.

Article from: www.rodneyhayter.com

Boschendal Estate’s newly appointed Sales and Marketing Director, Peter Rademeyer, says that in all his 23 years of selling and marketing “exceptional” developments, nothing he has handled compares with the 18 Founder’s Estates which represent the now approved Phase One of the Boschendal development.

These estates vary in size from 21 to 44ha (50 to 100 acres) and are priced from R16 to R37 million. Each Founder’s Estate has a designated area of 8 000m2 on which the buyer will be allowed to build a home, subject to design guidelines which ensure that all homes complement the architectural traditions of the area and keep visibility low...

People are living longer so making your money go further is what it’s all about in retirement – especially when it comes to property and health considerations.

Keith Nash, sales director for leading developer Sable Homes, says that while many people on the brink of retirement own their current homes, most would not be able to build that sort of equity again, or accumulate their current level of savings, even if they continued to work...

To the editor:

Just a quick complement, your site is the best in the business, easy to use, lots of properties. Well done
Gary Hope

From the editor:

Thank you Gary, your compliment is appreciated. www.cyberprop.com now have over 140 000 listed properties and received over 2 million page impressions for last month. Indeed a property portal to be reckon with.

To the editor:

Requesting information regarding Surveillance and Security tenders

Customer: Leon Kruger

From the editor:

If you can help Leon with his request you can mail him at lkrugermail@gmail.com

Send your viewpoints or comments on any of the articles, or questions you may have to news@cyberprop.com

A CLOSE CORPORATION CAN SAVE ITS MEMBERS TRANSFER TAX

Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyes’ advice to property sellers, buyers and agents – indeed, to all interested in property – has been invaluable over the last ten years and has often been used in Anne Porter Knight Frank training courses, says Lanice Steward, MD of APKF.

This week, she has drawn particular attention to a STBB news release which points out that the transfer of shares in a property owning company is treated differently to the transfer of a membership in a close corporation.

The areas we are going to take a closer look at this week are;

• Somerset West
  
• Mossel Bay
  
• Bluff

Activity picks up in Somerset West

Although many properties around Somerset West have been put at risk by terrible veld fires lately, the real estate market in the Western Cape town is generally showing increased activity as local and international buyer sentiment improves...

Cash buyers are doing the rounds in Mossel Bay as property prices shift down a notch.

That’s the news from George Krause, principal of leading local agency Homenet Mossel Bay, who says that properties priced around R1m are “best sellers” at the moment, with the majority being snapped up by cash buyers from the inland provinces...

Buy-to-let market buoyant on Bluff

The buy-to-let market on the Bluff in Durban has gathered momentum in recent months as investors take advantage of strong rental demand.

So says Wondera Erasmus, principal of leading local agency Homenet Brighton Beach, who notes that strict bank lending protocols, while putting a dampener on sales, have given rise to a strong rental market...

By Proplist Potchefstroom

Vredefort crater is the largest verified impact crater on Earth. It is located in the Free State Province of South Africa, and named after the town of Vredefort, which is situated near its centre. The site is also referred to as the Vredefort dome or Vredefort impact structure. In 2005, the Vredefort Dome was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites for its geologic interest.

The asteroid that hit Vredefort is one of the largest to ever impact Earth, estimated at over 10km (6 miles) wide. It is believed by many that the original size of the impact structure could have been 250km in diameter, or possibly larger. This makes Vredefort the largest known impact structure on Earth...

>> View Properties in Vredefort
>> View Properties in Free State

Search for property in your area

From the 30th of March to the 1st of April 2009 the University of Cape Town together with Prof. Paddock, a specialist sectional title attorney, and Clint Riddin, a specialist sectional title accountant and auditor, will for the first time in Johannesburg present a 3-day course on the development of sectional title property...

Cell Phone enquiries from the public

Buyers driving past your advertising boards will be able to see an unique Internet Number allocated to the specific property. They will then SMS that number to 35476 and will receive an SMS back with all the details of the property. At the same time the agent / agency will also be informed of a potential buyer. How's that for technology working for you! The cost - mahala! Free to all CyberAgent subscribers.

Here's a diagram on the way this process will work...

1. Agent captures the details of the property and pictures into CyberAgent
   
2. Agent updates the property to the Internet
   
3. The Internet server sends back a unique number for that property
   
4. Agent puts up his "For Sale" board together with our SMS board
   
5. Potential buyer sees the "SMS" board and SMS's the unique number to the Internet server
   
6. The Internet server sends back an SMS with all the property details and a link to the website where he/she can view pictures on the propert

If you would like to know more about the above features and benefits that CyberAgent offer, visit: www.cyberagent.co.za or email: sales@cyberprop.com

For Sale Property:
Eastern Cape Freestate Gauteng Kwazulu Natal Mpumalanga North West Northern Cape Limpopo
Western Cape

To Rent Property:
Eastern Cape Gauteng Kwazulu Natal North West Western Cape

Ünsubscribe