SAPOA (SA Property Owners Association) and IPD have signed an agreement to bring a new level of property research to all sectors of the industry. Neil Gopal, SAPOA CEO says, “We are living in a rapidly changing social and economic environment in South Africa and accurate research is critical in understanding and catering for changing property trends in a proactive way. There is huge movement in this market, dictated by prevailing needs, socio-economic factors and business / industrial dynamics.”
IPD South Africa, an independent operating subsidiary of IPD Holdings UK, set up a local property databank in conjunction with SAPIX (S. A. Property Information Exchange) in 1997 and is today recognised as the definitive source of property performance benchmarks. The company offers completely independent, objective research and analysis, as it has no investment interests in the market whatsoever.
Among the new surveys to be published is the SAPOA Industrial Vacancy Survey, which will provide an industrial property indicator for the first time in South Africa. Stan Garun of IPD says this particular survey has been long awaited by the industry and they are confident that it will grow to match the stature of the long standing and highly regarded SAPOA Office vacancy Survey, also released quarterly in April, July, October and January. Also new is the Retail Trading Densities Report, planned for release bi-annually in March and September, which will document actual trading densities and trends in the retail sector, in various tenant categories and locations.
The new annual SA Real Estate Yearbook, also planned for release in September this year and thereafter at the end of April, will contain research papers of business significance and state of the art real estate research from the UK, USA, SA and Africa. Property statistics will be featured with graphics and charts to give an overview of property performance over the past 10 years as well as current trends.
These new publications join the existing SAPOA Office Vacancy Survey; the SAPOA/IPD Capitalisation and Discount Rate Survey, detailing cap and discount rates of concluded deals, released in January and July; the SA Property Market Trends Report, providing an analysis and overview of trends, released in July; and the Operating Costs Report, published in February and August.