Room for further interest rate cuts, says Dr Andrew Golding, CE of the Pam Golding Property group.

With the South African Reserve Bank’s announcement of interest rates cut of 100 basis points and earlier transfer duty exemption for properties below R1 million by the Minister of Finance, local regulations have made it attractive for first-time home buyers to enter the market.

Fairvest Property Holdings Limited (“Fairvest”) today again announced solid results for the six months to December 2019, with above market distribution growth of 5.1%, net property income growth of 2.2%, 5-year lows in vacancy rates and consistently low arrears.

Herschel Jawitz has cautiously welcomed President Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address, which addressed most of the critical issues facing the country but not necessarily in enough detail.

Lisbon, Sydney and Moscow set to lead residential price growth in 2020.

Fourth quarter (Q4 19) statistics released by ooba, South Africa’s leading home loan comparison service, show minimal growth of 1.8% in the Average House Price year-on-year from Q4 18 to Q4 19. The Average Purchase Price of First-time Buyers performed marginally better, up 2.5% for the same period.

Delta Property Fund, a specialist black-managed and substantially black-owned REIT with a significant sovereign underpin, today reported results for the six months ended 31 August 2019 reflecting continued headwinds facing the macro-economy and the commercial office sector. 

Housing demand has continued to gain momentum since the start of the year and in the third quarter, the number of applications for home loans was at its highest level in more than three years, according to the latest statistics from BetterBond, SA’s foremost bond originator.

Despite weak economic fundamentals resulting in negative real house price growth, the banking industry continues to show confidence in South Africa’s property market by further relaxing their lending criteria and approving home loan finance at levels last seen 12 years ago.

Despite weak economic fundamentals resulting in negative real house price growth, the banking industry continues to show confidence in South Africa’s property market by further relaxing their lending criteria and approving home loan finance at levels last seen 12 years ago.