The Cape Town City Council’s current revaluing of residential property has, as previously, resulted in his property group being flooded with questions from the general public as to the accuracy and reliability of these rates – and, in many cases, the policy on which the Council appears to be working.

Those who believe, probably correctly, that economic trends in the USA are always mirrored, to an extent, a few months later in South Africa will take heart from the latest US housing data published by Standard & Poor/Case-Shiller and analysed in a recent article by “The Economist”.

Regular media surveys on the residential property sector in South Africa frequently compare the 'returns' on property with those of other asset classes (particularly the JSE Securities Exchange) – and this often reflects poorly on the performance of property.

The August 2012 residential market overview compiled by the highly respected analysts, Lightstone, reveals clearly that the four major banks in South Africa, as well as, Investec and SA Homeloans have by-and-large come to terms with and solved the unpaid mortgage loan crisis that hit them in 2008/2009.  

Critics who have said that the intensive, ongoing training carried out with all their estate agents and franchisees by the R