While some large property funds are optimistic about the market, others believe it could stay flat for the time being despite reports of excellent returns.

Durban - SA Retail Properties had outperformed the property loan stock index on a price basis by 10.5 percent since the start of the year, James Templeton, a property analyst at Barnard Jacobs Mellet (BJM), said yesterday.

IFour Properties SA has sold its Greenpoint office property in Cape Town to Faircape Property Developers for R46m as part of an initiative to upgrade its portfolio.

DURBAN Property unit trust Martprop Property Fund anticipated finalising deals worth R150m within the next month and was actively seeking acquisitions while the market offered good values, MD Roger Perkin said yesterday.

CAPITAL Property Fund plans to take advantage of the regulatory changes that will enable unit trusts to gear their property portfolio up to a maximum of 30%.

But claims abound that he is profiteering.

The Standard Bank Multi-Manager Property Fund is aimed at investors looking for a property fund managed according to the multi manager investment philosophy.

REDEFINE Income Fund CEO Peter Penhall has challenged criticism of the hybrid property loan stock company structure, saying specialist equity managers would not necessarily have the depth of knowledge of the property market a hybrid's manager has.

Shareholders of the listed property fund Cenprop may take some comfort from the second offer for its assets, made this time by property loan stock company Acucap Properties.

Survey cites oversupply, lower income