FNB area value band house price index performances.

In April 2017, the FNB House Price Index showed some further acceleration in year-on-year growth compared with the March rate, after having gone through a “dip” late in 2016.

Real estate consulting firm, JLL SSA, has released its 2016 Investment Review of the South African property market with analysis reporting a R28.8bn increase in investment (from 18,5bn in 2015), and a similar 52.8% increase in gross lettable area (2 million square metres).

Examining the FNB House Price Indices for the country’s major regions, slowing price growth in the country’s recent star performing region, the Western Cape, continued in the 1st quarter of 2017.

Rebosis Property Fund, a JSE listed Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) whose strategy is directed toward dominant retail malls and which recently internalised its management team, has reported net property income growth of 74,6% for the six months ended 28 February 2017.

The downgrading of South Africa's debt to junk status and the firing of Pravin Gordhan as finance minister mean that interest rates will be on hold until 2020 at least, a poll of economists predicted yesterday.

The honourable Minister of Human Settlements, Lindiwe Sisulu published the Property Practitioners Bill on 31 March 2017 giving all stakeholders 30 days to comment.

Growth in the value of outstanding credit balances in the South African household sector slowed down further to 0,4% year-on-year (y/y) to R1 501,7 billion up to the end of February 2017.

The first month of 2017 saw building activity with regard to new private sector-financed housing in South Africa (see explanatory notes) contracting by a relatively large margin, based on data published by Statistics South Africa.

Building activity with regard to new private sector-financed housing in South Africa remained much subdued in the first eleven months of 2016 compared with the corresponding period in 2015, based on data published by Statistics South Africa.