Category Archives: News

SA Property Laws under review

8 November 2006

A long overdue investigation into the laws governing the South African property industry is finally under way, on the instruction of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Various representative bodies have made submissions to the Department and Bill Rawson, Chairman of Rawson Properties, has joined them in sending through his proposals on improving the laws governing property transactions in the country.

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Mboweni hints at pre-Christmas rate hike

15 November 2006

South Africa’s central bank will remain resolute to keep inflation under control, and not hesitate to change monetary policy before Christmas if necessary, Governor Tito Mboweni said on Tuesday, signalling another rate hike.

The Reserve Bank has already raised its repo rate by 150 basis points since June to curb inflationary pressures, and most analysts expect more increases ahead.

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FNB throws its weight behind industry professionalism

28 November 2006 First National Bank’s (FNB) Home Loans Division has taken a giant step towards realising its four-year-old vision of increasing real estate professionalism with the launch of the FNB’s Real Estate Business School (REBS).

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Property Rates Hike on Cards for Johannesburg

4 January 2007

Johannesburg’s city council has confirmed that residents could see significant property rates increases next year when the new rates scale – linked to property values – is implemented. The increases, which have not yet been quantified, were approved by the council last month and come in the wake of hotly contested changes to the national rating system.

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Property Prices set for Quiet Year Ahead

11 January 2007

Property owners may have to wait until next year for the residential market to pick up again and deliver stronger growth, the latest Absa house price index released yesterday suggests.

The declining price growth trend, which has been the main feature of the market for the past year, will be further entrenched this year on the back of a tighter economy.

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Demand for Property not affected by Rates Rises

The residential property sector has been affected by rising interest rates, but not nearly as much as expected.

The emerging black middle class, together with a strong economy, are some factors that play a role in the ongoing demand for property, even when interest rates are climbing the ladder everyday.

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Home Loan Sector Is Showing Early Warning Signals

The number of people who cannot afford their monthly bond repayment is increasing in South Africa and causes concern in the industry.

The US home loan market experienced a crisis after 22 lenders in the US sub prime market has been declared bankrupt in the past two months. Household debt had risen sharply in the past few years but fortunately in South Africa; banks are more conservative than those in the US. Banks are not locked into a rate at which the loans become unprofitable.

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Building Industry Skyrocketing

Construction and engineering sectors are hitting an ultimate high due to preparation for the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the building of the Gautrain high-speed rail link.

An analyst at Old Mutual Investment Group, Feroz Basa, agrees that spending was likely to continue for a while as demand outstripped supply in these industries.  Other sectors such as retail, telecommunications, media and transport will also benefit indirectly.

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FNB cuts prime lending rate to 10.5%

14 April 2005

First National Bank (FNB) today announced the reduction of its prime lending rate by 0.5% from 11.0% to 10.5%. The new rate will take effect on Monday 18 April 2005 on all prime rate linked products.

Interest rates for new and existing FNB HomeLoans will also be reduced by 0.5% on Monday 18 April.

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