By Bryce ODonnellFrom both a global and local standpoint, offices will continue to remain a key and critical aspect of an individual’s professional life and career. However, what is poised for transformation is the functionality, layout and design of offices in the future. This change is primarily driven by the evolving demands of businesses.The traditional office model, characterised by cubicles and...
The Guptas’ Upper Constantia mansion, standing in a derelict state, has been sold for R20 million to an international buyer.The controversial family, who fled the country, paid R17m for the seven-bedroomed house in 2005 that was owned by Mark Thatcher, the son of late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.In South Africa, Mark Thatcher was found guilty of financing the 2004 coup attempt in Equatorial...
Rising interest rates have challenged the property market in recent years with many aspiring homeowners forced to put their dreams on hold and new buyers qualifying for smaller bonds than they had hoped.Even though the repo rate has held steady and the hiking cycle is believed to be over, market activity will remain subdued it starts coming down.But it is not all about interest rates; there are a number of...
South Africa’s first-time homebuyers have had a tough time entering the property market in recent years thanks to high interest rates and living costs, but this has not stopped them from staying the course.In fact, despite the challenges, they are managing to put down higher deposits than they were a year ago; the average price they are paying for their first home is, therefore, also higher.Data from...
If you dream of living a new life in another country but don’t have the right passport or heritage to do so, you could gain foreign citizenship or residency simply by purchasing a property.Granted, the ‘simplicity’ is in the fact that you can acquire rights to live in another country by investing in property there, not in the cost it entails.If you do have the money, however, to purchase a home in...
More South Africans are being forced to sell their homes as high interest rates and rising living costs make it impossible to keep hanging on.In the last quarter of 2023, almost 25 percent of homes listed for sale were due to financial pressure; this means that one in four properties with ‘for sale’ signs outside their doors has distressed families or individuals living under their roofs.To put this...
There's a major sense of accomplishment that goes hand-in-hand with buying your first home, but most first-time buyer advice focuses on things like saving for a deposit and navigating the purchase process.There is very little information shared about what happens next and what to expect, says Arnold Maritz, co-principal for Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty in Cape Town’s Southern...
Liaising with an estate agent to buy or rent a property can be complicated, especially if you end up needing to work with more than one, or even rival agencies.But you have the right to work with as many real estate professionals and agencies as you like when looking for the right home – and an agent should never make you feel like you are obligated to work only with them.South African real estate agents...
Property owners and buyers must be mindful of their expenses this year as interest rates look set to remain high and livings costs are expected to keep climbing.Homeowners who are struggling to keep up with their bond repayments are also urged to reach out to their banks as soon as possible.While economists and property experts predict that the interest rate will hold steady at 11.75 percent at the end of...
South Africans will continue feeling the pinch this month – and for the foreseeable future, as interest rates are not yet expected to come down.The best we can hope for is a repo rate hold which will keep the prime lending rate stable at 11.75 percent.The good news, though, is that this is the bad news. A rate hike would be worse.While the repo rate will probably not increase following the Monetary...
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