| Poll : World Cup won't boost flagging property prices |
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30 June 2009
According to a poll by SA's largest online search property portal, the 2010 World Cup won't boost the country¿s sagging property prices but that sexy Cape Town pads are likely to get the biggest fillip from the global event. Johan Strydom, Managing Executive of propertygenie.co.za, South Africa's leading property listings website, said that 59% of people surveyed believed that next year's tournament would not boost property prices, while 41% of people said it would. "The results are interesting as they reflect the current view of South Africans. But as there hasn't been a sporting event of this magnitude in SA, people may be pleasantly surprised by the positive effect it will have on our economy and hence house prices. "Other countries that have hosted events like the Olympics and the Football World Cup have experienced strong growth in their property markets." Strydom acknowledges that the world faces tough economic times at present but he expects the global economy to be in better shape in time for kick off. When quizzed on the reasons why the World Cup would not spur house prices, 27% of respondents said that it was because local house prices were now too expensive, 20% said SA was not the best place to buy property while 19% of people pointed to the global credit crunch. Eighteen percent said that the World Cup would not attract enough people to have a positive impact while 16% noted that SA¿s weak economy would nullify any boost from the World Cup. The poll also asked people which kind of properties they thought would benefit most in price from the World Cup if any: 32% gave sexy Cape Town pads the nod, followed by beach houses countrywide (27%), lock up an go apartments countrywide (26%), wine farms (2%) and game farms (1%). Twelve percent of people said that no properties would benefit. Said Strydom: "People still see Cape Town as having the biggest pull for property investors and tourists alike. "It is true that Cape Town has been very popular with overseas buyers and the World Cup will introduce a whole lot of new people to the beauty of South Africa. "However according to recent research by property valuers Lightstone, only 0.5% of SA property is in foreign hands so much of the historical rise in prices has been driven by South Africans. And that's likely to be the case in the future too." The propertygenie.co.za poll was carried out online and canvassed the views of 703 people countrywide. |
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| Love at first sight for SA home buyers - poll |
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10 December 2008
According to a new poll by South Africa's leading property listings website, nearly a third of home hunters decide that a property is right for them before they even enter the house ¿ and a kitchen is overwhelmingly the most important room when it comes to the buying decision. Johan Strydom, general manager of propertygenie.co.za, said that the poll showed that 19% of respondents said they knew a property was right for them when they saw if for the first time, even before they went in. And 9% admitted to knowing it was the place for them when they saw it advertised online or in the newspaper. "Together these two categories mean that nearly a third of people have decided before they actually walk through the property. It does go to show that people often buy with emotions and gut feelings." Forty three percent of people said they knew a home was 'the one' when they viewed it thoroughly it for the first time while 12% said they knew after mulling it over. "Worryingly, 17% of those surveyed said that they are still not sure if they made the right purchase," notes Strydom. "It really is worth taking time to decide; it's probably the biggest purchase most of us ever make." When probed on what room was the most important when choosing a home, the heart of the home got the most votes by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Said Strydom: "Forty five percent of people named the kitchen as the most important room in the house when it came to their buying decisions. And 20% voted the bedroom as the most important, closely followed by the lounge with 18% of the nods. "It confirms what homestagers and savvy sellers have long known ¿ a good kitchen is hugely appealing even if you just use the microwave!" Bathrooms garnered 13% of the votes; dining rooms 3% and a games room was seen as the least important room with only 1% of the yays. Unsurprisingly, given the current tough economic times, 32% of those asked said that affordability was the biggest factor in deciding where to live. Next was lifestyle the property afforded with 28% of the ticks. "And 21% of people said that the work commute from the property was their biggest swing factor. We expect this to become increasingly important to South Africans, in line with the global trend," said Strydom. Proximity to schools and closeness to family and friends a grabbed 12 and 8% of the votes respectively. The online poll was carried out over October and November 2008 and represents the views of 409 people countrywide. |
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| Propertygenie.co.za to offer fractional ownership listings |
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9 December 2008
Propertygenie.co.za has entered into a partnership with fractionalownership.co.za to provide access to the latest fractional ownership listings which will be available from the 12 December, 2008. While it is well established overseas, fractional ownership is a relatively new concept in South Africa. Unlike timeshare, where users buy only the right to utilize a property, fractional ownership allows buyers to purchase an equity share in the property. "We are continuously looking for ways in which to grow the propertygenie.co.za website and the partnership with fractionalownership.co.za has provided a valuable enhancement to all our web users", says Managing Executive of propertygenie.co.za, Johan Strydom. Fractional ownership has become a very popular low cost investment vehicle for people looking to secure a holiday home, without significant capital outlay, and at the same time paying only for their usage of the property. It also potentially allows individuals to invest in a range of holiday properties for the price a single property would have cost them. The Fractional Network will initially feature 40 fractional ownership properties and more will be added in the coming months. The content will be powered by fractionalownership.co.za. who are experts in the business and have offered fractional ownership options since 2005. Dirk Wilson, co-founder of fractionalownership.co.za, says; "We are obviously very pleased to have propertygenie.co.za as a partner as we able to expose a wide range of internet users to fractional ownership listings." Through various other key propertygenie.co.za partnerships, The Fractional Ownership network will also be available on Realestateweb.co.za, ooba.co.za, SundayTimesProperty.co.za and iafrica.com. Propertygenie.co.za recently partnered with The Sunday Times and The Times website to provide property listings content for TheTimes.co.za. |
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| Propertygenie.co.za to power The Times property website |
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1 October 2008
propertygenie.co.za, South Africa's largest property listings website that showcases over 174 000 properties nationwide, has partnered with The Sunday Times and The Times website to provide property listings content for TheTimes.co.za. Johan Strydom, Managing Executive of propertygenie.co.za, said that the new deal, which kicked off on the 1st of October this year, will significantly increase traffic to the propertygenie.co.za website. Colin Daniels, Publisher of The Times Online, believes the partnership will benefit Times Online users given the depth and range of properties listed at propertygenie.co.za "TheTimes.co.za users now have access to the largest online selection of property listings from all of the country's leading estate agencies," says Daniels. Strydom says; "All the property listings on propertygenie.co.za will now be exposed to The Times Property users and will benefit from the more than 400,000 unique monthly visitors the site attracts. "More and more buyers the world over are demanding web based marketing of their properties such is the growing popularity and effectiveness of online property listings." he concludes The number of properties listed on propertygenie.co.za has risen 52% in the past year alone. propertygenie.co.za currently sends out over 300 000 property alerts matching the criteria selected by its homebuyer subscribers every month. All estate agency subscribers to propertygenie.co.za automatically have their listings listed on The Times Property website at no additional charge. |
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