Wednesday, February 23, 2011
As safe as houses is a term we were brought up with, and one that I have always believed in, but is the relative stability in the property market just a thin veneer hiding a much more sinister quagmire ?
This year has brought about a series of shocks that have rocked the residential [...]
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
It’s a warm fuzzy feeling that hangs over the property sector this Christmas, thanks to our improving economy and a more stable world outlook.
As predicted the Reserve bank gave us another boost lowering interest rates again resulting in a prime rate of 9%, now the lowest interest rates we have enjoyed since December 1973 [...]
Monday, October 25, 2010
There is no doubt that in any market, buying the right property for the right price is vital. We are seeing a period where residential properties are being bought at auctions, and from desperate sellers for a fraction of value. Its a feast for those with time and cash to be able to capitalize.
But where [...]
Monday, October 25, 2010
The year started off well with a storm of real estate activity and normalization of the market leading up to the world cup. But this quarter has been very unexciting with little activity with house prices dropping off marginally. Is this something we should worry about?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
So have you wondered why most of the market sells when it should be buying and buys when it should be selling, or perhaps does neither, waiting for a bolt of lightning or some other sign to act? There is a lot of property that I would not buy right now, but I can’t understand why more investors are not tucking into the great deals that this market has on offer in the buy to let segment.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Nassim Taleb, author of The Black Swan, has been predicting the collapse of the global financial system for 12 years. You would guess that he should have revelled in the recent events that brought the world to its knees, but he predicts that worst is still to come. At the Discovery Leadership Summit last [...]
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Last year I attended the 2009 leadership summit put on by Synchronized and Discovery health, and it was an excellent event.
Discovery are doing a repeat in 2010, and if you are interested in what makes business leaders tick, money, politics, and business strategy, and can afford the registration fee then I really recommend the event. It is not Real Estate focussed but will motivate you and perhaps encourage a little lateral thought.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
When I watched the closing ceremony of the soccer world cup, glued to the TV as the full sized elephant mannequins drank water from a watering hole in what looked like a sandy Kalahari desert to the sounds of the Ladysmith Black Mambazo , I was overcome with pride and the realisation that IN South [...]
Thursday, June 17, 2010
“Supply always comes on the heels of demand” – Robert Collier.
I am sure Robert Collier would agree that the opposite is also true. By “reducing supply will eventually increase demand” as too much money chases too few goods. It’s no secret that we are coming out of one of the worst recessions on record, [...]
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Two weeks ago I joined a group of property people on a road show (property Wealth Network) where we presented in the four major centres, on various property topics. The event was a great success and the venues filled up as the week progressed with the final function in Cape Town being overbooked with [...]
