It may be cliché to quote the old adage ‘not to put all your eggs in one basket’, but if there’s ever an area where that becomes the dictates of wisdom, it’s in the advice to diversify one’s property portfolio. Like a good friend doubles the joy and halves the sorrow, diversification counters and also [...]
Just when you’re patting yourself on the back for securing tenants, the party ends when the rent is habitually late, or worse, absent altogether. The same goes for the other side of the coin, should tenants have their rights regularly disregarded by a landlord. Either way, the best practice regarding rental disputes is to do [...]
Every one praised the stalwart commercial property developers in Johannesburg city centre when they first persuaded investors to buy up the unoccupied building in the city centre, evicted the squatters and refurbished them into dazzling buildings with offices and snazzy but affordable apartments. Thanks to those innovative manoeuvres, Johannesburg CBD has experienced a remarkable revival. [...]
To enter the labyrinth that is quintessential to the property market, be sure to ‘cross all the t’s’ and ‘dot all the i’s’. One of your best friends in the process needs to include a forensic investigator who will provide you essential paperwork regarding the property you’re either selling or renting out. Doing so might [...]
There has been a significant increase in the number and size of retail shopping centres situated in, or close to, residential properties in the South African retail landscape over the past few decades. Shopping centres have a potential to generate both positive and negative reactions but, at the same time, may have a positive effect [...]
It’s never easy to accurately assign a value to a business, and many people liken it more to an art than a science. This holds particularly true when it comes to start-up companies. Established businesses with steadfast clients and regular revenue can offer specific facts and figures that valuers can then use to help them [...]
The reopening of the land claims is causing major uncertainty, especially in the agricultural sector. What is Land Restitution? Land restitution is one of the key issues since South Africa achieved democracy in 1994. The goal of the Restitution of Land Rights Act No. 22 of 1994, was to offer a solution to people who [...]
Servitudes, including municipal servitudes, can affect the value of a property for both buyers and sellers. While it may not be an issue for some, there are buyers who can be turned off once they discover that a servitude is held on a property. As a result, the demand for the property can be reduced [...]
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is an international organisation with a history spanning over 100 years. It promotes and enforces the highest standards in the management, development and valuation of real estate, land, construction and related infrastructure. There are almost 150 000 RICS members in 146 countries globally, and in South Africa, there [...]
Buying something that doesn’t yet exist. At first glance, that sounds like the riskiest investment you could make, but take a second and third look and you’ll see it’s actually what everyone does when they buy a property off plan. Buying off plan means securing a property that isn’t yet built, but which you believe [...]
When a company merges with or is taken over by another, the shareholders of that company have certain intrinsic rights, one of which is that their shares are purchased at a fair value. Naturally, both sides will have different opinions about the value of the company in question, with the seller always having in mind [...]
Samuel Johnson is quoted as saying, “Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own.” We South Africans fully appreciate the value of our agricultural land. While manufacture and other important industry sectors factor in the nation’s economic future, it’s agriculture that feeds the mouths of our [...]
Buying property, when done wisely, is rarely a bad decision. Although property markets do flatten out occasionally, they always pick up again eventually, and if you’ve bought a decent property in a good area, it is always going to be a good investment in the long term. The key question potential buyers often ask is: [...]
If there was ever a time to have a crystal ball to see what the property market in South Africa is going to do in the short and medium term, it is now! There are so many variables at play at the moment that making a blanket prediction on where the market is going to [...]
The services required from professional valuer are extremely varied, which is one of the factors making valuation such an interesting and challenging occupation. Perhaps one of the most interesting tasks a valuer can be called upon to perform is that of arbitration. Arbitration is the process whereby disputes are resolved outside a traditional courtroom, and [...]
