As much as it pains the objective person, the short answer to this question is: both. Property valuation hinges on many factors. And not all of them are black and white.

Once you know the factors that go into a professional property valuation, it’s easier to make the right choice.

The Property Partnership team specialises in a range of services. We cover commercial and residential property; industrial land and buildings; and even plant and machinery.

So we know exactly what matters in a property valuation – and how it affects you.

Let’s take a look at a few of the key factors.

Factual Data

The science, or hard facts of a property, is fairly easy to assess. This would include, for example:

  • Floor area of buildings
  • General condition of buildings
  • Land size
  • Land zoning
  • Rates payable
  • Use of property
  • Location
  • Contractual Rental income

These facts and numbers are plugged into the valuation process. They form the backbone of your report. But there’s more.

What is the valuation for?

Do you want to sell your property? Or do you just need a valuation for insurance purposes? Are you refinancing? Or do you have a rates objection?

The answers to these questions affect which information we include in your report.

Who’s asking?

Each property can have a number of potential values. A property valuation may be relatively fixed. But its potential value can change – depending on perspective.

For instance, if your property burns to the ground, you would be very interested in its replacement value. But if you are selling it, market value is what matters.

A buyer would consider how much he would be prepared to pay for this property based on what he needs. And that’s something you might never find out. The question is: what would the market be prepared to pay for this asset?

Some things can’t be measured

Now we move very much into the ‘art’ side of this subject. Working out exactly how each factor affects your property takes years of experience. Not to mention a good deal of training and relevant knowledge.

Some of these factors apply more to the residential market. But they often overlap with the commercial market too.

These intangibles include:

  • Depreciation adjustments
  • Comparable sales information
  • Current local or national economic circumstances
  • Property locale. For example, views, neighbours and local amenities.
  • Internal finishes
  • Potential area zoning changes
  • Business rights
  • Rentals to be applied to the property
  • Capital Values and other variables to be applied to the property

As you can see, exploring the effect of each of these takes market knowledge, wise deductions based on experience – and a fair amount of investigation.

It also helps a whole lot to know that there’s a real person doing each valuation. They may be both experienced and thorough. But they simply can’t know every fluctuation and variance in the market.

That’s why you need to partner with someone who knows their numbers. But you need more than that. You need someone whose wisdom and experience will result in an accurate – and precise – property valuation. One that is tailored to your specific needs.

The Property Partnership is that someone. We have decades of combined experience, focused training – and a passion for what we do. And we do it well.

Call us on 0860 999 440 or visit www.property-partnership.co.za to get a clear view of what your asset is worth.