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Property tax amnesty: Beware bank manager nasties
RealEstateWeb - South Africa
Check you'll still qualify for a mortgage before switching out of trust, CC

The new amendment to the taxation laws, with regard to residential properties in a company, close corporation (CC) or trust, has been widely publicised. But just in case you're still in the dark: If you own your primary residence in the name of a company, close corporation or a trust, you have a window period until 31 December 2011 to transfer this property into your personal name, without incurring transfer duty and Capital Gains Tax.

However, whenever a government department extends a helping hand, it comes with certain limitations.
RealEstateWeb

FNB Housing Affordability
FNB - South Africa
IN CONCLUSION - SHORT TERM AFFORDABILITY IMPROVEMENT, BUT IN THE LONG TERM AN EXPECTED SHIFT TOWARDS FAR LESS AFFORDABLE PROPERTY, DRIVEN BY INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES CONSTRAINTS, AND THE NEED FOR DENSIFICATION.
In the short term, the negative impact of the recession on property is expected to cause house prices to decline further in real terms (though probably not in nominal terms going forward), which in turn should cause the 2 main housing affordability measures to improve (decline).

However, in the longer term, it is anticipated that real economic growth will ultimately return to the more respectable 4-5% levels, as the global economy gradually sorts out its current issues. In addition, a shortage of various infrastructure and services around the country's major urban centres, notably in the area of transport infrastructure but also in terms of essential services to residential properties, has effectively caused a gradually growing land scarcity. This can be positive from a point of view of long term capital growth. Transport system congestion means an increased focus on location, and an effective slowing of urban sprawl, as the focus has to be increasingly on being located nearer to major business nodes or on a good transport route.
FNB Housing Affordability

FNB Residential Property Cycle
FNB - South Africa
COMMENT
The high-low end sequence still, therefore, appears to be holding, suggesting that the higher priced end will enter into rising average price inflation first. It is possible that the Top 10% of areas were less affected by the economic slowdown, as one finds more accumulated saving/wealth amongst higher income households cushion the blow in recessionary times, whereas areas lower down the price ladder are often characterised by households with low savings, causing greater financial stress in bad times. The FNB Property Barometer survey has consistently pointed towards a greater percentage of "selling in order to downscale due to financial pressure" in low income areas as opposed to higher up the ladder.

On top of this the tightening up of banks with regard to lending criteria in 2008 possible hampered middle and lower end demand (often a haven for first time buyers) to a greater extent due to a lack of ability to put down deposits for home loans in many cases. The converse holds true, though, in that the recent relaxing of credit criteria should benefit these segments more than the top 10%, and so with a lag, one should expect the more affordable side of the market to follow the higher priced end upward.
FNB Residential Property Cycle

My experience as a conveyancing client
Law Gazette - UK
They say moving home is one of the most stressful things you can do in life. Having just moved house myself, I can understand why. But it did at least provide me with a useful insight into the conveyancing process from a client's perspective. And I'm afraid the news isn't entirely good.
Law Gazette