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FNB Western Cape Property Review
FNB - South Africa
SUMMARY - WESTERN CAPE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OUTPERFORMING THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, BUT SLOWDOWN LOOKS IMMINENT
The Western Cape residential property sector appears to have outperformed the national residential market, having recorded average house price inflation of 13.8% year-on-year for the 2nd quarter of 2010. This rate is a further acceleration from the 8.7% achieved in the 1st quarter.

The best performing price segment has been the so-called affordable segment. The Affordable Areas House Price Index, with an average price of R396,932, showed estimated year-on-year price inflation of 18.2% in the 2nd quarter. By comparison, the Middle Income Area grouping (average price=R817,478) inflated by 14.5%, the High Income Area Index (average price=R1,233,840) rose by 10.7%, while the so-called Top End grouping (average price=R1,820,104) had the weakest inflation rate at 7.7%.

However, examining growth rates in house prices on a quarter-on-quarter basis, it would appear that the province's market is losing growth momentum, and the 2nd half of 2010 is expected to bring slowing price inflation back into single-digit year-on-year rates.
FNB Western Cape Property Review

Has the "mini-peak" in residential property been reached?
Real Estate Web - South Africa
COMMENT
FNB July House Price Index starts to slow.

The July FNB House Price Index recorded a year-on-year inflation rate of 10.6%, down from the previous month's revised 12.4%. On a month-on-month basis the index declined by -0.6%, following a +0.2% rise in the previous month. One does get seasonal factors playing a role in the month-on-month rate, though, so one should be careful about drawing conclusions regarding month-on-month decline. The average price for July was R787,694.

Although it is "early days", we believe that the decline in the year-on-year growth rate does signal the start of a slowing trend in house price inflation, which is expected to last well-into 2011.
Real Estate Web

Deeds Recording and Land Registration in the Bahamas - The Issues and Challenges
The Bahama Journal - Bahama
Every purchaser of real property is interested in acquiring an indefeasible title and every prospective seller is obliged to show a good and marketable title. A good and marketable title will not be easily susceptible to being subsequently set aside after a given real estate transaction but will survive any challenge and in this respect, is an indefeasible title. In real practical conveyancing, this is hardly possible especially in the context of deeds conveyancing system or unregistered land conveyancing system which currently obtains in the Bahamas. Given that the critical role real property plays in any economy, it is imperative that any modern progressive nation should endeavour to adhere to a model of real property conveyancing that enhances simplicity in operational or transactional mechanism, affordability in cost, security of title and facility of transfer.
The Bahama Journal

UKconvey closure should act as warning to brokers
Mortgage Introducer - UK
Goldsmith Williams says that the recent closure of the law firm Norman Saville & Co, which also traded as UKconvey, should act as a salutary reminder to all mortgage brokers to only recommend conveyancing firms which they know are well founded and can offer their clients a high quality service.
Mortgage Introducer