Have you thought of investing in a hotel apartment?
Wouldn’t life be grand if you could sleep in a hotel every single night? The good news is you don’t need to be a hotel owner to do this, all you need to be is the owner of a room in a hotel.
Vining says that having an apartment in a hotel building like the Michelangelo is first prize since the Michelangelo is also a mixed-use development that includes residential, retail and office space. Charles Vining, Seeff’s Managing Director in Sandton, says that their branch currently has several apartments in hotel buildings available and that this type of investing is gaining popularity.
He says the owner of a hotel apartment has the option of either putting their property into the rental pool to be rented out by the hotel as part of the hotel suites, or to keep the unit for personal use. “If it is kept for personal use, they can still rent the unit out themselves or naturally they can live there.”
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Property will be your safest investment in 2016
The opportunity to move investments offshore has passed, the stock market is immensely volatile, and this will be the year when intensified property investment is the order of the day as the safest means of wealth protection according to Lew Geffen, Chairman of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty, commenting on the prospects for the South African property market for 2016.
“One can’t beat about the bush: we’re existing in a fear-driven economy at the moment, punctuated by repeated announcements about the currency hitting new lows, discouraging global economic data for emerging economies and the prospect of price increases across the board this year,” says Geffen.
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IEASA Western Cape calendar of events in February
As part of their bid to educate all involved in a property purchase, rental or management, whether professionals or members of the general public, the Institute of Estate Agents have included workshops for the layman, so as to provide a more 'inclusive' service.
This is according to Annette Evans, regional manager of IEASA, Western Cape, who says every agent who has a full status Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC) is required to attend ongoing training to retain their licence and agents accumulating Continuous Professional Development (CPD) via IEASA will gain non-verifiable points in proportion to the hours spent at each training session. IEASA’s aim is to offer a variety of skills development training for all licensed property professionals in 2016.
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UCT shines in South Africa's first Greenovate awards
Young environmental innovators from the University of Cape Town scooped both first and second prizes at the inaugural Growthpoint Greenovate Awards, which recognises innovation linked to environmental challenges according to Werner van Antwerpen, head of sustainability at Growthpoint Properties, who says the awards programme is an exciting initiative launched by Growthpoint Properties in association with the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).
He says it is designed to inspire and encourage students of the built environment to discover, explore and invent ways to live more sustainably.
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A guide to buying your first home in 2016
If 2016 is your year to finally buy your first home, there are a few considerations to take into account before starting house hunting.
“Buying your first home will always be a big leap as it requires financial discipline and budgeting,” says Albertus van Staden, head of credit at FNB Housing Finance.
This will be even more pronounced in 2016 with South Africa facing a tough economic climate with the expectation of continued interest rate increases, inflation in food prices due to the ongoing drought, as well as increased import costs due to the weaker currency.
However, Van Staden says it is not all bad news - some of these factors could also work in potential homeowners’ favour.
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Top 5 things tenants really need to know
Many tenants have been in the dark, and this is not only because of load shedding.
Tenants are seldom experts on the subject of leases, and are consequently uncertain about things like their rights, why they have to submit three months’ bank statements with a lease application and what to do to ensure that a deposit will be refunded after a lease expires.
This is according to PG van der Linde, Rentals Manager for Seeff Pretoria East, who says he offers the following advice to help clear up some of the most important questions that tenants have:
1. What do landlords look for when they select a tenant?
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