Web Bytes 005

Online Property Search Companies Not Anti-Competitive
The Scotsman - UK
An OFT investigation has concluded that there are no grounds for action under the Chapter II prohibition of the Competition Act 1998 regarding pricing policies in the online property search sector. However, the market as a whole needs further in-depth study which will be conducted by the OFT in due course.
The Scotsman

Land Reform In Africa - Part One: South Africa
Voice of America - USA
In the first part of a series on the struggle for land in Africa, VOA's Delia Robertson looks at land reform in South Africa.
Voice of America

The new woman: Bold and bonded
Sunday Times - South Africa
A study conducted by top home loan company Mortgage SA, based on bonds registered by buyers over the last year to June, indicated that women buyers accounted for R5.5-billion of approved home loan applications - a billion rand more than last year.
Sunday Times

National Rollout Underway For Automated Title Search Technology
PR Web (press release) - USA
The country's first completely electronic - and most accurate - land record database is expanding into new counties. The company's Land Record System, which accesses records from the database, allows users to complete title searches in 15 minutes or less - decreasing time to perform such searches by a factor of 5-10.
PR Web

Law Society hints house sale system may change
The Scotsman - UK
Claim that property agents are setting artificially low asking prices to inflate the price of Scottish houses are to be investigated by the Law Society of Scotland.
The Scotsman

Land Reform in Africa - Part 2: Zimbabwe
Voice of America - USA
Land reform has dominated news about Zimbabwe for the past four years under President Robert Mugabe. But land ownership has been a contentious issue since the advent of colonialism in the late nineteenth century.
Voice of America

Panel to Probe Foreign Land Ownership
AllAfrica.com - Africa
Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza has announced a panel of experts to investigate foreign land ownership in the country.
AllAfrica.com

Amended law to help NJ mortgage market - Fitch
Reuters - USA
New York, Aug 25 (Reuters) - New Jersey's amendment to its law curbing predatory lending should bolster its mortgage market, where lenders had threatened to stop making loans after the original law was enacted.
Reuters

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