Asbestos, from building industry hero to a latent killer

SA Commercial Prop News reports that asbestos, once the hero of the building industry, is now regarded as one of the most feared contaminants on earth and a latent killer. Although South Africa banned the mining of asbestos, and outlawed the manufacture of products containing asbestos in 2008, the toxin still makes up a large proportion of the material components found in existing buildings. 25 Jan 2012 15:14

Warning: Beware bogus sellers

Government has appealed to South Africans to refrain from buying land from bogus sellers as they will not only lose their money, but they could be evicted and charged for illegally occupying the land. The warning from Rural Development and Land Affairs comes in the wake of recent and ongoing land invasions in Walmanthsdall, north of Pretoria. 24 Jan 2012 10:34

Residential house prices show increase in December 2011

According to the latest oobarometer results released by ooba - one of South Africa's leading bond originators - property prices showed positive year-on-year growth of 6.2% in December. Although this increase is a positive development for the local residential property market, ooba predicts that the market will continue to trade sideways in 2012. 23 Jan 2012 05:50

New property valuations coming this year

According to a Fin24 report, municipalities around South Africa are preparing for the next large-scale property valuation assessment, which may drive municipal rates higher according to Ben Espach, valuations director at Rates Watch. 17 Jan 2012 16:57

Shopping centre rental growth mixed

[Thabang Mokopanele] Larger and dominant shopping centres are expected to perform better than smaller ones in rental growth this year, with smaller centres likely to struggle to achieve rental growth. 16 Jan 2012 13:50

Auction expert pessimistic about 2012

Last year was a tough year for South African real estate and, after three years of trudging through a severe downturn, the year did not present a path to recovery. As buyer-demand cooled, concerns about global sovereign debt heightened and weak prospects for the local economy worried investors. 13 Jan 2012 12:36

Property24.com launches property search application

Just three months after relaunching its state-of-the-art mobile website, online property portal Property24.com has extended its offering for smartphone users with the launch of its new iPhone application. 11 Jan 2012 13:26