Harcourts News

In the past few years, the Hermanus property landscape has certainly changed dramatically, losing the sleepy-town stigma and attracting quite a lot of interest from inland buyers and becoming a haven for semigrants. However, the local Western Cape buyers, many younger professionals that work from home, are showing a lot of interest in this region too.

The advantage for many property investors when purchasing property in Hermanus is the incredible value and return on investment opportunities homes in this region offer. The variety of property options range from small apartments to large family homes and development stands on the edge of the ocean. This opens up the region to a diverse range of buyers and creates exciting demand.

Technology has certainly played a role as we are now able to present Hermanus properties to the local, national and international market in an effective and convenient matter. What's equally exciting is that we're finding many professionals now being afforded the luxury of working from home, which opens up their location choices.

Hermanus is the perfect getaway from the city that celebrates a relaxed lifestyle all while having the option, if you desire, to drive into Cape Town in under two hours. Hermanus has an abundance of amenities, fantastic schools, a thriving local business landscape and a wonderful sense of community among the people. All this while being nestled by the majestic mountains above.

We've seen incredible value and growth in certain regions within Hermanus as well as surrounding areas like Kleinmond, Gansbaai and Betty's Bay. Our team of specialists have their fingers on the pulse of the Overberg market and we're able to assist both sellers and buyers to best achieve their desired results.

Statement by
Jana Smith
Harcourts Hermanus Principal

Whether it is a buyers or seller's market accurate valuation and pricing of your home is imperative if you aim to have a successful transaction. Realistic pricing is relevant to accurate market value and often buyers will compare your home to the properties in the area so they can gauge an insight into the true market value.

Market fluctuations and economic pressures undoubtedly influence the price of property and we've seen some homeowners having to drop expected prices due to the external economic factors affecting the market from a holistic perspective.

Therefore, If your property is over-valuated it not only wastes valuable marketing time but it can very often gain a stigma that negatively affects the perception of the home going forward. In the end, you may end up getting far less for your property than could have been initially obtained. No matter how well your property is marketed, if the price isn't right, it won't sell.

When a property is accurately valuated and the agent commences marketing of the listing this creates immediate demand. The first 6 to 12 weeks are the most important when marketing a property.

The first step is to contact an agent with an extensive target market presence. Browse digital property platforms, forums, portals as well as published newspapers and magazines to best see which agents have a true understanding and footprint in the region you wish to sell. Then, similarly, use that research time to assess where your property's value is located in the market and try and scale it correctly. Not just comparing the size and location but added features also.

Agents use many accurate tools that take an array of factors into account when valuating your home. Pair this data with expert insights into the current climate of the market and trends of buyers and sellers and an agent is able to present your property to a diverse network exposing it to the right buyers.

Planning to buy a home usually takes a long term strategy, with many buyers having to either save for a deposit, assess affordability or scout for the perfect property to call home. Then when the time finally comes and the country’s economy seems to be unstable - interest rates are higher, banks are implementing stricter lending criteria, doomsayers are warning against long term investments, buyers could be caught in a funnel of information and be left confused and unnecessarily wary.

Most homeowners know by now that they must have a valid Electrical Compliance Certificate (ECC)  if they want to sell, because their property can’t be transferred to a new owner without one.

What they may not know, however, is that they are actually required to have an ECC at all times – and required to get a new one every two years, or whenever any alterations or additions are made to the electrical system on their property – whether or not they are planning to sell. 

Two interest rate increases in the past year and a decline in the discretionary income of most households means that correct pricing has become even more essential for home sellers hoping for a quick, clean transaction.

With SANRAL apparently trying to convert Gauteng e-toll arrears into traffic fines and the Western Cape government having recently gone to court to halt the Winelands e-toll plan, transport costs remain top of mind again for South Africa’s consumers as they go back to work this month.

The real estate industry is breathing a sigh of relief this week following President Zuma’s decision to reverse the appointment of David van Rooyen as Finance Minister and give the position to Pravin Gordhan instead.

Gordhan, who was also South Africa’s Finance Minister from 2009 to 2014, is well respected and has a proven track record of prudent fiscal management. The markets like and trust him, as evidenced by the fact that the rand exchange rates against major currencies immediately began to improve following the news of his appointment.

Harcourts has grown its sales turnover at over 20% in 2015 compared to 2014 whereas the local property market has grown at around 10%. Of this industry increase of 10%, most of the upward movement has been house price inflation which accounts for between 8% and 9%, whilst volumes grew marginally.

Harcourts growth has come due to the expansion of its franchise network and increase in sales force. In addition, Harcourts has improved on its already industry leading technology, which has made it even more effective in selling homes. It is significant that Harcourts agent numbers have gone up, whilst the number of agents in the industry has gone down over the past couple of years. Harcourts agents are known as the locals in their community, and with this community based business practice they have become synonymous with building relationships.

South Africa is experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades. With five out of nine provinces being declared disaster zones, concerns over food security and high food prices are adding pressure to an economy already under strain. Many farmers are facing massive losses and this is indeed a dire situation. How does this affect the agricultural property market though?