Young, black and female – the profile of South Africa’s typical property investor has changed dramatically in the last decade.

Even before Covid-19 struck, the movement towards working from home had been slowly gaining momentum globally, as many corporates looked towards ways to alleviate transportation challenges for their employees, especially long hours spent in traffic, and increase quality time with their families.

The South African Reserve Bank has just announced that it is holding the repo rate steady, as South Africa battles the second wave of the COVID-19. But what does this actually mean for property owners, and why should prospective buyers care if the repo rate falls or increases?

The future of South Africa’s housing market is looking bright, as aspirant buyers between the ages of 18 and 24 are the most optimistic about the merits of investing in property.

With remote working becoming commonplace, more people are moving to seaside towns and areas usually considered holiday destinations, and Mossel Bay is coming up tops for coastal living in the Western Cape.

With the current low interest rates, there’s never been a better time to finance a property, so if you’ve ever considered helping your children get a foot onto the property ladder, now may be the time to do it.

Homeownership is about more than having a roof over your head. It’s about relationships, emotional milestones, and the stage of life you’re in.

You have found your ideal home and applied for a bond, only to have your hopes dashed by the sobering words, ‘Home loan application declined’.

What the Russia-Ukraine conflict means for SA’s housing market

Who needs Table Mountain when you can buy a new home in Gauteng for less than R1 million?

While homeowners should brace themselves for a possible interest rate hike this week, the property market is still in far better shape than it was in 2008

Hope for homeowners as interest rates near peak

Although higher than hoped, this week’s repo rate increase is not unexpected, says Carl Coetzee, CEO of BetterBond.

Know what you can afford as interest rates rise

While the latest repo rate hike will hit consumers hard, it is also a sign that the South African Reserve Bank is doing what it can to help fight inflation

A trend towards larger homes is starting to emerge as multi-generational living gains traction

Pretoria has been named the most affordable capital city in the world

But, did you know that missing payments, paying late, or having even minor arrears on a card or account, could negatively impact your credit score and affect your chances of buying big-ticket items like a car or home in future

The provinces where first time homebuyers get more bang gor their buck

More affordable than its coastal counterparts

After several months of consecutive repo rate hikes, consumers are waiting to hear whether the Monetary Policy Committee will offer some reprieve when it meets on 20 July to consider changes to the repo rate.

We’ve talked about the benefits of making use of a bond originator service to get your bond when buying a home – so once you have submitted all the necessary documentation and an accurate account of your monthly expenses, the bond originator will submit your application to various banks for you. What’s next?