Wednesday, November 13African Digital Business Magazine

Real Estate

Africa Real Estate

Ken Sharpe Gives 10 Things to Expect in 2023 in the Property Development Sector in Africa | Expert Forecast
Real Estate, Zimbabwe News

Ken Sharpe Gives 10 Things to Expect in 2023 in the Property Development Sector in Africa | Expert Forecast

Operating a property development business has always been associated with some sort of risk and the mood among most real estate investors since the COVID19 era is cautious optimism with the global economy recovery being slowed down by the Russia-Ukraine war as well as the growing number of middle-class consumers caused by rapid urbanisation; all these affecting the trends in the property development sector. Property developer and CEO of West Properties Zimbabwe, Kenneth Sharpe, who is one of the real estate tycoons in Africa gives us some insights on what to expect in 2023 across Africa in the property development industry. “Being a real estate investor, I have witnessed a lot of events and trends in the property sector but I can surely tell you that post-pandemic trends have been the mo...
South African proptech leaders Flow secure $4.5 million in funding to enable the global property industry
Real Estate, South Africa News

South African proptech leaders Flow secure $4.5 million in funding to enable the global property industry

South African proptech innovators Flow have secured $4.5million (+-R78 million) in funding at the conclusion of their pre-Series A investment round - the single largest investment in the country’s proptech sector at that stage and amongst the highest in African proptech funding history. The investment will see co-founders and co-CEOs Gil Sperling and Daniel Levy drive the business’s B2B growth strategy, integrating the power of the astute Flow social media-driven real estate marketing platform into existing international property portals and CRM platforms. Levy and Sperling previously founded adtech and performance marketing company Popimedia, the largest buyer of Facebook media inventory in Africa for some of the world’s biggest brands. Popimedia was acquired by global communications gro...
AngoCasa Unveils Latest Collection of High-End Real Estate Opportunities in Angola: Exploring the Property Market and Its Growth
Angola News, Real Estate

AngoCasa Unveils Latest Collection of High-End Real Estate Opportunities in Angola: Exploring the Property Market and Its Growth

In 2021, Angola emerged from five years of recession. The business environment in Angola records significant improvements since 2018, becoming a key factor to attract new investments and the return of big multinational companies. Furthermore, earlier this year Nigeria lost its crown as Africa's largest crude producer as Angola surpassed the country for the first time in more than five years. The behaviour of the economy and the housing market often mirror each other. In 2017, prior to the recession, Angola's capital Luanda ranked as the world's most expensive city for expats, ahead of cities like Tokyo, Zurich, Singapore, and the capital's real estate prices ranked highest in Africa and among the top worldwide. Meanwhile, in recent years property prices have plummeted and now offers imme...
Flow Brings Billboard Advertising into the Digital World for Estate Agents
Real Estate, South Africa News

Flow Brings Billboard Advertising into the Digital World for Estate Agents

Nowhere in the world has an SMME been able to access major billboards in prominent locations before - but local proptech innovators Flow have handed estate agencies and individual agents the opportunity to mix with major global FMCG brands in the Digital Out of Home (DOOH) space, at a fraction of the cost. Having embarked on a mission to revolutionise the real estate industry by harnessing the power of social media to match agents, buyers and sellers, Flow’s next step allows agents to own space in hotspots across South Africa to promote their brands and individual properties to millions of commuters, every day.   “Traditional billboards are booked months in advance, require creative teams to conceptualise and design them, an agency to produce the massive physical print and a media buying...
Real Estate, South Africa News

How single women are getting a foot on the property ladder

Whether single by choice, or single by circumstance, it is clear that women are not waiting around to start climbing the property ladder. While the prospect of embarking on a home ownership journey with a single income may seem daunting - particularly in light of the recent interest rate spike – it is not an unattainable goal says Andrea Tucker, Director of MortgageMe. It is important to remember that home ownership is a marathon, not a sprint. By making wise financial choices and following the right advice, you can take the plunge with full confidence. Join the wave Recent statistics reveal more career-minded women between 24-41 years old are buying homes than their male counterparts – a feel-good stat just in time for Women’s Month. And more good news is that as the gender pay gap slo...
Real Estate, South Africa News

Proactivity – and Social Media Advertising – can mitigate against a property market pullback

While record-low interest rate levels over the last two years helped give millions of new buyers a foothold in the South African residential property market, an upward trend in the rate, high annual inflation, record-high unemployment, an economy struggling to get back to pre-pandemic levels and the added strain of load shedding have seen the market slow significantly in the last few months. “Many of these aspects are a global trend – and they’re not going to stop anytime soon,” says Jason Joffa, Business Head: Bridging Finance at Lamna Bridging Finance. “We’re set for more interest rate hikes as SARB tries to combat inflation and I think we’re looking at another 3-4% in the medium term. While that won’t see rate levels anywhere near what they were in the 1990’s, the increase will push en...
Inner cities are growth engines attracting young homebuyers
Real Estate, South Africa News

Inner cities are growth engines attracting young homebuyers

Inner city living is boosting the city residential property market and driving urban rejuvenation Inner cities. Love them or hate them, they play a crucial role in stimulating, supporting and enhancing a country’s economic growth. They are hubs for productivity, and due to the scale, diversity and density of activity, ideas and information flow freely, offering a wealth of creative and entrepreneurial opportunities for those who choose to live there. As a developing country, South Africa is urbanising rapidly. Estimates suggest that just over 67 percent of South Africans are living in urban areas, and this is predicted to rise to 71 percent by 2030. By 2050, eight in 10 people will be living in urban areas. According to Andrea Tucker, Director of MortgageMe, this urban densification tre...
Belva Homes – A green project committed to providing luxury standards to its clients
Real Estate

Belva Homes – A green project committed to providing luxury standards to its clients

The development of 3408 Belva began in December 2020, a green project by Belva Homes, with a clear vision to incorporate luxury city living whilst maintaining an eco-friendly philosophy. The team identified a need in the real estate market to incorporate busy city life living in conjunction with breathtaking surroundings of nature and a peaceful ambience. 3408 Belva saves on energy whilst running at an optimal level, providing clients value for their money. From both an interior and exterior design point of view, Belva Homes provides luxury living at its finest, whilst incorporating the beauty of the project’s natural surroundings. Its mission is to provide its clients with high-quality and immersive designs as well as to preserve the beauty of the city around it. By ensuring that thei...
Real Estate, South Africa News

Using powerful data to shut the door on SA’s biggest property scams

Fraud in the property sector has become alarmingly common in recent years. With substantial sums of money on the line, increasingly sophisticated scams have made easy targets of buyers and sellers, as well as various property practitioners like estate agents and conveyancers. But the tide is starting to turn as up-to-the-minute credible data makes it harder for criminals to fleece consumers and those working in the industry out of their hard-earned cash. “For as long as property is an attractive investment option, it will be a target for con artists. In some scams, fraudsters will approach a seller as a potential buyer, or pose as the owner and seller of a property. In other instances, criminals appear to be legitimate estate agents with multiple ‘listings’ on various fake agency websites...
Real Estate, South Africa News

Zero – R100 Million in One Year: A New Industry is Born

In the space of a single year, targeted social media advertising has helped South Africa’s estate agents notch up hundreds of millions of Rands in residential sales – with numbers set to increase tenfold in the next few years. This social media boom has changed the way the South African property industry finds leads and concludes deals, while creating an entirely new revenue stream – and dragged it into the 21st Century. With the global uptick in ecommerce adoption over the last two years has come an exponential rise in social media advertising, with brands targeting millions of users on the platforms they spend hours on, each day. This shift to the online advertising world has proven to be a challenge for some sectors as marketers have struggled to get to grips with the complexity of Fac...