Property Investment and Lifestyle Information for the Western Cape province, South Africa

<body bgcolor="#ffffff"> <h1>South Africa :: Western Cape :: Property Market and Property Investment</h1> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Figures from British magazine The Economist confirm that South Africa is now the <b>world’s fastest growing property market</b>. The magazine's global house price index, published in September 2004, showed that South Africa boasted the highest growth of all countries in 2004, with an average increase of 30%. Hong Kong came a close second, with growth of 29%. However, what's more interesting is that South Africa was also the best performing market over the<b> longer term</b>, boasting growth of 195% in the years between 1997 and 2004. This was followed by Ireland, with a 179% increase over the same period.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          South Africa's housing market strength has also placed it in the top spot in ResearchWorldwide.com's 2004 world rankings of the 20 best performing countries  with a 32.6% increase in house prices. It also counted among the ten countries experiencing a rising rate of increase in the second half of 2004, the other countries being Belgium, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, Israel, Norway, Sweden and the United States. The other ten countries saw a slowing in the rate of increase in house prices during the second half of 2004, easing fears that the worldwide housing boom bubble is about to burst. They are Australia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          South Africa is also one of only four countries worldwide that has managed growth in the real estate sectors of their <b>stock exchanges</b>. Fifteen out of nineteen countries saw this sector decline in value in April 2004 compared with March 2004, says ResearchWorldwide.com. The research group's Real Estate Performance Benchmark shows that April 2004 may prove to be the watershed month for a commencement in the downswing in real estate stocks worldwide. US stock exchanges recorded the largest fall. With the recent "whiff" of higher inflation, higher interest rates and higher economic growth in the US, stock market investors are now dumping real estate stocks. </font></p> <p><a href="../4_context_information/40-context-frameset.html">Context Basic Facts Administration Financial Business</a></p> <p><a href="50-property-frameset.html">Property Market Property Types Investment Options Purchase Processes</a></p> <p><a href="../6_geography_information/60-geog-frameset.html">Places Locations Cape Town West Coast Winelands Boland Overberg Karoo Garden Route Eden</a></p> <p><a href="../7_lifestyle_information/70-lifestyle-frameset.htm">Lifestyle Resources Culture Nature Climate</a></p> <p><a href="../8_recreation_information/80-recreation-frameset.htm">Recreation Sport Leisure Activities Tourism</a></p> <p><a href="../9-further-information/90-further-frameset.html">Other Information Books Further Reading Contact Us Index</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.frog-property.com">Frog Property Investment</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.andalucia.ft6.com">Information about Property and Lifestyle in the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.costamap.ft6.com">Map of the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.costatour.ft6.com">Property Guided Tour of the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.grehan.ukhq.co.uk">Voyaging the French canals and rivers in a boat and sailing a yacht in the Mediterranean Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.lapina.co.uk">Self-catering holiday town house apartment to rent by Alhaurin Golf, in the Andalucia countryside, near beach, Costa del Sol, Spain</a></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">         According to calculations by South African banking group ABSA there is currently no reason for concern about overheating in South Africa's residential property market. Jacques du Toit, senior economist at ABSA, emphasises that the big increase in local house prices kicked off from a very low base. Before the current boom market performance had been under par for 15 years, he says. Several variables and other factors need to be taken into account when looking at the position of the local housing market. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          The most important is the <b>affordability</b> of housing, where the relation between house prices and remuneration is calculated. This is still well below the record high in the early eighties when nominal home prices grew by more than 40% per year. Another factor is the comparison between the average price of new and existing houses to establish whether the value of existing buildings is over-estimated. According to Absa's research there has been virtually no difference in the price of new and existing houses during the peak. Between 2000 and the first quarter of 2004 prices of existing houses were 26% cheaper than those of newly built houses. And South Africa has seen the long-overdue emergence of a significant black middle class, ready and able to invest in and purchase property. </font></p> <p>They enjoy the highest per capita income, life expectancy and the second highest literacy rates and educational achievement levels in South Africa. The unemployment rate is also the lowest in South Africa, at 13%.</p> <p>apartment, beach, bulgaria, Bulgaria, buy, california, California, camps bay, Camps Bay, Cape Town, cape west, capetown, Capetown, clifton, Clifton, condominium, co-ownership, costa, costa blanca, costa brava, costa del sol, cote d'azur, countryside, croatia, Croatia, culture, data, deal, developer, development, education, emigrate, emigration, estate agent, evidence, farmstead, flat, florida, Florida, Frog, Frog Properties, fund, garden, golf, government, growth, growth fund, guide, healthcare, holiday home, home, house, information, infrastructure, investment, investment fund, land, loan, mortgage, new zealand, New Zealand, newcombe, Newcombe, pension, pension fund, penthouse, plot, price, prices, profit, property, property market, purchase, recreation, reference, relocate, relocation, rent, rental market, retirement, safe, sailing, security, sell, shared ownership, simonstown, South Africa, Spain, spain, sport, st helena, St Helena, statistics, stellenbosch, table mountain, tennis, timeshare, townhouse, vacation, villa, western cape, Western Cape, westerncape, wine, winery</p> <h1>Clear, comprehensive information about the Western Cape</h1> <p>property, investment, reference data, infrastructure resources, lifestyle and geography. No adverts. No selling.</p> <p>The Western Cape or Cape West</p> <p>South Africas Western Cape province is truly one of the most desirable places on earth to live and work. It is like New Zealand or California or Florida or the Spanish Costas. Wonderful climate, and beautiful scenery and geography and beaches. With one of the worlds most attractive cities, Cape Town and its exclusive suburbs Clifton and Camps Bay. Many British people have moved there. It is a safe and secure area with a modern well developed infrastructure of roads and telecommunications. Excellent education system including schools, colleges and universities.</p> <p>This is a great place to buy property or to invest in property, with a stable and rising market and where properties are comparatively cheap compared with other places in the world that are as attractive. The countryside includes wineries and farmsteads. You can play golf and live in one the many lush golf condominiums. Or play tennis, or sail or indulge in one of many watersports. The language spoken is English.</p> <p>You can find and purchase land or plots. Or buy an apartment or a villa to live and work in, or as a holiday home or second home or as a great investment with secure growth potential. Urban, rural or suburban.</p> <p>This website is a guide to the Western Cape, clear comprehensive information about the Western Cape.</p> <p>Apartment, beach, bulgaria, Bulgaria, buy, california, California, camps bay, Camps Bay, Cape Town, cape west, capetown, Capetown, clifton, Clifton, condominium, co-ownership, costa, costa blanca, costa brava, costa del sol, cote d'azur, countryside, croatia, Croatia, culture, data, deal, developer, development, education, emigrate, emigration, estate agent, evidence, farmstead, flat, florida, Florida, Frog, Frog Properties, fund, garden, golf, government, growth, growth fund, guide, healthcare, holiday home, home, house, information, infrastructure, investment, investment fund, land, loan, mortgage, new zealand, New Zealand, newcombe, Newcombe, pension, pension fund, penthouse, plot, price, prices, profit, property, property market, purchase, recreation, reference, relocate, relocation, rent, rental market, retirement, safe, sailing, security, sell, shared ownership, simonstown, South Africa, Spain, spain, sport, st helena, St Helena, statistics, stellenbosch, table mountain, tennis, timeshare, townhouse, vacation, villa, western cape, Western Cape, westerncape, wine, winery.</p> </body>