Property Brief

Property Brief March 2024

The third BetterBond Property Brief of 2024 is out!

The data suggests that there is some level of stability in the residential property market with the Q1 2024 results closely aligning with those of Q2 2023. This is likely the result of lower inflation and optimism around the expectation that interest rates may start declining soon, which could spark a more accommodating environment for homebuying.

The full list of data points included in this Property Brief, is as follows:

  1. BetterBond index of average monthly home loan applications
  2. Average home purchase price
  3. Average deposit for home purchase
  4. Average bond value by region - FTBs (12 months to Feb 2023 & 2024)
  5. YOY increase in residential property price index by region - Q3 2023
  6. Value of residential building plans passed by province - 2023
  7. Average homebuyer and household incomes

In the Economist's Notes, Dr Roelof Botha explains that a recession may be avoided. In early March Stats SA announced South Africa's GDP figures for Q4 of 2023 and for the year, confirming that economic growth remains in place, albeit at a snail's pace. The YOY real growth rate in the country's GDP amounted to 1.2% in Q4 of 2023, following a decline of 0.7% in Q3. The economy has now grown at real positive rates for 10 of the past 11 quarters and will hopefully start to gain some traction during 2024.

Get the latest BetterBond Property Brief here every month, as soon as it's published.