DOGON GROUP PROPERTIES / Message From Alexa Horne (MD)

At this time of year many people tend to retreat indoors and focus on cultivating a safe and comforting home ahead of the winter. In this way, the season offers opportunities to reconnect with ourselves, our loved ones and preserve our safe-havens.

Now, perhaps more than ever, our homes really do represent our safehavens. It’s not by accident that in both good times and bad, investors choose to anchor their portfolios in real estate. With a global market value of more than ZAR5935 trillion, property is the world’s most significant asset class and its worth is almost four times that of the global GDP. South Africa’s appetite for real estate matches the global market.

One of the most attractive investment destinations in the South African property market remains the Western Cape, with Lightstone reporting that most local semigrants continue to see the province, and Cape Town in particular, as their destination of choice, due to its sound infrastructure planning and favourable business environment.

The city’s residential property values have risen over the national average for several years as low stock volumes, particularly in the luxury and high-end market, continue to drive prices upwards.

A clear sign of an area booming on the property and development front is when you see lots of cranes in the sky. This has certainly been the case in the Cape Town CBD and surrounding Atlantic Seaboard area for many months now. At Dogon

Group we’re witnessing strong buyer interest and momentum across a range of new developments that are delivering compact yet versatile ‘live, play, work’ opportunities close to the City Centre and Atlantic Seaboard.

The Dogon Group is currently marketing over 21 active developments. These include the prestigeous Embassy Edition in Bishopscourt and larger apartment options such as Station House, a ten-storey pinnacle of luxury and modernity in Sea Point, The Fynbos on Bree Street, with its revolutionary green-space construction and detailing, and numerous mediumsized and boutique-style apartment options.

Investors looking to rent out properties can gain an advantage of the significant rental uptick emerging from the rise in inflation and interest rates. Rental inflation remains lower than headline inflation and is a viable option for many as it provides flexibility, fixed monthly costs for a fixed period, and tenants can usually afford to rent a property of higher value than they may get bond approval for. Our rental division has been extremely busy of late, achieving some notable deals, including one that exceeds R300 000 per month.

The hive of activity in the development space has also seen us enjoy sell-out success with developments such as The Ivory and The Marlo (both in Sea Point) as well as several townhouse developments - Kildare Lane, 19 on Torquay and

96 on Newlands, in the Southern Suburbs.

Recent additions to our development portfolio include a range of options on the upper scale, these include Coeur de Lion, a collection of 8 luxury homes in Fresnaye, the Embassy Edition, offering exemplary properties in Bishospcourt and the ultra-exclusive The Gemini in Higgovale.

Opportunity certainly abounds, though the message remains: seek the advice of a property professional with in-depth knowledge of their area and current market conditions, one who can help you seek a solid investment that’ll deliver in the long term, and who represents sellers offering realistic, good-value buying opportunities.

Alexa Horne 082 349 7799

Director

By & Photo Credit: Marion's Kitchen