The SA REIT Conference is again proving to be the gathering place for the sharpest minds in property, finance and investment, and an exciting platform for debate and interaction.

The annual Real Estate Investor Conference will be jointly hosted by Rode and REIM this year and will take place in September in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

Our GDP growth may be undermined by Rand firmness due to strained trade competitiveness, but growth may benefit from the real improvement in household finances 

Clearly this is not the moment for a glowing assessment of strong growth prospects. 

It would be nice to report all systems go for faster GDP growth and formal job gains again approaching 250 000 with a further 100 000 retiree displacement annually, with supply constraints lifting, and demand gearing up, with plentiful resource slack accommodative of a strong and long growth spurt.

Though binding supply constraints (electricity, credit access, public sector manpower) and poor export dynamics explain much of South Africa’s 2.5% subpar growth performance during 2012-2013, there is enough of a business confidence restraint to also keep demand back.

Ten years ago, the construction sector was moving at half speed after two decades of reduced activity levels, ever since the great 1970s infrastructure boom had ended

The composite building confidence has lifted in the fourth quarter 2011 after holding steady in the preceding period, according to First National Bank and the Bureau for Economic Research.

The FNB/BER civil construction confidence index, which came out today showed a marginal increase to 23 in the second quarter from 21 in the first quarter.

South African construction companies are now pinning their hopes on projects elsewhere on the African continent and in other parts of the world.