Stonewood Village Homes Development Already Into Final Phase.

If the past year has taught us anything, it is how important our homes have become to us.

Despite the uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, the market for prime global residential property is expected to remain active as the long-term appeal of this sector holds strong - as sentiment improves amidst the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine across the globe, and as the Biden administration plans a massive stimulus package to revive growth in the US, according to Savills World Cities Prime Residential Index.

While a further reduction to the interest rate would have been a bonus for aspirant first-time home buyers and existing homeowners with mortgages, the Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to leave the repo rate unchanged at 3.5% was anticipated by the majority of market commentators, says Dr Andrew Golding, chief executive of the Pam Golding Property group.

The Monetary Policy Committee has decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 3.5% per annum, Reserve Bank Governor, Lesetja Kganyago, has announced.

After the worst economic downturn in decades, further dampened by the recent tightening of lockdown restrictions in response to the second wave of the pandemic and the recommencement of load shedding, economic growth – while admittedly coming off a low base - is still widely expected to show some positive growth of around 3% this year.

After last month's bleak budget speech by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, South Africans are settling in for a long and uncertain road to economic recovery. While the inevitable increase in pressure on consumers’ pockets will unavoidably filter down into the property market, experts remain cautiously optimistic about property’s performance.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has for the second consecutive cycle kept the repurchase rate unchanged at 3.5% per annum.

Berry Everitt, CEO of the Chas Everitt International property group, says the most positive news to emerge from the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement delivered by Finance Minister Tito Mboweni today is that the economy is expected to “rebound” in the final quarter of 2020, and return to positive growth next year of 3,3%, following an expected decline of 7,8% this year.

While the Home Buying Market is buoyant, still being driven by sharply lower interest rates this year.