Lightstone Property Index - March 2021
National Inflation
Current annual inflation rate is 3.99% and monthly is 0.35%.
Market Review
Annual house price inflation was recorded at 4,0% at the end of February 2021 signifying yet another positive increase from the previous month.
This optimism is evident at provincial level and the different value bands with the exception of the Low value segment; the Low value market has seen lesser demand due to the historically low interest rate that has enabled both the immediate participation in higher value market for new homeowners and a comfortable upgrade for Low value homeowners.
Provincial Inflation
The Lightstone Provincial Index tracks annual inflation of all provinces in South Africa.
Latest/Current Provincial Inflation Status
Municipal Inflation
The Lightstone Municipal Index tracks annual inflation at a municipal level, with coastal and inland based municipalities reviewed independently.
Property Inflation: Coast vs
The Lightstone Coast vs
Property Inflation: Free Hold vs Sectional
Property Inflation: Value Bands
The Lightstone Area Value Bands Index reviews inflationary rates for property based on the following values. Luxury: > R1.5mil
High Value: R700k to R1.5mil
Mid Value: R250k to R700k
Low Value: <R250k
Inflation Table
The Annual Inflation Table (below) provides a long term view of annual rates of inflation for various geographical areas and property types. Please note that historic inflation rates can change as transactions occur that imply price inflation for those periods.
Shining A Light On Our Approach...
Methodology:
Lightstone applies the repeat sales methodology when reviewing and reporting on property data. In contrast to 'average house price' indices, repeat sales indices provide a measure of the actua price inflation of houses that have transacted twice within a particular period of time. The main benefit of this is that it is less influenced by the mix of transacting properties. The repeat sales methodology is recognised as the premier methodology for indexing house prices and is used by many international residential property price indexers including the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) in the United States.
Data:
All property transactions in South Africa are registered in the Deeds Office and each record contains the legal details of both the property and the transaction. For the purposes of the Repeat Sales Index for residential properties, the following transactions have been excluded: farms; any transactions which may be of a development, commercial or community services nature; new developments; sales made in execution of a judgement;
Caution:
Lightstone presents both annual and monthly inflation rates. Monthly inflation emphasises recent market performance (i.e. month on month) and is more volatile than annual inflation trends.
Conclusions about the future trend of annual inflation, based on monthly inflationary rates, must be made with caution.
Disclaimer:
The Lightstone Repeat Sales Index system applies advanced statistical methods to a comprehensive property database - compiled from the Deeds Office, the Surveyor General and other sources - to generate repeat sales inflation data for individual residential properties. Despite the statistical and actuarial rigour applied, Lightstone cannot guarantee the accuracy and reliability of the data. Furthermore, the index is a statistical tool and does not amount to advice and may not be applicable in some cases. Lightstone does not take responsibility for any losses incurred as a result of any person acting or omitting to act as a result of the publication of this index.
Queries:
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to email us info@lightstone.co.za or give us a call on 0860 106 389.
