New online facility tracking major property market indicators launched, freeing property professionals from the time-consuming task of trawling countless websites for the vital information they need.

South Africa’s most comprehensive online source of property data, the South African Property Transfer Guide (SAPTG), now publishes a convenient, up-to-date summary of the main economic indicators that relate to the property market. Freely available to the public via its website (www.saptg.co.za), the SAPTG Property Market Indicators page means that interested parties no longer have to spend hours trawling countless websites to find the important information they need.

Dieter Deppisch, Head of Property Research at SAPTG explains, “The data we have brought together will help browsers quickly understand what is going on in the market. One of the big benefits for estate agents is sharing the information with prospective clients. Not only does having this information and sharing it boost their credibility, it enables them to advise clients on the right strategies.” “For example, they can discuss the trends affecting different housing segments and use facts — such as 81 percent of houses are currently selling at below their asking prices.”

Deppisch is quick to point out that the Property Market Indicators page is not just for agents, though. “It’s for anybody interested in the SA property sector,” he confirms. “The page summarises data from a wide variety of sources, including the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), Statistics South Africa, the major banks, mortgage originators and other property consultants and research houses, and tracks whether the various indices have changed and, if so, by how much. All of which makes it an indispensable snapshot for developers, investors, valuers, journalists and even private buyers and sellers.”

Visitors to the SAPTG website can access the Property Market Indicators page via the ‘Market Indicators’ link in the top menu on the homepage (http://home.saptg.co.za/market-indicators/). “You don’t have to subscribe or login to access the data,” verifies Deppisch, “and there’s a useful jargon-busting document available as well, via the ‘need some help?’ link on the page.”

As well as being constantly updated, new sources of information are also being added to the page on a regular basis. “We are always looking to add any information that will make the page even more relevant and useful,” notes Deppisch, “the Knight Frank Global House Price Index will be included shortly, for instance, which will give us an idea of how the local market compares internationally.”

A recently announced partnership will strengthen the real estate industry by giving it ‘one voice’, say representatives from SAPTG and IEASA.

The most comprehensive source of property market data, the South African Property Transfer Guide (SAPTG) and the Institute of Estate Agents of South Africa (IEASA) recently announced their partnership. By bringing together the leading online source of information on the South African property market and the country’s largest association of real estate agents, the alliance stands out as a significant step in the strengthening of the industry.

“This partnership reflects our belief that the South African real estate industry is strengthened by having one voice and coming together in one forum,” comments Dieter Deppisch, SAPTG’s head of Property Data Research & Training. “IEASA has been representing real estate agents for 75 years and we encourage every single estate agent in South Africa to become a member of the institute. All SAPTG subscribers will be incentivised to join IEASA if they have not already done so — the bigger our voice, the better”

The partnership means that the SAPTG is now the Institute’s preferred data supplier and will be important in the promotion of information sharing in the industry. IEASA will also be represented at the accredited training seminars presented by the SAPTG around the country, including the upcoming ‘Easy as Pie: Stats for Success in Real Estate’ seminars.

Ken Ralph, Chairman of the National Board of IEASA, comments: “This partnership is a two-way street and we look forward to the opportunity to hold hands with the SAPTG. We have a membership base of almost 30 per cent of the country’s estate agents and we hope to grow this to 50 per cent — to have a bigger voice and to become the official mouthpiece of the industry.”

For more information on the country’s leading source of property market data, visit the SAPTG website at www.saptg.co.za or contact Knowledge Factory directly on (011) 445-8100.