Those of us living in the major centers around South Africa are expecting the World Cup to impact on our daily lives in some way, but many may not be aware of the extent. The following points were recently highlighted by former World Cup Ambassador, Gary Bailey, at an FNB Business Dinner, where he presented some interesting stats on World Cup expectations.
The following alerts may affect employees as well as families, so please take note and plan accordingly:
- Schools will be closed for almost 4 weeks over the world cup – start making arrangements for your children now.
- Air fares will rise steeply over this period, with tickets between the cities costing up to R8000 per seat. Some flights will also be departing directly after matches due to accommodation problems in some of the centers.
- As flights will be operating 24 hours a day, expect noise and expect traffic around the airport at all hours.
- There will also be no parking available at airports – arrange drop-offs and allow for plenty of time to get to the airport.
- Fresh vegetables and fruit WILL be scare, if not unavailable at times. During the German World Cup, fresh produce had to be imported. Read More »
Foreigners who are booking accommodation for the 2010 World Cup on line are being warned about fraud and are being advised to book property through reputable agents only.
The South African Fraud Prevention Service is cautioning visitors that con artists are advertising rental properties on the internet with the guarantee of confirmation upon receipt of deposit. However, once tourists deposit the money, the fraudsters and their adverts disappear without a trace.
According to the services’ executive director, Patrick Cunningham, this practice is already damaging the image of the World Cup.
When choosing an agency, don’t be shy to ask for their credentials and affiliations as well as their company registration number – any agency worth their salt would happily provide the information. We at Cape Realty are proud members of The South African Estate Agents Affairs Board (EAAB) as well as The Tourism Grading Council, as are many other reputable companies.
Property is usually regarded as a serious business, but it can certainly have its light-hearted moments as was shown recently when a US property website asked a number of residential real estate agents what the strangest thing is that they’ve seen at an open house. The responses ranged from funny to downright bizarre:
Michael Signet, executive director of sales at Bond New York Real Estate: When the listing broker invited my client and myself into an open house, showed us around the apartment and when we go to the master bedroom, the seller and his girlfriend were in bed — awake [and] reading the paper [with] no clothes on.
Douglas Heddings, associate broker and founder of the Heddings Property Group at Charles Rutenberg Realty: A drying rack full of panties in a living room, a toilet seat that was taped closed so that open house attendees could not use the facilities…and a spray painted wall saying “monkey nipple” on a teenager’s bedroom wall, which the seller refused to remove.
Read More »
While a few exclusive, property rentals for the World Cup have recently been concluded and made front-page news - such as the R7.5 million deal for a high profile international client in Clifton - these are definitely the exception rather than the norm, and have unrealistically raised everyone’s hopes of cashing in during this period.
We at Cape Realty prefer to take a more realistic approach as well as a longer view, which we believe has already begun to bear fruit. We have to date concluded a number of World Cup bookings and have many enquiries pending, yet it would seem that many of the Cape Town rental agents who jumped on the World Cup band wagon have yet to conclude their first booking.
According to a current on-line survey (Cape Town Tourism), over 64% of respondents are charging at least 20% more than standard peak rates, some as high as 200% above, and 59.1% of all respondents do not, as yet, have any confirmed bookings.
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As the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ approaches, there’s a growing sense of anticipation in Cape Town – an almost tangible excitement as the city and the people who call it home prepare to welcome the world to its beautiful shores
Many tour operators have reported a surge in bookings since the draw took place two weeks ago and, in fact, real estate transactions in South Africa have gone up 40 percent in the past two months alone, according to Property Abroad magazine. Earlier this month, South Africa was also in the media spotlight for making Home Overseas’ top ten investment properties for 2010.
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Following one of the longest and hardest real estate slumps in recent history, investors across the globe are finally starting to return to residential property markets.
The United Kingdom and The United States, two of the countries hardest hit by the credit crunch and global recession, are back in positive growth territory with quarterly price increases of 3,7% and 3,2% respectively, and Singapore reported the biggest quarterly jump in prices with growth of 15.2% in the third quarter. Read More »
As the countdown to the 2010 FIFA World cup fast approaches the 6 month mark, Cape Town is abuzz with the city’s preparations for the World Cup Final Draw on December 4, to decide the fate of the world’s top 32 teams.
The draw will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, and an estimated 8000 people are expected to attend, including FIFA representatives, celebrities, international media and representatives of each of the 32 qualifying teams.
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Cape Realty was invited to the official opening of the Green Point Stadium on 14 November and we are pleased to report that it was phenomenal – both the stadium and the occasion.
Over 2000 people attended this gala event, including FIFA representatives, local celebs and many local dignitaries, among them Cape Town mayor, Dan Plato and Western Cape Premier, Helen Zille. Read More »
The Cape Realty team extends a very warm welcome to Elaine Dendy Young, who recently joined us as our Constantia consultant. Although new to the company, she has long been a part of the family and worked closely with Sandy Wilson for many years.
No stranger to the field, Elaine has been involved in property locations for 10 years in all areas of Cape Town and she has also exclusively managed a house in Bantry Bay for over 6 years, which she recently renovated and refurbished single-handedly.
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If you have been following Cape Town Tourism’s campaign for 2010, then you’ll know it is time to start blowing the vuvuzela.
The use of the vuvuzela trumpet is not without controversy. There was talk of it being banned from the 2010 World Cup before FIFA gave it the official thumbs up in July this year. And there are many other points of debate raging over 2010. Will Bafana Bafana play like Banana Banana? Will the taxi associations behave themselves when the new transport infrastructure is put in place? Should prostitution be legalized for the 2010 World Cup?
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