2022: WHAT’S IN STORE FOR REAL ESTATE

Some interest rate increases are on the cards this year, says Berry Everitt, CEO of Chas Everitt estate agents. “Most of our inflation at this stage is not coming from a rapidly growing economy and rising employment, but is ‘imported’ when oil prices rise and the rand weakens, so it is not really within our control. SA needs to keep its interest rates relatively high to encourage much needed foreign investment. But even so we believe that rate increases will be less than one percentage point at a time, and will not have a major effect on housing demand.”