COVER STORY PROFILE
According to Nkotswe , one of the major trends has been interest in family-led units in Pretoria West . However , Arcadia , Sunnyside , and Gezina have proven popular with younger families looking to share accommodation with friends . A central theme behind this growth has been easy access to amenities and transport to the Pretoria CBD .
The amount of higher learning institutions in Pretoria makes it attractive for student accommodation as well . However , there is concern that student housing might be on a bubble that could burst at any stage . Therefore , a focus on residential accommodation lends itself to being adaptive as opposed to the more traditional student -res type
Property Types Multiple bedroom units with spacious kitchens and lounges have been in demand . Reason being that multiple individuals can rent them and have a ‘ lock up and go ’ setup . This is ideal for those who are staying in the inner-city for work and going home over the weekends .
Johannesburg – the Big Opportunity Johannesburg inner-city multi centre economy had a very big increase in supply . Director on Diversity 2000 – 3000 units . Financial services working from home , education , students working from home , working remotely affected demand curve – over supply . Nobody has developed – post pandemic new normal service industry – flat supply . Pipeline back to pre-pandemic levels laggard look most promising .
Kwazulu-Natal Poised for Upswing Sershin Moodley , TUHF Regional Manager for KwaZulu Natal ( KZN ) and Free State , states that KZN is offering savvy investors significant opportunities with the repurposing of commercial property into multi-use developments . He considers it to be one of the best kept secrets in the country !
Micro-units ( 18 – 20m2 m ²) are becoming more popular as people are downsizing as a direct result of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic . Many are looking for more communal living areas with their families instead of staying at the outskirts of the city . Finally , there is a short supply of quality student residential offerings in and around Durban . The city becoming a hotspot for tertiary education , there will be a growing need to house out-of-towners around the universities ,” says Moodley .
Urbanisation Drive Entrepreneurs can capitalise on the new normal trends around remote working spurred on by the pandemic . For instance , companies in the CBD are considering sub-letting the large office space no longer required given how many employees are working from home .
“ There is potential to convert these old office buildings into residential or mixeduse units . These commercial buildings
12 FEB 2022 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine