Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa April 2014 | Page 30

SMART MOVES

important to bear in mind that it is easy to improve
the cosmetics of a home – the difficulty lies in trying
to reconfigure a badly designed property with poor
flow. Generally, bedrooms should cluster together
either upstairs or in one wing of the house, with a
spare bedroom being located away from the core
bedroom wing for privacy. The kitchen should be
open-plan and f low onto the lounge and dining
areas, which should then lead onto the verandah and
pool and garden. If the house is double-storey, the
bedrooms should be upstairs, instead of being on
different levels, and ‘upside-down’ houses where the

“Homes with energy saving
features are definitely attracting
increasing interest and becoming
more and more important.”

such a home should have excellent finishes and be
in immaculate condition, so finishes become critical
in the higher echelon and less critical at the under
R3 million level. Special features can add value
to a home, but generally, having a home with no
negatives will outsell a home with a few negatives
and some special features. For example, a home with
an exceptional view but a very steep driveway will be
more difficult to sell than a home on a level garden
with less spectacular views.
One of the most critical factors to consider when
choosing a location is to look at the price ceiling for
an area. The best investment will be one where the
difference between the purchase price of the property
is well below the ceiling for that area, so that overcapitalising will not become a concern, and there is
plenty of room for improvement and growth.

Consider the big picture
bedrooms are downstairs and living areas upstairs,
are always more difficult to sell. Another factor to
bear in mind is that if you are selling a home in a
high price bracket, there is a buyer expectation that
28

April 2014 SA Real Estate Investor

SUBSCRIBE

It is advisable that buyer consider growth in property
values in the area over the last five years - are you
seeing other houses being upgraded in the area, what
are the short and long term development plans for the
www.reimag.co.za