Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa April/May 2019 | Page 29

UNITED KINGDOM RESIDENTIAL Partnering with Sentinel Homes bond originators ooba and BetterLife Group have recently extended their range of home financing options to better meet the needs of people who struggle to obtain home loans from banks. ‘The alternative financing option from Sentinel Homes enables ooba to offer home buyers who do not qualify for a conventional home loan another financing solution,’ said Rhys Dyer, CEO of ooba, one of the largest South Af- rican bond originators. ‘This makes home ownership more accessible.’ Despite the notably slower market above R20 mil- lion, the Cape continues to achieve the highest overall prices in the country. Samuel Seeff, chairman of the Seeff Property Group says that the economic downturn has affected the various sectors of the property market in different ways. While the sub-R1.5 million (below R3 million in the luxury areas) price band re- mains fairly active, there was a notable slow-down in R20 million-plus value sales as buyers take time out and wait and watch as things unfold in the country, he says. Another thing Capetonians beat Joburgers at: sitting in traffic. According to the INRX Global Traffic Scorecard which analysed congestion and mobility trends across 38 countries, Capetonian lost on average 162 hours to traffic. Johannesburg ranked 61 with 119 hours lost, compared to Cape Town’s ranking of 95. But it could be worse: Bogota drivers in 2018 lost 272 hours due to congestion, more than any other city in the world. SA Real Estate Investor Magazine APRIL/MAY 2019 27