World Cup is playing havoc with property show days

When your local agent is too busy to come back to you because he has just sold three houses in two weeks, you know things are picking up. Usually you have to beat agents away with a stick.

Anecdotal evidence from dinner-table conversations has been confirmed with press releases in the last week from both Vered Estates and Pam Golding, which claim that property activity is on the rise.

Vered Estates issued a press release stating that the average show day in Johannesburg was attracting 12,3 visitors in May. This is 30% higher than a typical show day a year ago.

According to Pam Golding Property Group, for the first five months of this year, the number of properties sold has increased by 39% compared with the same period last year.

If you have a property in a good area and which is well priced, it will attract attention, but not if you have to compete against the Soccer World Cup.

Although property activity has been steadily climbing this year, June is expected to be a wash-out.

Jonny Novick of Vered Estates said last Sunday show days were extremely quiet, with spurts of activity between games. Novick says typically about 80% of Vered’s property advertised in the newspapers is for show days—last week that figure dropped to 50%. While it only takes one person to fall in love with your home, odds are that that one person is sitting in a soccer stadium on Sunday.

So if you are selling your home, either wait until the football madness has ended or book your date for July 4 when there are no matches scheduled.

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