Homeowners who are postponing their property sale plans now in the hope of achieving higher sale prices during the Soccer World Cup are not doing themselves any favours.
So says Willie Steinmann, owner of the new Chas Everitt International office in Melkbosstrand on the Cape’s western seaboard, who notes that demand for homes in the village and in the nearby Atlantic Beach Golf Estate has increased substantially in the past six months.
“However, many owners here who intend to sell are missing out on this surge in interest because they’ve decided to wait until the World Cup to put their properties on the market. Indeed, we already have a shortage of stock to offer buyers in the most popular price ranges.”
The trouble with this approach, he says, is that the buyers who are currently really keen are quite likely to go elsewhere if they cannot find homes to buy in Melkbos. “And, speaking realistically, they are unlikely to be replaced by a wave of foreign buyers falling over themselves to pay higher prices during or immediately after the World Cup”.
“In addition, any delay in placing a property on the market means increased holding costs for the owner and finally, there is a strong possibility that interest rates will start rising again later in the year, making it more difficult for any buyer to qualify for finance.
“In short, home sellers who hang back now before the World Cup are shooting themselves in the foot.”
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