Referring to national deeds office information, in terms of units sold, the South African market does seem to be hamstrung by poor economic performance and high interest rates. Despite the recent drops, interest rates are still higher than they were pre-pandemic, which continues to put pressure on buyers.
“Despite a fairly active month in May, as well as a marginal decline in the prime lending rate, homebuying activity during Q2 2025 could not match the performance of Q1 2025 […] The residential property market still has a long way to go before breaching the levels of activity experienced at the beginning of 2021 – prior to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) embarking on a restrictive policy approach that saw the prime rate climb to a 15-year high.” – July BetterBond Property Brief
“Until there is a more meaningful reduction in interest rates or a notable improvement in economic conditions, we can expect the market to remain somewhat subdued in terms of units sold,” comments Adrian Goslett, Regional Director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.
That being said, the country’s largest real estate brand is still experiencing unprecedented levels of growth. The RE/MAX SA network’s registered sales grew by an impressive 11.7% in Q2 2025 – and it seems as though this growth is likely to continue in the months to come, with the brand’s reported sales (i.e. deals that have not yet been finalised through the Deeds Office) for this period growing by a staggering 18.9%.
The average days until marked as sold on remax.co.za for Q2 2025 was a staggering 6.3 days (based on new listings both created and marked as sold during this quarter). This data is most likely skewed by the Western Cape’s performance. In this province, stock is becoming increasingly limited and many listings are already under offer by the time they make it onto real estate portals.
However, Goslett predicts that these conditions will not last forever – in fact, there are already early signs of reverse semigration occurring. “Driven by sustained demand, property prices in the Western Cape have surged beyond the reach of many buyers, particularly those who are unable to match the region’s value when selling property in other provinces.”
PROVINCIAL & SUBURB TRENDS
Top 5 most searched suburbs on remax.co.za:
- Bryanston, Gauteng
- Morningside, Gauteng
- Parklands, Western Cape
- Westville, KZN
- Bluff, KZN
For the second quarter in a row, the Western Cape no longer dominates the Top 5 list of most searched suburbs on remax.co.za — with only Parklands making the cut in Q2. Suburbs in Gauteng (Bryanston and Morningside) and KwaZulu-Natal (Westville and Bluff) have now re-emerged as some of the top searched areas in the country.
Interestingly, in terms of units sold, the Western Cape still dominates for the REMAX network. According to RE/MAX data, Claremont led the way in sales activity for Q2, followed by Amanzimtoti, while Cape Town City Centre, Parklands, and Table View featured close behind.
“It is important to consider that our registered sales data is backward focussed – meaning that it reflects sales that most likely occurred during Q1 and early Q2. The listings search information, on the other hand, is a quarter-specific lead indicator. It will be interesting to see if those Top 5 searches materialise in the registrations over the next 6 months,” Goslett comments.
Final thoughts
Despite ongoing economic headwinds, geo-political turmoil, and the lingering effects of high interest rates, the data shows that transactions are still happening across the country — particularly in areas where affordability and demand intersect. “While economic growth might continue to be throttled by trade tariffs and geo-political tensions, I am hopeful that we may at least enjoy a more accommodative stance on interest rates in the months to follow, which should hopefully inject slightly more activity into the local housing market,” Goslett notes.
“Practically, what does all this mean? Well, for sellers, I would recommend that it is more important than ever before to keep up to date with what’s happening in your specific market so that a realistic price can be achieved. And for buyers, it reinforces the importance of acting decisively when the right opportunity arises in a market where well-priced homes don’t stay listed for long,” he concludes.
To find out more about the unique trends that are emerging within your own local real estate market, Goslett suggests setting up a free appointment at your nearest RE/MAX Office.
