The third quarter of 2025 has shown promising signs of renewed growth and stability. A series of interest rate cuts has brought much-needed relief to consumers, stimulating buyer confidence. At the same time, we are seeing shifts in regional dynamics, with the Western Cape no longer dominating search trends.
Adrian Goslett, Regional Director and CEO of REMAX Southern Africa attributes a lot of this positive movement to the interest rate cuts that occurred earlier in the year. “With interest rates slowly declining over the course of the year, we’re now seeing real signs of renewed buyer activity, particularly as more affordable lending conditions make homeownership more accessible to a larger part of the population. If inflation continues to remain low, another rate cut could further accelerate this positive momentum heading into the upcoming year.”
Goslett strengthens his argument by referring to the October BetterBond Property Brief:
“In reaction to the five successive cuts of 25 basis points each in the Reserve Bank’s repo rate (which automatically feeds into the prime lending rate) the BetterBond index of home loan applications increased by 11.6% QoQ and 14.6% YoY during Q3 2025… Since bottoming out in Q4 2023, the number of home loan applications has increased by 26%, although it remains 15% lower than during Q1 2022, when the Reserve Bank started to follow a restrictive monetary policy stance and the prime rate eventually increased to a 15-year high of 11.75%.”
With the above in mind, Goslett explains that there is space for activity within the housing market to strengthen further should interest rates continue to drop and the overall state of our economic growth reflect greater recovery.
That being said, the REMAX SA network’s registered sales managed to grow by an impressive 19.03% in Q3 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 29.09%.
The average days until marked as sold on remax.co.za for Q3 2025 was 7.2 days (based on new listings both created and marked as sold during this quarter). This points to a property market that is alive and well despite the challenging external economic environment.
PROVINCIAL & SUBURB TRENDS
Top 5 most searched suburbs on remax.co.za:
1. Parklands, Western Cape
2. Morningside, Gauteng
3. Bryanston, Gauteng
4. Faerie Glen, Gauteng
5. Protea Glen, Gauteng
For the third 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 Q3.The Gauteng suburbs of Faerie Glen, and Protea Glen have emerged as some of the top searched areas in the country, with Bryston and Morningside in Gauteng re-emerging at the top of that list once again.
Interestingly, the top searched suburb list reflected similar results as the number of units sold in the REMAX network. Bryanston led the way in sales activity for Q3, followed by Glen Marais in Kempton Park, Morningside in Durban, and then only Parklands in the Western Cape.
“With the national average price now sitting at around R2 million in the Western Cape, more buyers are turning their attention to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, where they can find quality homes at far more accessible price points. This gradual rebalancing of demand across regions could help stimulate healthy activity in these markets going into the new year,” explains Goslett.
Final thoughts
Looking ahead, with inflation still contained and the possibility of further rate cuts on the horizon, the outlook for the housing market remains optimistic. The combination of improving affordability, stable lending conditions, and shifting regional demand positions the market for continued positive momentum as South Africa moves into 2026.
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 REMAX Office.
For more information, or to get in touch with a trusted real estate advisor from the largest real estate brand in Southern Africa, visit www.remax.co.za.
