SAIV Northern Branch hosts first in-person event since 2019
The South African Institute of Valuers (SAIV) kicked off the SAIV Northern Branch Physical Seminar at the Midrand Conference Centre on Friday, 23 September 2022. Taking place over two days, this was the first in-person event hosted by the Northern Branch since 2019. The event featured distinguished speakers presenting topical discussions on the economy and property sector. Attended by eager attendees, the speakers did not disappoint, with their topics warmly received.
Officially opening the seminar was Northern Branch chair Pelo Khasu, who welcomed the speakers and attendees to the highly anticipated in-person event. “It is great to see familiar faces once again and it gives me great joy to welcome you to this seminar featuring an action-packed programme, all thanks to our speakers who have made the time to join us today,” said Khasu. She then welcomed SAIV Mentorship Programme mentee Molate Bapela who spoke about his experience in the initiative aimed at providing accredited expertise to valuation students. “I was introduced to the programme which has upskilled me incredibly because valuation is very technical and it is a skill set that you definitely cannot attain by yourself, you need to learn from experienced professionals,” stated Bapela.
Hayley Ivins Downes, Head of Digital at Lightstone presented on ‘Regional Residential Trends, Commercial Property Platform Index’. “In terms of where the residential landscape is situated, the biggest portion is in Gauteng followed by the Western Cape, with KwaZulu-Natal coming third,” she said. Kgopotso Mathole, Head of Business Development and Research at ABSA, provided an insightful presentation on ‘Property Indices for Commercial Mortgage Property Collateral Values’. “Since the Basel Reporting started, a bank has to take a risk-adjusted approach to lending and there are various ways it looks at this,” stated Mathole.
John Loos, Economist: Commercial Property Finance at FNB presented on the ‘Economic Outlook’. In his presentation, he informed attendees about possible scenarios which will have an impact on the economy. “There are signs that certain things will change in the coming years, we will witness some interesting shifts in the political arena,” stated Loos. Presenting the discussion on ‘Future Proofing Assets Post Pandemic’ was Mabuse Moja, Director of Lena Capital. “While Covid-19 is a factor in increased vacancies and rising bad debts, the prevailing macro-economic environment has also played a large role,” stated Moja in his presentation.
Thomas Fuller, Senior Development Manager at Attacq, presented on the ‘Impact of Net Zero Buildings/Sustainability on Valuations’. “We have been forced as property developers, investors, owners and valuers to look at property as a going concern as a result of more people working from home, which has resulted in increased office space vacancies,” stated Fuller. The final speaker on the first day of the seminar was Thomas van Viegen, Managing Director of EARTH.INC, presenting on the ‘Adoption of ESG in South Africa’. “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” stated van Viegen.
Attendees were treated to more insightful topics on the second day of the seminar. Serial entrepreneur Faizal Salajee presented on ‘Petrol stations and impact on value from an owner’s perspective’. “There are currently 4 500 filling stations in South Africa, this is the biggest retailing networking employing in excess of 80,000 employees,” stated Salajee. Matthew & Timothy Counsell from Broll Auctions and Sales presented the topic ‘The Market from the eye of a Broker’. “What we have seen in the auction space is that market value is more aligned because sellers and buyers are informed, there is a time period that is set and there is a marketing exposure resulting in buyers gaining more insight on the property,” said Matthew.
The final speaker at the seminar was Wesley Hellenberg, Project Manager at MSP Developments and his discussion was on ‘Retirement Villages valuations’. In his presentation he spoke about the setup of retirement villages and what valuers had to take into consideration when working on them.
The informative presentations over the two days contributed towards attendees obtaining 14 CETs and valuable insight from the knowledgeable speakers.
