The housing sector needs execution: faster planning approvals, predictable zoning decisions, reliable bulk infrastructure, and functional municipal services. The past decade has been punishing for most South Africans living outside a handful of high-performing residential nodes. In real terms, manyhomeownershave watched their properties lose value after inflation, while rates climbed, services deteriorated, and household balance sheets tightened, says Reinier van Loggerenberg, CEO, Craft Homes.
“That experience has understandably shaped buyer behaviour.” The residential developer says that beneath the caution lies a fundamental resilience as South Africans have an enduring demand for better homes and a deep-seated desire to improve their lives, no matter the ups and downs. It says homebuyers always find a way to move forward. “The latest Absa Homeowner Sentiment Index (Q4 2025) captures this spirit well: overall consumer confidence in the property market hit 87%, the joint-highest level on record, with property still seen as a secure, value-creating asset that builds long-term wealth and stability.” Over the past 18 months, the economic environment has begun to stabilise in ways that matter for housing, Van Loggerenberg says.
The CEO says interest rates have eased meaningfully from their peak (with the repo rate holding at 6.75% and prime at 10.25% as of early 2026, following cuts in 2025). “Inflation expectations are narrowing. Credit conditions, while still tight, are no longer deteriorating.
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Domestic policy direction, though slow, is less erratic than it has been in years.” This is not a boom cycle, says the developer. It adds that this is the first time in a long while that the fundamentals are pointing in the same direction. For buyers, affordability is starting to improve, says Craft Homes. It adds that lower borrowing costs translate directly into higher approval odds and better monthly cash-flow outcomes.
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