Real Estate Market Research
South African real estate has bifurcated sharply — prime logistics and select retail are trading tight while office is structurally oversupplied and residential remains volume-constrained by affordability. The listed-REIT sector has consolidated, offshore diversification has reshaped fund mandates, and the semigration story has created unusual demand patterns around Cape Town, George and secondary coastal towns that do not map to historical norms.
Why Real Estate Research Matters
- Semigration-driven demand shifts — Cape Town, Garden Route and selected KZN North Coast versus Gauteng outflow
- Office vacancy and conversion economics — which B and C grade office is genuinely convertible to residential versus demolition-only
- Retail-centre repositioning — community and neighbourhood centres versus super-regionals, and the role of Checkers Hyper and Woolworths Food as anchors
- Logistics absorption — the Gauteng prime corridors (Clairwood, Riversands, Linbro, Samrand) versus emerging nodes
- Municipal-service reliability as a property-pricing factor — water, electricity, road infrastructure now priced into yields in ways they were not a decade ago
Our Real Estate Research Services
Property Market Studies
Asset-class and sub-market studies for office, retail, industrial/logistics, residential and hospitality across SA metros and secondary nodes.
Feasibility and Catchment Studies
Site-specific feasibility for new developments, including catchment modelling, competing supply and realistic rent/yield assumptions.
Tenant and Occupier Research
Demand-side research with corporate tenants, retailers and logistics occupiers on space requirements, location drivers and lease preferences.
Acquisition and Divestment Studies
Commercial assessment supporting property acquisitions, sale-and-leaseback transactions and portfolio dispositions.
Asset-Class Positioning Research
Research supporting portfolio-level decisions on sector allocation, geographic tilt and offshore diversification.
How We Approach Research in This Sector
Real-estate research requires walking the asset. Our researchers conduct site visits, measure actual footfall, observe tenant mix and assess physical condition directly — not just from datasets. We triangulate primary fieldwork with SAPOA, Rode, IPD/MSCI and deeds-office data, and we are careful about the time-lag problem that makes headline vacancy numbers misleading in fast-moving sub-markets.
Why Choose Meraki Research for Real Estate?
- Direct site-visit fieldwork across SA — we physically walk the properties we write about
- Relationships with major landlords, brokers (JLL, Broll, Baker Street, Chas Everitt Intl, Galetti) and institutional investors
- Understanding of listed-REIT dynamics — we cover the JSE-listed property sector including Growthpoint, Redefine, Hyprop, Resilient and smaller names
- Cross-border reach for Africa-focused funds, particularly covering Namibia, Mozambique, Kenya, Mauritius and Nigeria
What We Deliver
| Deliverable | Format | Typical Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Market Report | PDF + market dashboard | 4–6 weeks |
| Feasibility Study | PDF + financial model | 8–10 weeks |
| Tenant Demand Study | PDF + occupier database | 6–8 weeks |
| Portfolio Positioning Review | PDF + allocation framework | 8–10 weeks |
| Commercial DD Report | PDF + data-room package | 4–6 weeks |