Good week, bad week: 1 - 5 November 2010

Good week

People who work in Pretoria: According to a new study by Jobcrystal, Pretoria is the highest paid city in South Africa and people who work where the Jacaranda trees bloom earning as much as seven percent more than the national average of R 19,273.

Those people who bank with FNB (and even those who don't but want to): In a recent report by trade union Solidarity, FNB was named the cheapest bank in South Africa. In order to prove just how customer friendly they are, FNB also announced special measures to make it as easy as possible for people to move their bank accounts. Prospective FNB clients can simply SMS the word "HELP" to 32812. Simple, eh?

Affordable housing market: Cheaper areas are still out-performing the middle and high income areas when it comes to house prices. In FNB's latest house-price index released this week, there was an average price increase for the so-called affordable areas (average price = R409 760) to the tune of 19.7% year-on-year.

Affordable property in South Africa: That affordable housing market thing we spoke of above? Well, it's booming. More than half of South Africa's six million residential properties registered in the Deeds Office are worth less than R500 000.

Bad week:

Talking on your phone while driving: The only bad news we heard this week was that insurance companies reckon talking on your cellphone while driving is bad. But you knew that already, didn't you? Best you go sign Oprah's no-phone-zone pledge...