So forex availability continues to be a challenge in the economy with Stanchart issuing a stament advising their clients about controls on the use of visa cards. One now need advance application and approvals prior to travel abroad. We expect this to continue with all banks following suit. The bottom line is there is simply not enough USD in circulation and there are too many reasons for this. We will not dwell much on the reasons as most of them are beyond our control.

What is within our control is to stay positive, we need a positive mind set to navigate the year 2017 which promises to be a challenging one. Lets start at looking at the positives first.

1.    Excellent Human Capital-we are not short on key skills

2.    Technology availability- the availability of internet presents many opportunities that enables us to effectively use technology for our benefit

3.    Vibrant Diaspora-we have a vibrant diaspora community that has an interest in their homeland. Every year they remit close to a Billion USD Dollars to Zimbabwe.

4.    Good Rains this year- opportunities abound in the agricultural sector this year due to the favourable weather conditions. This means less money spend on imports by individuals and the nation at large.

5.    Profitable Mining Sector-this is where the money is, this sector is doing well with increased output especially in the gold mining sector.

Its going to be a bumpy ride in 2017 for most Southern African countries, Zimbabwe is not alone so this information maybe relevant to followers in Malawi,Zambia and Namibia.

So what to do given the challenges we will be facing in 2017? Our answer lies in you having a positive mindset. It all starts in the brain, give up in the brain and it will become doom for you,your family and everyone else.

ZBIN is encouraging our members to be positive minded and identify opportunities. I can refer to my first trip to Tete in Mozambique. Everyone was discouraging me,few supported my trip to Mozambique. My doctor told me bluntly that the country is an outpost of poverty. The country had no industry, it was afflicted by a lot of ills-he wondered why I wanted to waste fuel and money travelling to a country with no hope. I however insisted on going and guess what? I witnessed a number of good opportunities that exist in the beautiful country of Mozambique. I saw plenty of opportunities and this is due to the positive mindset I had from the start of my journey.

The purpose of the trip…to identify business opportunities full stop. My trip was not to see the negative side of Mozambique but I was focused on the positives only. I witnessed opportunities which residents in the city may not be aware of. So the same applies to us in 2017, drive through it seeing opportunities where others do not.

In summary we are encouraging our members to do the following

1.    Netowork,network and more networking: you need to create strong networks that helps you in terms of information and opportunity availability

2.    Emerging trends, follow trends of opportunities that will be emerging in the region. Some may take time to reach our shores but just be on the look out

3.    Diaspora community relations-solidify networks with the Diaspora community, you do this not only for access to funds but information exchange. These relations should not be tilted in one direction. It should be a win- win situation.

4.    Find out businesses which thrive during challenging economic times and explore them. Your case studies may include businesses that remained open during the 2007-2008 era.

So all the best ZBINites, lets discuss more about this area during our meeting in 2 weeks time. This will be part of the Agenda of our meeting on the 18^th of February in Prospect, Harare.

Remember the formula [ Positive Mindset = Opportunity Identification]

Wishing you a blessed day

I have analysed information from the website www.classifieds.co.zw of all high density area properties in the major cities of Zimbabwe and results show that there is not much difference in prices. Properties in Harare maybe slightly higher in areas such as Warren Park and Budiroro but for the rest in Harare, they compare favourably with all prices found across Zimbabwe.

There is not much difference between a 7 bedroomed house in Glenview and a similar one in Mkoba. Not much separates the value of a property in Chitungwiza and a similar one in Nketa. The case is however different when it comes to low density properties where there is a gulf in difference between Harare and the rest of the country. We will analyse the difference in future but for now we concentrate on where most people live in urban areas-the high density areas.

Below are price ranges of high density homes as advertised on www.classifieds.co.zw

Harare-$35,000 will get you a house in Glenview, Glen Norah, Kuwadzana,Budiriro

Bulawayo-$25,000-$35,000 Nketa,Emakhandeni,Nkulumane,Pumula South and Mpopoma

Mutare-$25,000-35,000- Dangamvura,Chikanga.

Midands-$25,000-$35,000-Mbizo,Mkoba,Senga,Nehosho,

Masvingo-$25.000-$35,000-Runyararo,Rujeko, Mucheke

Possible Reasons

Mkoba: This writer is not a Real Estate guru so my reasons here should be taken with a pinch of salt. Mkoba could be heavily affected by the demand for accommodation by the Midlands State University where thousands of students require off campus accommodation. But how about Mbizo? Its difficult to pinpoint the reasons for Mbizo having high prices-is it the small scale  miners impact?

Dangamvura: Mutare seems to go pound for pound with other cities, there is no university in Dangamvura that affect prices-so why the high values? Can we factor in the diamond era which once distorted prices in this beautiful city?

Conclusion

Dear reader, I certainly do not have solid facts as to why prices are the way they are. My best escape maybe to say its Demand and Supply Stupid! Feel free to offer possible reasons for the price similarities of high density real estate in Zimbabwe. Next time we hope to look at low density real estate and any new developments in the sector