Despite a never-ending tour schedule, Rory seemed far from tired when Liezl Maclean recently met up with him. Rather, she found him in a brilliant mood, enjoying success to the max. With a new album flying off the shelves, singles climbing the charts nationally, and a profile that is growing both nationally and internationally, Plush are the band to watch. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he is also quite articulate when talking about property, as this interview amply reveals.
Where and when did you buy your first property?
In Parklands, Cape Town. It was my wife who made the initial purchase in 2003, clever thing!
What type of property was it and in which area did you invest?
It was a two bedroom flat on Parklands main road. The western seaboard is expanding rapidly and homes are still some what affordable, at least in comparison to the rest of Cape Town.
People have this image of celebrities as wild, but when we interview celebrities about money, they are the most conservative people, financially?
I think it’s an obvious misconception. Celebrities are regular people, who also want to see their money work for them, besides celebrities in this country are not all paid ridiculous amounts of money. Their pay is fairly modest.
What is your dream property and where is it?
A Cape farmhouse with big stoeps, somewhere in the Stellenbosch region.
What's your prediction for the SA property market up to 2010 (World Cup) and then beyond?
I feel the market will lift slowly in the lead up to 2010, nothing dramatic and then it will level out soon afterwards. I feel there is more hype than realistic growth potential. After the last property explosion followed by the more recent recession and property crash, people are starting to see the true value to Cape Town’s property.
There is currently lots of hype around “greening” your home? What is your view on this?
I absolutely agree, I think it is something we should all take more seriously, not only to reduce our carbon emissions, but also because there are far better materials to be used for sustainability, insulation and so forth.
What is the best piece of decorating advice you can give a first time home buyer?
Don’t over capitalize on your property if it’s for investment purposes. And as my wife would say, “a tin of paint can go a long way to brighten up a room”.
Pearl of wisdom?
Property is always a great investment if you remember these two things, firstly, always buy below property value. Don’t be afraid to put in a ridiculously low offer, the worst thing that could happen is they say no.
Secondly, buy what you can afford and rent where you’d like to live. You could rent a lovely place for a lot less then you’d pay if it was your bond.
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