Commercial property owners selling in search of locations with reliable utilities and municipal services appears to have diminished during Q3 2025. Instead, property brokers have pointed towards ‘easing of financial constraints’ and ‘selling to upgrade to better premises’ according to FNB Commercial Property Finance’s Property Insights report – a side note to the FNB Property Broker Survey which collates data from across SA’s six major metros.

‘Financial pressure related’ selling recorded an estimated 15.5% of total selling during Q3 2025 – far below the 65.2% high it reached at the end of 2020, and 15.2% – a decline for the fourth successive quarter from 26.55% in 2024’s corresponding quarter. ‘Selling to move to better premises’ recorded 24.55% – its highest estimated percentage in history of the survey dating back to 2019.

The greatest level of financial pressure-related selling is perceived to be, on average, the Gauteng metro when compared to the three major coastal metros. Tshwane recorded 21.8% of total sellers perceived to be motivated by financial pressure while Greater Johannesburg recorded 16%. Nelson Mandela Bay recorded a significant 30.5% with Cape Town and eThekwini recording estimates of 8.5% and 6.3% respectively.