Purpose of This Module
This module explains how listing visibility is produced within Johannesburg’s residential market. Its purpose is to clarify why observable activity in listing-based datasets reflects publication and rotation mechanisms rather than underlying housing availability, demand, or transaction volume. The focus is on interpretation discipline rather than market assessment.
Publication as a Visibility Mechanism
Residential listings enter the observable dataset through voluntary publication on formal platforms. This act of publication is shaped by intermediary practices, property management structures, and marketing conventions. As a result, visibility is conditional on participation in these channels and does not constitute a comprehensive register of residential units within the city.
Rotation and Reappearance Effects
Listing rotation plays a central role in shaping perceived activity. Individual residential units may appear, disappear, and reappear over time due to relisting cycles, marketing refreshes, or platform-specific rules. High-frequency reappearance can amplify visibility without indicating an increase in the number of distinct residential units.
District-Level Variation in Visibility
Rotation intensity and publication practices vary across districts depending on building typology, management structure, and tenancy formats. When aggregated at the city level, these differences create uneven visibility patterns that reflect structural characteristics rather than comparable residential dynamics. Visibility should therefore be read as a function of how listings circulate, not where residential activity is concentrated.
Interpretation Limits of Listing Activity
Observable listing counts and turnover should not be interpreted as indicators of market depth, absorption, or scale. They represent surface-level signals generated by publication systems. This module establishes a boundary against treating listing visibility as a direct representation of residential conditions.