Whether you’re renting a three-bedroom because you refuse to give up on that digs lifestyle, or you need the extra space for your expanding brethren of children, you would hope that a R25 000 a month rental is delivering the goods.

Then comes the decision about where to live. Do you want to be close to that CBD action, or do you want to live amongst the elite in the leafy suburb of Constantia?

Well, if those are your two choices, you’re in luck. We decided to do a little comparison, and we’ll start with the Constantia option.

Here’s a R25 000 a month listing for a three-bedroom house/villa – two bathrooms and two garages – that Seeff calls “a highly sought-after location, with magnificent views, a property with boundless potential”.

Given that it’s a rental, I’m not much fussed about the potential. You can see an aerial shot up top, but we’ll have a look around:

Yeah, that’s definitely a house for adults. I have nowhere near enough furniture to make this work.

Moving to Oranjezicht, and a three-bedroom, R26 500 a month house/villa for rent – two bathrooms and two garages – also listed by Seeff.

The bonus here is that this “sunny Victorian double storey home in a quaint street” comes fully furnished. The downside is that the pictures that have been uploaded are amateur:

We need to talk about this one. I get that you’re showing off the bathtub (in Cape Town, that’s considered rather uncouth) and the washing machine, but how about a picture that isn’t blurry?

Better yet, how about you remove the tape holding the washing machine door closed? Now I know I might be doing battle with a dodgy door every time I pop a load in.

Not a good look.

Can you see it? Yes, there’s the guy snapping the photos on his phone, reflected in the shower glass. Hello, old chap.

This last one really bugs me. What am I looking at? Is this some sort of courtyard? Given that you’re living close to the CBD, having outside space is a massive bonus, but I have no idea what I am looking at.

I think this should serve as a lesson to us all. If you’re taking pictures to list your property online, maybe ask a friend who has a camera, or understands what people are looking for in a listing, to help you out.

Throw them a bottle of wine for their troubles and voila, you’re R26 500 a month richer.

Congrats on making it through this seemingly pointless property comparison.

One more thing before we go – I don’t know if this will swing your vote one way or the other in the Oranjezicht versus Constantia debate, but there is that whole sushi agenda.

[sources:seeff&seeff]