The Southern Cape coastal villages all report a busy 2016 with buyer interest coming from across the country and even some foreigners who have once again started buying in these quaint little towns according to Seeff’s branches.
The area stretches from Gansbaai just outside Hermanus along to L’Agulhas and Struisbaai, the most southern tip of the African continent and on to Arniston, Witsand and Still Bay at the start of the Garden Route.
Laid-back, yet with good basic infrastructure, the region lies just two and a half hours’ drive from Cape Town and boasts kilometres of unspoilt coastline and fynbos as far as the eye can see. It is on the great annual Southern Right Whale migration path and you can often find these magnificent creatures passing so close to land that you can see them clearly from some of the homes, says Marlene Uys from Seeff Gansbaai.
She says that Gansbaai has the added fame of being the home of the Great White Shark and visitors flock here from across the globe to catch a glimpse of these magnificent creatures.
“Property sales worth just over R105m have been recorded for this year so far. There is though still plenty of land below R300,000 on offer. Uys says that Gansbaai is now a good place for holiday home buyers to invest in given the close proximity to Hermanus which has grown enormously over the last few years in terms of its property market and infrastructure”.
“House prices start at around R850,000 and range to R2.5m for a large home, but can range well above this for a house close to the beach or with good views and to as much as R17m for a beach front location”.
Elaine Beyers of Seeff Bredasdorp and Arniston says that their market is still on the up following a quiet 2014/5 with buyers coming from the Cape, Johannesburg and the UK. “A few new listings have come onto the market as a result of older residents relocating. We are marketing vacant land within the R1m to R1.97m range. Houses are priced from R2.19m for a two bedroomed timber home to R9m for a six bedroomed house with exclusive sea views”.
People buy in Arniston for its exclusivity and unspoilt ambience, she says, adding that Kassiesbaai, a fishing village that has been declared a National Heritage site, is a big attraction. “Arniston has an interesting history and is the only town in the country with two official names, namely Arniston and Waenhuiskrans. It is close to Bredasdorp where there are excellent facilities and is flanked by the De Mond and De Hoop nature reserves. Witsand meanwhile also reports a very active market”.
Anthea Leclercy from Seeff says that the village is now catching the eye of buyers coming from across the country and the Cape as well as foreigners. She is very optimistic for 2017 both for local and international buyers.
“You have so much to choose from here, not just the beach, but also the river”, she says. “Prices still compare well for a coastal location and buyers are finding more house for their money here. Sectional title properties for example range from R820,000. The beach side Resort of Duine Park offers land from R295,000 and houses priced to R3m for a sea front home”.
The gated estate, La Riviere offers land from R450,000 and houses that range to R4.7m for a prime position. The exclusive Oysterbeds Estate offers river front land with a boat mooring in a private harbour for R1.9m.
There is plenty of land around R450,000. Houses with great sea or river views range from R2.5m to R6.7m for an exclusive architectural eco-friendly house on the beach with five bedrooms and plenty of extras. The village is also popular for holiday rentals that range from R700-R1.400/day over the season and about half of that out-of-season.
“Witsand is a fabulous holiday and retirement destination”, she says. There is a 4km Blue Flag beach as well as the magnificent Breede River, one of the largest navigable rivers in South Africa and a birdwatchers’ paradise. It is a water sport haven with anything from fishing and boating to whale watching.
“Just as you reach the Garden Route, you find Still Bay and Jongensfontein which, Helena Geldenhuys from Seeff, describes as very busy with inland buyers flocking here. We even have buyers from KwaZulu-Natal”, she adds.
She says that part of the attraction is the wide range of options that buyers can choose from. Aside from well-priced houses, we also have security complexes and retirement villages. “The biggest demand is below the R2m price band and we currently have a shortage of stock in the R1m to R1.5m price range”.
“Still Bay is a popular holiday destination with a Blue Flag beach and there is a shortage of rental accommodation, so there is always the option for holiday home owners to put their homes into the market for holiday rentals and earn a bit of extra cash”, she says.
“Lifestyle farms around the Goukou River are also a popular option”, she says.“Part of the draw-card for the area is the close proximity to the Garden Route. The George Airport is only an hour and a half’s drive from the town”.