February 3 2025 21:00
Small-town coastal living retains its appeal for home buyers
Guest written by Pam Golding Properties
SOUTH AFRICA
Southbroom 4 bedroom for sale R5.85m
The character and charm of smaller coastal towns continue to draw a broad cross-section of home buyers seeking a quality lifestyle, value-for-money and location accessibility, according to Pam Golding Properties.
Dr Andrew Golding, chief executive of the Pam Golding Property says while appealing lifestyle and value are key considerations for “semigrators” to such towns, other factors include the efficacy of local municipalities, availability of medical facilities, climate, and accessibility with a city or airport within about a four-hour drive.
“Buyers looking to relocate to coastal towns range across the spectrum from retirees to the younger generation. The latter are increasingly seeking a more desirable environment to raise a family, particularly those with the option to work from home or even start a new business in a different location – and coastal living very often fits the bill,” he says.
In the Western Cape, with its vast expanse of scenic coastline, the West Coast town of St Helena Bay has since 2021 experienced a surge in new properties built, with a significant increase in new residents and buyers seeking a holiday home or semigrating.
“Semigrators are mostly middle age families either starting small businesses or working from home, followed by retirees, mainly from within the province with a sprinkling from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. A big focus is on a more balanced and secure family lifestyle next to the ocean,” says Shelly Keys, a Pam Golding Properties area manager in the Western Cape. “Some international ‘swallows’ also spend the summer months here”.
“In St Helena Bay, with its 18 small bays, unspoilt sandy beaches and 33 residential developments, freehold stands average around R599 000 with a few remaining beachfront stands at approximately R5.5m and upwards. Illustrating the sound investment potential of residential property, three years ago entry level prices started at R199 000 for freehold stands and R3.5m for beachfront erven. Currently developed freestanding homes start at an average price of R2.5m while the highest price paid for beachfront residential property to date is R12.5m, compared with around R1.5m and R7.5m respectively, three years ago,” says Keys.
The majority of the developments adhere to strict West Coast vernacular architectural guidelines, with predominantly brick white-washed buildings with black or grey roofs. The town’s municipal services are well managed, with regular infrastructure upgrades, allowing new businesses to flourish and boost the local economy. The upgraded roads have made visiting nearby Paternoster with its many choices of restaurants an easy 10-minute drive. There is easy access to Vredenburg with a large West Coast mall, quality medicare at Vredenburg’s Life Westcoast Private Hospital and a provincial hospital, while St Helena Bay has a pharmacy and two veterinarians, coffee shops and restaurants. Cape Town International Airport is 163km away.
“With a wide range of watersports, regular whale and dolphin sightings, colourful wildflower displays in early spring, spectacular fauna, flora and birdlife, St Helena Bay offers year-round outdoor nature activities in a mild Mediterranean climate,” says Keys.
Approximately 45km to the south, an hour-and-a-half from Cape Town, and also with a very well-run local municipality, scenic Langebaan is a haven for water sports lovers and is an internationally acclaimed Ramsar Site for its importance as a wetland. Described as the Jewel of the West Coast, it offers modern living in harmony with nature. Close to town is the West Coast Fossil Park, the only one in South Africa. The oldest known footprint dated at about 117 000 years old of a modern human, was discovered in the park on the banks of the Langebaan Lagoon in 1995. There is a casino and entertainment for children at Club Mykonos, golf at the Country Club, horse riding on the beach and a host of other activities.
Keys says post-Covid Langebaan’s residential property market boomed, with many buyers from Gauteng, Cape Town and KZN, and now also SA expats and other overseas buyers, including retired swallows wanting more exclusive, high-end properties.
“Many are working from home or semi-retired and working remotely or opening new businesses. These buyers are purchasing family homes, while the more mature are looking at smaller homes, so the demand is for a mix between three-bedroom, three-bathroom homes and four-bedroom homes when they come onto the market. The price range is between R4m and R5m,” says Keys.
“Most buyers are seeking a more balanced lifestyle and here there is less traffic less stress and more outdoor activities. While the town has grown considerably it’s still a small town, with good infrastructure and services, convenience, safety for walking, nature and pet lovers, golf, tennis and the beach. While there’s a day hospital in Langebaan and new malls, there is a Life Hospital in Vredenburg just 20km away, good schools, including a Curro School, and homeschooling has also seen growth.
“You can acquire a residence in a gated estate, Langebaan Country Estate, for between R4m and R5m, with significant price appreciation expected to continue. Shark Bay plots achieve R2.8m for beachfront houses, with waterfront homes selling between R9.5m and R17m. There have also been significant sales in the golf estate, with a recent price of R12.5m achieved,” says Keys.
Coastal villages like Gansbaai, situated in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, 30 minutes from Hermanus and two hours from Cape Town, are increasingly in demand as many people seek a quieter environment in which to live, work and play, says Le Roux van der Merwe, area principal for Pam Golding Properties. The greater Gansbaai area and more specifically “Die Plaat” (local beach) is also known for great accessible winter and summer fishing spots.
Says Le Roux: “Renowned for its whale watching, shark cage diving, and the historically important Klipgat cave, as well as abundant Fynbos species, this area is seeing semigrants from all over the country who perceive that this area offers good value for money and is a great place to live, while enjoying the benefits of working from home in a secure environment with good, well-maintained infrastructure, numerous attractions, clean air, abundant water, peaceful rural surrounds with abundant Fynbos species, hiking trails, unspoiled coastal walks and great beaches. This is also a “natural adventure destination.”
Access to Gansbaai has been improved by the Hermanus-Stanford road improvements, with further major road improvements between Stanford and Gansbaai to be completed in early 2025.
Van der Merwe says such is the demand that we are experiencing unprecedented growth with an increasing shortage of vacant stands to build on. Homes are being renovated and the municipality and private investors are busy with the imminent opening of the Overberg Medical Centre and additional retirement accommodation in the town. Notably, we are about to launch a gated village with 107 units in Gansbaai in the centre of the town. The location of the village is within level, walking distance from the sea, shops, churches, pharmacy, and doctors.
“While this facility is a private hospital, it will also have government beds and be accessible to all. The emergency room will offer 24/7 services and there will be a radiology practice and a pharmacy. Anticipated to include facilities for post-operative recovery in the form of sub-acute accommodation and potentially, frail care facilities on site, this development will add around R100m to the local economy. It will also be a landmark development for Gansbaai and surrounding towns, making medical access much closer. Coupled with other planned infrastructural improvements, it will draw more people to the area and help facilitate further development,” van der Merwe says.
Gansbaai currently has two local airfields for smaller aircraft, planning for an aerodrome close by is underway, and Cape Town International Airport is a two-and-a-half hour drive.
There are properties with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a double garage, which sell for around R2m to R2.5m, however there is a gated estate, Clairvaux, where two-bedroom, two-bathroom homes are selling for around R1.5m. Gansbaai has a few holiday resort type areas where a leasehold house can be bought for R800 000.
“Currently, most of our buyers are from Gauteng, Limpopo and more recently, Hermanus. Although historically a holiday and retirement town, purchasers are acquiring property for leisure use or permanent relocation – including work-from-home as Gansbaai has a very good fibre and wireless internet infrastructure,” says van der Merwe.
In Kenton on Sea, situated between the Bushmans and Kariega Rivers, about halfway between Gqeberha and East London and colloquially known as ‘The Barefoot Capital’, the residential property market, which comprises mostly freehold residences, is active across all sectors, with prices ranging from R2m, for cottages to R6m for spacious family homes and R16 million for contemporary, luxury waterfront residences.
Pam Golding Properties area principal, Michael Wilmot says: “In recent years, there has been robust demand for vacant plots, with erven of approximately 600-1000sqm priced between R300 000 and R2m. Plot buyers are often investors or speculators, some looking to secure land to develop in the medium to long term. House buyers are mixed as some are semigrating but typically they are coming here to vacation and ultimately retire here. Generally, buyers are South Africans but with a sprinkling of overseas purchasers.
“Kenton Eco Estate is attracting some younger buyers looking to gain a foothold on the property ladder. Our close proximity to Makhanda (formerly known as Grahamstown), is also a drawcard, being home to some of the best schools in the country. Consequently, Kenton is very popular as the seaside destination of choice for the parents of children at these schools,” he says.
“Also on the Sunshine Coast, the tranquil town of Port Alfred with its scenic Royal Alfred Marina has, especially since Covid, experienced a surge of semigrators re-evaluating their living circumstances and fast-tracking their retirement plans. This trend includes an influx of young buyers between the ages of 18 and 49, young to middle-aged families, either singles or newly married couples looking to invest, or young to middle-aged families looking to relocate,” says Isobel Meyer, area principal for Pam Golding Properties.
Port Alfred is home to Stenden University and the 43 Air School, as well as numerous schools, Port Alfred High School, The Kings School, Kowie Foundation School and Calico Academy, and is in close proximity to some top schools in Makhanda. It lies within a 150km radius of East London and Gqeberha via upgraded highways.
Situated some 28km south of Port Shepstone, the peaceful village of Southbroom boasts 4km of accessible beach frontage. Central to the Village is the renowned 18-hole Southbroom golf course and Pro Shop plus the newly constructed padel courts. The village itself has everything one would need including medical facilities, additional businesses such as attorneys, an architect, hardware, laundry, retail, hair and beauty salons, coffee shops, delis, restaurants, a Kwikspar supermarket and fuel station, among others.
For the outdoor enthusiasts there are vibrant tennis and bowling clubs, two nature reserves with hiking trails and the popular main beach which offers great surfing. The well-known San Lameer Estate with a multitude of amenities is a two-minute drive away.
Pam Golding Properties area principal, Cath Molyneaux says: “The town is neatly maintained with a strong ratepayers’ association, satellite policing station and independent security company, all of which translates into a secure and peaceful lifestyle.”
There are long stretches of sandy beaches and well-known Granny’s Tidal Pool, and within a couple of kilometres the Riverbend crocodile centre, art gallery and restaurant. Within a five-minute drive is a private school from Grade R to matric, a Netcare hospital within 15 minutes and the easily accessible Margate Airport with daily flights to and from Johannesburg. Shopping malls and another private hospital are a 20-minute drive away in Shelly Beach, with Durban approximately 120km.
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