Just 2-6 hour’s drive from Cape Town International Airport, you will find the quaint coastal villages of the Southern Cape.
Unspoilt and beautiful, here you can find a fabulous holiday or retirement house on the beach, and for a good price too.
While seaside property close to the Cape and even Durban is now fast becoming unaffordable and often unattainable, the demand for a holiday or retirement house close to the beach, is fast shifting to the more affordable small towns along the Southern Cape coast.
Ian Badenhorst, MD for Seeff Country says that since these villages are accessible within 2-6 hour’s drive from Cape Town International Airport, they are an excellent choice for people looking for a quiet and secure lifestyle in a holiday or retirement destination.
With little commercialisation and traffic, yet close to bigger centres for medical, shopping and other conveniences, villages such as Kleinbaai (near Hermanus), Cape Agulhas (Agulhas, Struisbaai and Arniston), Witsand, Jongensfontein and Gouritsmond are now an ideal choice.
These are also some of the few areas where you can still buy so close to the sea that it is practically your front yard, says Badenhorst. With prices in the R2m-R8m range, you are also getting a great deal. The Southern Cape is also where you will get the best views of the magnificent Southern Right Whales during winter and spring as they visit the shores for the annual calving season.
These days, the villages are well connected with satellite television and internet, so you can be as connected or disconnected as you would like, says Badenhorst. Add to that the inspiring natural surroundings with fynbos as far as the eye can see, a high concentration of nature reserves and a rocky coastline with white beaches (many Blue-Flag) as well as river.
The picturesque surroundings is just the escape that any city-dweller would be looking for, he says. The surroundings, white-washed architecture and pretty lighthouses are also a big draw-card for artists and photographers.
The weather is excellent with plenty of sunshine and a healthy lifestyle which is appealing for holiday and retirement buyers. Badenhorst says that Lightstone data shows that some 50%-70% of buyers in these villages are above the fifty age bracket.
Come as you are, or bring your boat, yacht or surf boards, because the water-based activities are plentiful, he says. These beaches are popular for swimming and sunbathing, fishing, boating, yachting, snorkelling and diving. They also offer top class surfing (including kite-surfing). Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the nature reserves, bird watching galore and a multitude of hiking, cycling and horse riding trails and other adventures.
Badenhorst says that while overall market activity is slightly down on the 2016/7 peak levels, activity is still much better than five years ago. We are also still seeing good demand from across the country for holiday and retirement properties. Our agents often find that people will buy for holiday and then later retire or they will buy it for retirement.
The fairly conservative price growth over the last few years means that you can still find excellent value, he adds. Both the FNB Southern Cape House Price and Holiday Towns Indices point to the area as still a good investment given that they have held up well in the challenging economic environment.
What can you buy? Seeff highlights seven villages:
GOURITSMOND
For R15m, you can find a 23ha farm with its own private beach, 1km ocean-front stretch, a beautiful stone house with four bedrooms and a second house, says Willie van Rensburg from Seeff Gouritsmond.
The village lies on the Gourits River mouth where it meets the warm Indian Ocean and is characterised by pretty little stone houses dating to the 1920s. Prices range from R1,5m-R2,5m to a top price of R8m.
ARNISTON
R9.5m will buy you the top house on the market, offering a prime beachfront location and two fully self-contained living units (a four-bed unit upstairs and three beds downstairs.
Elaine Beyers from Seeff says this pretty fisherman’s village (also known as Waenhuiskrans) is flanked by the De Mond and De Hoop Nature Reserves, the latter being a wetland with over 100 aquatic bird species and of international importance for migratory birds. Prices range from R2,4m-R4,5m to a top price of R9,5m.
JONGENSFONTEIN
Just a stroll from the ocean, you will find a new holiday house which comes with stunning beach-house finishes, five bedrooms and a swimming pool, priced at R8.5m.
According to Helena Geldenhuys from Seeff, a big attraction is the close proximity to Still Bay where you will find excellent amenities, sport facilities and nature reserves. The excellent waves makes it a surfer’s paradise. Jongensfontein prices range from R1,9m-R5m with a top price of R8,5m. Sea view plots are available from R1,5m-R4.2m.
STRUISBAAI
R8m will buy you fabulous sea views, nine bedrooms, several living rooms and a braai room which makes this an ideal find for residential or commercial purposes.
Richard Pratt from Seeff notes that house prices range from R1,2m-R5m to a top price of R8m.
WITSAND
For R7.5m you can find a recent architecturally remodelled house with four bedrooms and extras such as a walk-in safe, pizza oven, long veranda that overlooks the river and more.
The village lies on St Sebastian Bay where the Breede River flows into the Indian Ocean which is a prime area for whale spotting according to Jo Attenborough from Seeff.
The stunning river estuary provides fabulous waterfront living and there is a further 4km pristine beach with pure white sand, hence the village’s name. Prices range from R1,2m-R5,5m to a top price of R7,5m. Ocean or estuary views sell from R2,2m and vacant land from R300,000.
KLEINBAAI
For R7.48m, you can find a six-bedroomed home located in Klipfonteyn next to Kleinbaai which offers everything that a large family could want for with extras such as a braai room, wine cellar and spectacular views throughout.
Anet Rossouw from Seeff says a big attraction of Kleinbaai (near Hermanus), is the famous ‘shark alley’, and it is from this village that the shark-diving boats leave. There is also a golf course that overlooks the sea and fabulous hiking trails. Prices range from R1,5m-R5m with a top price of R8m while vacant plots sell for R350,000-R3.2m.
AGULHAS
Here, you can find a rare beach front home with five bedrooms located close to the tidal pools, priced at R4.375m.
Belinda Willemse, from Seeff says that this villages is where you will find the southernmost tip of the African continent where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. It is renowned for shipwrecks and the famous red and white Cape Agulhas Lighthouse. Prices range from R1,25m-R5m and vacant land from R200,000-R900,000.
Contact Seeff Southern Cape on 028 514 3999 or visit www.seeff.com.
Author: Seeff, 17 September 2018, News