View of the beautiful East London property coastline
Stretching 300kms across the Southeast beachfront of South Africa, the Sunshine Coast is world-renowned for its unspoiled, majestic beauty; terminated at the northern end by the hospitable, laid-back city of East London which has justifiably become a highly sought after tourist destination, as well as offering a desirable, safe and well-priced residential market. Also known locally as the Buffalo City after the Buffalo River, the proximity to which provides this region with the only river port in South Africa, East London enjoys a luxurious climate with year-round sun and the tropical Indian currents warming its waters. And with a thriving automobile industry, the area is fast developing into a first class metropolitan business centre.
As a tourist destination, East London has a great deal to offer, and is internationally sought-after for its top quality surfing and unpopulated, gorgeous beaches, for its premier-class golfing courses, as well as its access to many excellent nature reserves and wildlife centres. Nahoon Beach offers sand dunes and white sands, while its famous reef churns up championship-level surfing waves. Bonza's Bay Beach, Cove Rock, Igoda Beach and many others populate the outskirts of the city, providing delights for the explorer and sun-worshipper. While inside the city, the aquarium, the Queens Park Zoo and the botanical gardens have plenty to entertain locals seeking entertainment on a day out. The East London Aquarium houses a colony of African penguins, and also contains a whale watching deck which in peak season provides unparalleled viewing opportunities. The East London Golf Course has hosted six South African Opens, attesting to its quality as a best-in-class national sports centre. In fact sports facilities are abundant, with motocross, association football, cricket and martial arts amongst others provided for in East London.
The Buffalo region has a unique historical significance, housing the earliest known examples of fossilized human remains – the Nahoon footprints being dated at 200,000 years old. Furthermore, the prehistoric Coelacanth was discovered in the waters offshore from the cost of East London. The East London Museum particularly highlights the historical significance of this unique area, also focusing on the Xhosa culture. East London also figured prominently in the struggle for freedom, with the Steve Biko Garden of Remembrance celebrating one of the great martyrs of the fight against the apartheid regime, along with the graves of other prominent activists and human rights lawyers.
Visitors to the area will find that a relative lack of hotels has created a flourishing bed and breakfast industry, where locals have opened their homes for overnight stays; and the renowned hospitableness will be evident to anybody who chooses to take up this option. The East Coast Resorts, further north towards Durban, are a collection of beautiful and idyllic villages ideal for family holidaymaking. For prospective residents, drawn by the flourishing automotive industry provided particularly by the nearby Daimler manufacturing Plant, as well as the busy harbour’s employment opportunities, East London's property compares admirably to the rest of the country in both price and attractiveness. Housing is relatively very affordable, and the city has a number of highly desirable neighbourhoods well supplied with schooling and shop facilities. For those seeking a holiday-house or a permanent home for their families, East London has so much to offer.
The median property sale price in East London over the last 5 years
Even though the number of properties sold in East London has declined in recent years, the median property prices has continued to increase which is a good sign for East London property owners.