Residential properties under R600k are most sought after in Bela Bela as affordability reigns supreme.

So says Loua Boshoff, principal for the local Seeff office, who adds that people are currently in a downscaling mood, such as those who prefer to move from a farm or plot to live in town.

"Townhouses and flats are selling really well. This is also due to the effect that investors and first-time buyers are having on this segment of the market."

"The regional hubs with government departments, such as Nylstroom, are big sources of first-time buyers in the segment below R600k," Boshoff says.

Ronel Botes from the Pam Golding Properties (PGP) office in Bela Bela says golf estate properties, specifically those priced between R1,5m and R2m, are starting to show an uptick in sales.

"Farms are also quite popular because of an increasing number of communities forming groups to lodge land claims. But the residential market is still very quiet at this stage," she says.

Fred van Heerden, principal of top local agency CENTURY21 Bushveld Properties, is optimistic about prospects after having notched up sales amounting to some R16m in May. That figure includes security village residential properties and a game farm.

Hotels, lodges, guest houses, nature reserves and game ranches are all to be found in this playground of the North which Gautengers are rapidly re-discovering, he says. "Bela Bela is well-situated – within an hour-and-a-half of Johannesburg and Pretoria, close enough for a weekend visit but far enough to be away from the crime and grime of the big cities."

"There's interest in leisure properties, lifestyle farms, eco-estates and residential property set within game farms. There are now also enquiries about properties in the town itself, reflecting the appeal of its low crime rate, affordable municipal rates and good amenities."

However, Boshoff says game farm sales are showing an improvement in the leisure category. "Local buyers are showing keen interest in these properties. The buoyancy could be ascribed to the relatively small number of these properties on the market and the small number of buyers. Their prices have also risen or remained the same whereas residential property prices have seen significant dips." - Eugene Brink

For more information contact Lindie Bow on 011 884 2202 or click here to visit the website.

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