SA has an abundance of sun, but with the country in the winter grip at the moment, mountain getaways and small farms above 3,500 feet are finding good favour among buyers looking for a supreme lifestyle and getaway property.

Wayne Rubidge, Pam Golding Properties (PGP) area principal for the Karoo and North Eastern Cape regions, says these types of property are the most popular category of property when it comes to snow in sunny SA.

“At this time of the year, the mountainous regions of the Eastern and Western Cape offer home buyers the unique appeal of cosy winter getaways with scenic slow-clad vistas and the promise of crackling log fires.”

Rubidge says the popular mountainous areas include the Western Cape’s Klein Karoo, in particular in the vicinity of the Swartberg Mountains where towns such as Prince Albert, one of the Karoo’s most exclusive towns, are highly sought after among home buyers from around the country. “In this town, we’ve sold 12 properties at a total value of R13m over the past eight months. The highest price was R2,7m for a historical Karoo home.”

He says the Eastern Cape arguably has the best snow, particularly around Rhodes in the Southern Drakensburg and the mountainous area north of Graaff-Reinet, which annually receives heavy snowfalls and is transformed into a “little Switzerland” for a couple of weeks each year. “Snow towns include the picturesque villages of Rhodes, Lady Grey and Nieu Bethesda.”

“Mountain getaways and small farms above 3,500 feet are the most popular category of property when it comes to snow in sun-rich South Africa. Probably because of our abundance of sunny days, images of picture-perfect snow scenes, exhilarating crisp, clean air, log fires and the accompaniments of winter add appeal to this special category of property.

“South African and European buyers alike have realised the advantages of this type of property. These include a healthy climate, abundant mountain spring water supplied to the underground aquifers by the melting snow, and beautiful mountain scenery with snow-capped peaks which grace the landscape,” says Rubidge.

He says snowy mountain properties in the Karoo Highlands ranges, which form part of the great escarpment, are priced from R2k–R5k per hectare.

For more information contact Wayne Rubidge on 082 432 9364 or send an email.

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