Centurion East is fast gaining favour with young families. That’s the news from Gail Stassen of Just Letting / Just Residential, which services the area.
Located between Midrand and Pretoria, Centurion was established by the Erasmus family who arrived and settled in the area in 1841. The suburbs of Erasmia, Elardus Park, Zwartkop and Doornkloof all derive their titles from landowners and farms established during this time.
Over the years the area, which was once a fairly conservative Afrikaans outpost, has evolved into a cosmopolitan node. Centurion’s appeal lies in the fact that it offers a large variety of properties, country-style living and easy access to all major amenities in both Pretoria and Johannesburg, courtesy of numerous local highways and the Gautrain, which has proven hugely successful.
While Centurion proper draws the executives, Stassen says Centurion East has become the node of choice with families thanks to the many family-friendly draw cards that it offers.
Attractions
Centurion East plays host to a bevy of offices, Unitas Hospital, numerous nursery schools and a number of government schools including Hoërskool Centurion and Lyttelton High. Other easily-accessible schools include Hoërskool Uitsig, Hoërskool Zwartkop, Irene Middle Farm School and Laerskool Erasmia, among others. Retail amenities such as Centurion Mall and Southdowns Shopping Centre are also plentiful, and the local SuperSport Park is popular with sports fans.
Property wise, Stassen explains that many families are gravitating to Centurion East’s gated complexes where two- and three-bedroom and two bathroom units with gardens are the residences of choice. Interestingly, she says many families are renting these units for between R4 000 and R8 000 per month as opposed to buying them outright.
At present, sectional title units in the area are selling at between R500 000 and R850 000. At Centurion East’s Highveld and Eco Park estates, these types of properties can sell for as much as R1.6-million. Stassen adds that many are opting to rent in Centurion East over Midrand as prices in that suburb have “skyrocketed”.
Development
Although new development has slowed somewhat this is due largely to the fact that the area is quite densely built up and a large number of new properties have been introduced to the market in recent years – not because of a lack of demand, explains Stassen. Indeed, Centurion East has proven remarkably resilient over the years and should continue to command respectable prices for properties across the board.
“Simply put, Centurion East is providing what many buyers and tenants with families want – an affordable home in a secure setting that offers hassle-free access to major nodes.”