The Eastern Cape’s Sunshine Coast has had a major influx of tourists and holidaymakers since the start of the festive season, and local agents expect a significant number of property sales to follow.
“St Francis Bay, Jeffrey’s Bay, Kenton-on-Sea and Bushman’s River are becoming increasingly popular and their populations more than triple over the holiday season,” says Brendon Lahana, the Chas Everitt International franchisee in St Francis Bay and Jeffrey’s Bay.
“St Francis Bay, for example, hosts some very popular holiday events like Billy’s Beach Rave and a New Year’s Eve party that keep people coming back year-after-year, and the rental market is extremely busy over the season.
“In addition, this is a peak selling period for us and we expect to conclude between 10 and 15 sales by the end of the holidays, with more sales to follow in late January and February after people have gone home and had time to consider properties they have seen. Rentals here range from R3000 to R15 000 per day in season so many people calculate that if they are going to spend their holidays here it would make more sense to buy.
“And property prices in St Francis start from around R550 000 for a one-bedroom apartment and range all the way up to R23m for an exclusive home on the Canals, so there really is something to suit every type of buyer.”
In nearby Jeffrey’s Bay, famous for its surfing beaches, large family homes are available for between R2,4m and R5m, Lahana says, and prices for three-bedroom holiday apartments close to the beach start at around R600 000.
Further up the coast, between Port Elizabeth and East London, lie the tiny – and increasingly sought-after - seaside villages of Kenton-on-Sea, Bushmans River, Cannon Rocks and Boknes.
These offer leisure home buyers real hideaways in beautiful natural surroundings, says local Chas Everitt International franchisee Steve Tredoux, and they are increasingly being targeted by high net worth buyers who value their privacy.
Holiday homes in these enclaves are priced from around R800 000 for a three-bedroom cottage to about R2,7m for a five-bedroom, three-bedroom family home with sea views and spacious entertainment areas.
However, Tredoux says, there are also some spectacular luxury homes here that have been built to take advantage of panoramic sea and river views, and prices for these start from around R5m and range up to R10m for a five bedroom, five bathroom lodge on the banks of the Bushman's River, and R12,8m for a six bedroom, six bathroom New Orleans-style home with guest suite and cottages close to the beach in Kenton.
“And now, thanks to our group’s recent affiliation to the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) network, we have exceptional opportunities to market such properties to the wealthiest property investors around the world via several global platforms and via a true global network of high-end property brokers.”