{"id":857091,"date":"2026-05-03T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=857091"},"modified":"2026-04-30T17:31:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T15:31:02","slug":"the-south-african-towns-wealthy-foreigners-are-flocking-to-buy-homes-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/857091\/the-south-african-towns-wealthy-foreigners-are-flocking-to-buy-homes-in\/","title":{"rendered":"The South African towns wealthy foreigners are flocking to buy homes in"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Garden Route, a popular semigration hotspot in South Africa, is seeing a rise in international buyers, with many expats returning to the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Andrew\u00a0Golding, chief executive of the\u00a0Pam Golding\u00a0Property group, said that growth in building activity and residential property prices reflects a diverse spectrum of buyers which spans generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes semigrants, local residents, and buyers or investors from across South Africa and internationally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Garden Route in South Africa encompasses the areas of Heidelberg, Riversdale, Stilbaai, and Witsand along the coast to Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna, and Plettenberg Bay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This scenic region encompasses sweeping, unspoilt beaches, majestic mountain ranges, indigenous forests, rivers, and serene lagoons and lakes,” said Golding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Coupled with a temperate year-round climate, the Garden Route offers homes for virtually every market segment.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it consistently appeals to those acquiring homes to retire in the near or distant future, it also attracts a mix of generations drawn to these destinations for a more balanced lifestyle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Golding said that vacant plots and new homes in estates and complexes are experiencing consistently heightened demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commercial hub of the region is George, which has its own airport, good schools, medical facilities, golf courses, beaches and restaurants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although almost half of recent buyers were over 50 years of age, about 18% of recent purchasers are young buyers, likely attracted by employment opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George and Mossel Bay<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Pam Golding\u00a0Properties area manager for\u00a0George\u00a0and nearby\u00a0Mossel Bay, Stephen Murray, said that purchasers are from around the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buyers include investors looking for lifestyle combined with sound capital growth and\/or rental yields. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Popular lifestyle estates include Fancourt, Pinnacle Point, Gondwana Game Reserve, Oubaai and Kingswood Golf Estate, which have also attracted interest from buyers abroad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

George and Mossel Bay have also become vibrant residential and investment markets in the Western Cape, with several new properties developed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of this, Murray said that market demand for residential developments has seen the launch of several new projects over the past year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether buying a primary or secondary home for leisure or pure investment, purchasers regularly comment on the scenic natural beauty, golden beaches and pristine surrounds,” said Murray. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plett <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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One of the strongest Garden Route performers is Plettenberg Bay, which also has a buoyant residential property market, which Pam Golding said is well-priced relative to demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency said that there is massive activity in gated estates and new-build villages as they combine lifestyle, security and good rental prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sectional title apartments are also sought after, especially secure units close to beaches and amenities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe current demand lies in retirement villages, while semigration and holiday home buying have also been major drivers,\u201d said Gordon Shutte,\u00a0Pam Golding\u00a0Properties area manager in Plett and Knysna. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSectional title and holiday-rental-friendly stock are growing in popularity, and there is continued appetite for premium estate homes and well-located sectional title units.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also an increasing number of young families and professionals relocating for lifestyle and remote work, even as the dominant cohorts remain affluent retirees and holiday home buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to its beaches, estates, tourism infrastructure and international reputation, Plett is becoming an appealing primary, secondary and retirement destination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knysna<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Knysna has benefited from the semigration trend and retirement demand, with more enquiries, renewed building activity, renovations, and a handful of new developments or lifestyle complexes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area is also seeing rising interest in holiday-to-primary home conversions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFamily homes for school and quality of life purposes also form a solid portion of sales, with a noticeable increase in a younger generation of purchasers,” said Shutte. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sectional title apartments aimed at first-time buyers, holiday apartment purchasers and investors are selling from R1.2 million to R3 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vacant land on the high-end Pezula Private Estate can also be acquired for around R1.005 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sedgefield <\/h2>\n\n\n
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Sedgefield\u00a0is also seeing a large increase in building activity and residential market movement, particularly near Myoli Beach, reports James McNaughton,\u00a0Pam Golding\u00a0Properties area principal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the past five years, there\u2019s been a dramatic increase in building activity and sustained semigration,” said James McNaughton,\u00a0Pam Golding\u00a0Properties area principal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the town has always been a popular holiday and retirement destination, the number of people coming to live and work there has increased exponentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buyers generally prefer to build a modern home, while overseas buyers prefer a move-in-ready home in top condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town is renowned for its relaxed lifestyle and a host of recreational activities, with beaches, rivers, lagoons, and forests nearby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area also caters for retirees with care homes and frail care living in a caring community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stilbaai\u00a0and\u00a0Witsand\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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Stilbaai\u00a0and\u00a0Witsand\u00a0<\/strong>are also following the trend of increased sales and building activity in the residential property market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le Roux van der Merwe, Pam Golding Properties area principal, said that most of its buyers are from larger metros, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and the Garden Route. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also many returning expatriates looking to settle in a safe, well-connected coastal town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the mix includes many retirees, there’s also been a shift from holiday homes to full-time living, with an increase in younger families and remote workers seeking a slower, better lifestyle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Coupled with this, a younger demographic is contributing to renewed energy in the market with growing demand for modern, family-oriented homes and lifestyle estates,” said Van der Merwe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its good infrastructure and pristine beaches, Van der Merwe said that Stilbaai presents an opportunity to acquire permanent coastal living without the hefty premiums of other resort towns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riversdale <\/h2>\n\n\n
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The dominant purchase type in Riversdale appears to be family-sized homes and primary residences rather than purely investment holiday homes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is still a segment of purchasers seeking lifestyle or retirement homes, and the overall demographic is weighted towards middle-aged and mature purchasers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For first-time buyers, the typical price range is approximately R600,000 to R1.2 million, which can buy a modest new-build townhouse or a small freehold house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given its affordable property prices compared to other Garden Route towns, Van Der Merwe said Riversdale is a compelling value-lifestyle market and a logical next-tier destination for semigration and lifestyle buyers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heidelberg<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Heidelberg is underpinned by its local farming community. New entrants into the market include mature buyers and younger individuals, who have differing goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mature buyers mainly look for smaller, low-maintenance, lock-up-and-go properties ideal for retirement or easy living. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Younger buyers tend to purchase larger family homes with more space and gardens, suitable for families and working from home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Van der Merwe says there has been a clear increase in younger buyers entering the market in recent years, many of whom work remotely for international companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remote work has become possible thanks to the growing availability of fibre internet in the town, making it an attractive option for young professionals and families in the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Garden Route is no longer just appealing to local movers, with international buyers also interested in the coastal area. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":857117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[10618],"class_list":["post-857091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-pam-golding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857091"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":858933,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857091\/revisions\/858933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}