{"id":881867,"date":"2026-11-01T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=881867"},"modified":"2026-10-30T15:58:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T13:58:17","slug":"people-snatching-up-homes-in-south-african-town-getting-its-own-r600-million-medical-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/881867\/people-snatching-up-homes-in-south-african-town-getting-its-own-r600-million-medical-school\/","title":{"rendered":"People snatching up homes in South African town getting its own R600 million medical school"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Potchefstroom\u2019s residential property market is attracting a growing number of South African homebuyers, and a new R600 million medical school is expected to provide a further boost to housing demand in the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the feedback from Pam Golding Properties area principal Ferdi Coetzee, who said younger buyers now account for approximately 28% of purchasers in the local market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPotchefstroom is a stable market, with consistent activity and repeat buyers across generations,\u201d said Coetzee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are seeing buyers at different stages of their lives moving through the market and between suburbs, from young professionals and students through to growing families and eventually retirees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major development expected to support the market over the longer term is North-West University\u2019s (NWU) Desmond Tutu School of Medicine at its Potchefstroom campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction began in 2025, with the R600 million facility expected to become South Africa\u2019s 11th medical school. Its first students are scheduled to enrol in 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The school is intended to help address the shortage of doctors and medical specialists in the North West, with advanced medical facilities, research opportunities, and a partnership with the provincial Department of Health to provide students with practical clinical experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coetzee believes the project could attract more students, academics, healthcare professionals, and supporting businesses, which will create additional demand for residential property and rental accommodation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe medical school is particularly exciting from a long-term perspective. Together with continued investment in the university and surrounding infrastructure, it has the potential to attract additional professionals, students and businesses to Potchefstroom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affordability remains a key consideration for buyers, particularly families looking for homes below R1.5 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coetzee noted that there is a shortage of well-maintained properties in this price range, with suitable homes often selling relatively quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also massive demand in the R2 million bracket in established suburbs such as Baillie Park, Grimbeek Park and Van der Hoff Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand for estate living is growing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Family homes in Baillie Park can reach approximately R2.8 million, while larger properties in Van der Hoff Park can exceed R4 million, although higher-priced homes may take longer to sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Potchefstroom South and Miederpark offer more affordable options, with properties generally trading below R2 million. In Dassierand, established homes typically sell for up to approximately R1.7 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The university also supports a substantial student accommodation market, particularly in Die Bult, where properties are close to NWU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 82.5% of properties in Die Bult are sectional-title units, with a median sales price of R625,000 in 2026 to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand for one- and two-bedroom apartments has helped support sales activity, with investors often purchasing individual units to build rental portfolios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents also buy apartments for children attending the university, sometimes retaining the properties as rental investments after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student houses offer another investment option, although Coetzee warns that they can carry greater occupancy risks if rooms remain empty during parts of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Properly managed sectional-title student accommodation can achieve net returns of approximately 8% to 11%, depending on the property, location and management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secure estates are also attracting younger buyers and families, with prices ranging from entry-level sectional-title units to luxury homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Hillside Estate, around half of buyers to date are young adults. Phase 1 has sold out, while Phase 2 is being marketed with freehold homes priced from approximately R2.2 million to R4.6 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other options include Tuscany Ridge Estate, where sectional-title properties range from around R800,000 to R2 million, and Ailanto Country Estate, where vacant stands start at approximately R440,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waterberry Estate also offers sectional-title units from around R500,000 and freehold properties priced at approximately R1.5 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coetzee added that Potchefstroom is becoming popular due to its diverse sources of housing demand, including the university, agricultural economy, established residential communities, and the planned medical school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He expects properties offering affordability, security, convenient locations, and strong rental or resale potential to remain attractive as the town continues to develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

More photos of Potchefstroom <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Progress photos of Desmond Tutu School of Medicine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A town in the North West is attracting a growing number of South African homebuyers, and a new R600 million medical school is expected to provide a further boost to housing demand in the town.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":881958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"failed","_sma_x_autopost_error":"Instagram publishing failed: Instagram returned HTTP 400: Media ID is not available","_sma_x_post_id":"2116864091075625168","_sma_facebook_post_id":"191437357620492_2257030658450666","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[22469,10070,26979,853],"class_list":["post-881867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-north-west-university-nwu","tag-pam-golding-properties","tag-potchefstroom","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881867","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\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=881867"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":881975,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881867\/revisions\/881975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/881958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=881867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=881867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=881867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}