South Africa Property

Breathtakingly beautiful, amazingly diverse and culturally rich throughout, South Africa is an appealing location for property investment. The country boasts a number of attractions that have helped attract foreign investment and so shape its recent economic growth and stability. Two of Africa’s largest game reserves are located in South Africa, allowing visitors easy access to some of the best wildlife encounters available, while gleaming cities and quaint towns dot the landscape and juxtapose iconically with the wonderful natural beauty.

Post-apartheid, South Africa has inevitably encountered a few teething problems as it has adjusted to a new regime, but the benefits are beginning to show throughout the country: economic growth is impressive, poverty is less widespread and violent crime has decreased sharply, making the country much more inviting for foreign investors than ever before. Some of the most popular investment destinations include Gauteng, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

Capital: Pretoria (executive)
Population: 47,900,000
Time: GMT +2
Dialing: 27
Currency: Rand (ZAR)
Climate: South Africa is, for the most part, semi-arid, but lusher and cooler along the coast, while the east coast is sub-tropical and generally wetter all year round. Temperatures are invariably warm throughout the year, although the very height of summer can see the mercury push past 35ºc quite regularly.

Getting There: South Africa's two major international airports are at Cape Town and Johannesburg to which direct flights are available from London Heathrow. Other important airports are Port Elizabeth, Durban, Lanseria and George. Connecting internal flights will take you all over the country. Several major European airlines run services from London to South Africa with stops in Frankfurt or Paris.

Special Features: Apartheid history is brought to life on a visit to Robben Island; former prison of Nelson Mandela, and to Soweto, the nation's largest black township, just south of Johannesburg. Cape Town boasts one of the nation's most famous attractions, the imposing Table Mountain which can be scaled by cable car or on foot.

Buying Property in South Africa: Buying property of any kind in South Africa is normally done through a broker or real estate agent who should be registered as a member of the Estate Agents Board. South Africa has a highly accurate and modern system of property registration by which all properties are assigned an accurate diagram and title deed. Buying property in South Africa still offers some of the most affordable real estate available to migrating Brits. A two bedroom house can be found for as little £70,000 (approx €100,000).

Buying a property bargain in the popular and attractive and thriving city of Cape Town is not as easy as it once was, but you can still buy a marvellous family home with a big garden with sea views for half the price of its UK equivalent. What many people love about Cape Town is that nowhere is far from the sea, so even if you opt for one of the inland suburbs you can be on the beach within 20 minutes. Cape Town also boasts wonderful restaurants, shopping and nightlife. Another popular investment destination, Port Elizabeth is situated in the Eastern Cape Province and is renowned for its sunshine and safe sandy beaches. This major sea port and tourist destination is set along the beautiful shores of Algoa Bay, and is fondly referred to as the Friendly Eco-City.