Investment Property

There are tremendous opportunities for property investment in South Africa and by far the best opportunities are in Johannesburg.  Johannesburg is not only the business centre of South Africa but of Sub-Saharan Africa  in general. Since 2003 property prices in South Africa have been rising faster than any country in the World but they were starting from a low base. After the end of apartheid in 1994 property prices dropped considerably due to uncertainty in the country and because many professional and skilled South Africans left the country. In the early 2000's the value of the Rand fell through the floor and that made property investment very attractive for overseas buyers. This sparked a revival in property prices which was compounded by a quite dramatic fall in interest rates. In both 2003 and 2004 prices rose by a staggering 33% falling back to about 20% in 2005. In 2006 the Rand was the World's best performing currency, interest rates once again rose steadily and this had a steadying effect on prices but at about 15%, still very high by World standards. Property prices are still very low by World standards however and are expected to rise consistantly for at least the next 8 years. The football World Cup is coming to South Africa in 2012 and the government is investing heavily in the countries infrastructure. Demand from foreign buyers is expected to remain high and there is a continual upward pressure from the lower end of the market as millions of previously disadvantaged people look to improve their living standards. Johannesburg CBD has many high rise buildings (run down, empty or disused office buildings) that are now being refurbished and changed into apartment blocks. The Johannesburg City Council is helping in this rejuvenation by offering special incentives for developers/investors. A fully refurbished apartment in Johannesburg can be bought for a fraction of the cost of a similar apartment in any major city of the World and also considerably less than Cape Town or even Durban. Other excellent investment opportunities are to be found in the suburbs of Sandton, Bryanston, Sandhurst, Parkmore, Parktown and Hyde Park.  We will be highlighting investment opportunites on this page and if anyone would like to be put on our "Property Opportunities" mail alert, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it