Hoedspruit Property a Favourite with Foreign Eco-Buyers

The appeal of watching African animals in their natural habitat is attracting an increasing number of overseas buyers to the wildlife estates around the Limpopo town of Hoedspruit.

“Most of our sales currently are in estates such as the Blyde Wildlife Estate, the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate, Raptor’s View and Moditlo, and a large percentage are to second-home buyers from the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and other European countries,” says Rose White, who recently converted her well known Kruger Real Estate office to the Chas Everitt International brand.

Generally, she says, such buyers prefer to visit during the cooler months of South Africa’s winter, “and they really appreciate the fact that their ‘bush homes’ are in secure estates and safe when they are unoccupied.

“The overall architectural style of these estates also appeals to them, with most houses having thatched roofs and being painted in muted, natural colours to blend in with the environment.

“And then of course there is the lure of seeing wild animals really close up. Moditlo, for example, is part of the Blouberg Conservancy, which means that there are no internal fences, and it boasts lion, leopard, rhino and elephant, lacking only Cape buffalo to make up the Big 5.”

Meanwhile, says White, Hoedspruit property also continues to attract families from Johannesburg and Pretoria, with the Southern Cross private school in Raptor’s View being a major attraction. The school has achieved world-renown for a curriculum that fosters environmental appreciation and ethics alongside academic excellence. It offers classes from pre-primary school to Grade 12 and also takes boarders – many of them from outside South Africa.

“Hoedspruit also has several other excellent public and private primary and secondary schools, and overall this is a safe and wholesome environment in which to raise a family. The town now also has everything one could need in terms of shops – including a Pick ‘n Pay and a Spar – and good medical facilities too, although it does not have a hospital. Consequently, we now see quite a number of business people settling their families here and commuting weekly to their city offices.”

And they can afford to do this, she says, because Hoedspruit property in the local secure estates is still relatively affordable. Stands of 1 hectare range from around R200 000 to about R1 million, while ready-built homes sell at an average of around R1,6 million, although top-end Hoedspruit properties with great views or river frontage can sell for R3 million and more.

At the other end of the market, says White, the other “big sellers” in Hoedspruit property at the moment are apartments in the town’s three sectional title developments. “Prices of these proeprties start at around R350 000 and they are very popular with first-time buyers and families from outlying areas looking for a place for children attending the local schools to stay during the week.”

For more information on  Hoedspruit property contact Rose White on 015 793 1686 or email rose.white@everitt.co.za